The report draws on government and trade statistics,
academic evidence and economic theory to challenge arguments that the health and social benefits
of reducing alcohol consumption are likely to come at a cost to the economy, finding: · Any reduction in employment and income resulting from lower spending on alcohol would be offset by spending on other goods · Econometric analysis
of US states suggests that a 10 % decrease in alcohol consumption is associated with a 0.4 % increase in per capita income
growth · Lower alcohol consumption could also reduce the economic costs
of impaired workplace productivity, alcohol - related sickness, unemployment and premature death, which are
estimated to cost the UK # 8 - 11 billion a year The analysis comes at a timely moment, with health groups urging the Chancellor to raise alcohol duty in next month's Budget.
The research, conducted by an international team
of scientists from a range
of institutions, is presented in a series
of seven
academic papers that
estimate change in land use and greenhouse gas emissions from oil palm expansion in the three countries, review the social and environmental impacts
of palm oil production, forecast potential
growth in the sector across the region, and detail methods for measuring emissions and carbon stocks
of plantations establishing on peatlands.