The Environmental dimension might well represent one of the most polarizing topics in modern society. Stemming from the environmental movement of the 60s, it gained further legitimacy through the sustainability discourse of the 80s as solidified by the Brundtland commission.

Commercial human activity and especially activity that involves significant numbers of people almost invariably has an adversarial relationship to the natural environment. Thus, the outputs that are evaluated in the environmental dimension principally consist of negative externalities.

As a general rule, environmental indicators should display low values. Exceptions to this rule are the instances where outcomes are intangible and where instead inputs in e.g. education and conservation efforts might be the values to measure.