Dr. Martha O'Hagan-Luff:

If a cost-benefit analysis is only done on financial means, it should not be used at all. It comes back to why we want to value nature, social gains or equity, as Dr. O'Mahony said. Unless those factors are on the spreadsheet and balance sheet, it is pointless to use that methodology. The methodology is deeply flawed if we are not including those hard-to-value factors. We either get them in and get a value for them or exclude them.

It is a very flawed method if we do not include them.