OECD World Forum “Statistics, Knowledge and Policy”, Palermo, 10-13 November 2004 1

OECD World Forum on Key Indicators

Statistics, Knowledge and Policy

Palermo, 10-13 November 2004

OECD World Forum on Key Indicators

Statistics, Knowledge and Policy

Palermo, 10-13 November 2004

OECD World Forum “Statistics, Knowledge and Policy”, Palermo, 10-13 November 2004 2

Development of environmental performance

and sustainable development indicators in

MexicoSalvador Sánchez-Colón

Director General for Environmental Information and Statistics,Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources,

Mexico

OECD World Forum “Statistics, Knowledge and Policy”, Palermo, 10-13 November 2004 3

• Review major advancements/achievements in the development of environmental indicators and sustainable development indicators in Mexico

• Examine lessons learned• Explore ways for better advancing these

efforts

Objectives

OECD World Forum “Statistics, Knowledge and Policy”, Palermo, 10-13 November 2004 4

Background

• First landmark: Report on the state of the environment in Mexico (Ministry of Urban Development and Ecology, Mexico, 1986)

• UN Conference on Environment and Development (Rio de Janeiro, 1992) - Agenda 21, Chapter 40th: Information for decision making

• UN Commission for Sustainable Development: Sustainable Development Indicators Program 1995

• Mexico’s entry to the OECD 1994: Involvement in OECD’s environmental information initiatives (Environmental Data Compendium, Core set of environmental indicators, Environmental Performance reviews)

OECD World Forum “Statistics, Knowledge and Policy”, Palermo, 10-13 November 2004 5

Background

Objectives

• Fulfil international obligations (e.g. OECD, UN-CSD, etc.)

• Evaluate progress towards sustainable development

• Support for policy and decision making

• Inform society

OECD World Forum “Statistics, Knowledge and Policy”, Palermo, 10-13 November 2004 6

Types of indicators

• Environmental indicators.- Describe the behaviour of separate components of the environment (e.g., air quality, water pollution, etc.)

• Sustainable development indicators.- Indicators systems aimed to describe the economic, social, environmental and institutional aspects of development.

• Aggregation approaches:Indices.- linear combination of weighted variables

and indicators Environmental accounts, based on the monetary

valuation of environmental components and services

OECD World Forum “Statistics, Knowledge and Policy”, Palermo, 10-13 November 2004 7

Environmental indicators

Indicators for the assessment of environmental performance (SEMARNAP, 1997, 2000)

• Purpose: Disseminating information about the state of the environment, making effective the people's right to access to environmental information

• Scheme: OECD’s Pressure-State-Response

OECD World Forum “Statistics, Knowledge and Policy”, Palermo, 10-13 November 2004 8

Subject themes1997 edition

• Air• Hazardous waste• Municipal solid waste• Wildlife• Stratosppheric Ozone depletion• Climate change

Added in 2000 edition•Water resources•Forests•Soils•Fisheries

Environmental indicators

OECD World Forum “Statistics, Knowledge and Policy”, Palermo, 10-13 November 2004 9

Basic Indicators of Mexico’s environmental performance (SEMARNAT, 20005)

Subject themes•Air quality and atmosphere (GHG, ODS)•Water (Quality and supply)•Waste (municipal and hazrdous)•Soils•Biodiversity (freshwater, marine and terrestrial

ecosystems)•Fisheries•Forest resources

OECD’s PSR scheme

Environmental indicators

OECD World Forum “Statistics, Knowledge and Policy”, Palermo, 10-13 November 2004 10

Mexico’s Sustainable development indicators (SEMARNAP-INEGI, 2000)

• UN Comission for Sustainable Development pilot project• 22 countries participating (six from LA & C)• 113 indicators compiled (out of 134)

Sustainable development indicators

OECD World Forum “Statistics, Knowledge and Policy”, Palermo, 10-13 November 2004 11

Sustainable development indicatorsMexico’s Sustainable development indicators

(SEMARNAP-INEGI, 2000)

• Arranged by SD dimensions• Following PSR scheme• Related to the Agenda 21 chapters

OECD World Forum “Statistics, Knowledge and Policy”, Palermo, 10-13 November 2004 12

Mexico’s Environmental Sustainability Index

•Adaptation of the World Economic Forum & Yale and Columbia Universities’s Environmental Sustainability Index•Interpretation and adaptations specific for México.• State-level analysis to account for the high environmental and socio-economic heterogeneity of the country

Aggregated approaches

OECD World Forum “Statistics, Knowledge and Policy”, Palermo, 10-13 November 2004 13

Mexico’s Environmental Sustainability Index

Aggregated approaches

OECD World Forum “Statistics, Knowledge and Policy”, Palermo, 10-13 November 2004 14

Aggregated approaches

Mexico’s Environmentally Adjusted Net Domestic Product(INEGI, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004)

• Depletion of natural resources: Oil, forests, soils and ground water• Environmental degradation: air, water, and soils

OECD World Forum “Statistics, Knowledge and Policy”, Palermo, 10-13 November 2004 15

Aggregated approaches

Mexico’s Environmentally Adjusted Net Domestic Product(INEGI, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004)

OECD World Forum “Statistics, Knowledge and Policy”, Palermo, 10-13 November 2004 16

Lessons learnedGeneral issues• Unequal progress in Latin-American and Caribbean countries• Differences between LA & C countries and OECD countries

– LA & C countries: Biodiversity, Use and management of natural resources

– OECD and developed countries: Pollution, energy use, material flows, etc.

• Limited use in policy and decision-making– Indicators developed following international initiatives– Disaggregated data not available– Inadequate data timeliness

• Right to access to environmental information

OECD World Forum “Statistics, Knowledge and Policy”, Palermo, 10-13 November 2004 17

Lessons learnedEnvironmental indicators• Limited or poor data availability.• High costs of developing/maintaining environmental

indicators/information systems against limited budgets and capabilities.

Sustainable development indicators• Little success in integrating social, economic, environmental and

institutional aspects.

Aggregated approaches• Indices: Great communicational power, but open to methodological

criticisms (arbitrary selection and weighing of variables, multicolineality and redundancy of variables included, arbitrary scaling, etc.), loss of credibility.

• Environmentally adjusted Net Domestic Product: Incomplete consideration of environmental components, assumptions in the valuation of environmental degradation/depletion, results open to criticisms

OECD World Forum “Statistics, Knowledge and Policy”, Palermo, 10-13 November 2004 18

Desirable future developments• OECD’s role: PSR scheme, Core set of environmental

indicators• Data/indicator systems hierarchically arranged:

Municipality-level, State-level, Country-level, Region-wide level, Global level

• OECD’s expanded cooperation:– Non-OECD countries– International agencies (e.g., UNEP, ILAC, CCAD, etc.)