Measuring the Environmental Dimension of...

21-mars-07 NOM DE LA PRÉSENTATION 1

Measuring the Environmental Dimension of Globalisation

September 2007, DGINS: BudapestDiscussionPieter Everaers: Eurostat


Five papers

Statistics Estonia: Sustainability challenge: Global goods and values versus local priorities and practicesMinistry of Environment and Centre of Environmental Studies, Hungary: Globalisation and environment: targets and tools for measuring progressStatistics Netherlands: The challenges of globalisation from an environmental accounting perspectiveFederal Statistical Office, Germany: Environmental pressures from German imports and exportsEurostat, directorate E: Globalisation and environment: developments in Eurostat statistics


Categorisation of the papers

Why do we need harmonised (global / European) environmental statistics?The effectiveness of indicators and the interaction with policies?The value added of Integrated Economic and Environmental Accounting: some concrete examplesOverview of ongoing and planned actions in the field of environmental statistics and accounts (also) in the context of globalisation


globalisation Environment

Economic growthShifts production / consumption

Different elements (water, resources, air)


Statistics EstoniaSustainability challenge: Global goods and values versus local priorities and practices

Impact man on earth described from footprint perspective; environmental issues have multiple dimensions

Footprint and other composite indicators and environmental indices, maybe not robust but still a very valuable (and maybe currently the only useful) tool, for advocacy reasons (?) on a global scale

Work on sustainable indicators still poorly developed, we do not know enough on their impact and usefulness


Main conclusions

Relevant issues to tackle– Statistical products too far away to provide insight in

achieving the ‘’Great Transition’’ in consumption patternsto sustainable development, not enough insight on interrelations that characterizes globalisation

– The impact of Europe via trade on the global ecosystem: how big is the ecological cake, and who gets which piece?

– New eco / non-eco labelled trade classification neededOnly bits and pieces in place: the EU statistical system is not doing enough, much more is needed: Focus on data and knowledge development.


Ministry of Environment and Centre of Environmental Studies, HungaryGlobalisation and Environment: targets and tools for measuring progress

Process of selecting global quantitative key-indicators to set concrete policy targetsA scientific process in coordination with development in political commitmentThese indicators, well developed and accepted statistics , are helpful for setting targets and monitoring Three examples how this shows to be effective– Freon production - ozone depletion– Area of natural habitat - halting the loss of biological diversity– Surface temperature increase - greenhouse gasses and the

mitigation efforts


Main conclusions

Tackling global environmental problems requires global statistical data

Key indicators are very useful and effective

Adopting more specific and measurable targets means a stronger political commitment and a higher level of transparancy


Statistics NetherlandsThe challenges of globalisation from an Environmental accounting perspective

Environmental accounts: advantages– Consistent with the National Accounts– Environmental accounts can be linked to input-output tables

Kuznets Curve: U-shape relation between economic variables and environmental pressures : relevant to capture these relationships, as link with international tradeAbsolute decoupling GDP growth and CO2 emissions, to be analysed on the international level: test hypothesis on developed countries specialising in clean production and importing dirty products from developing countries


Main conclusions

Environmental accounting framework is useful to assess the influence of globalisation on the environmentNetherlands is not shifting its environmental burden abroad in the case of CO2 emissions Much further improvement needed on these type of analysis– Improve data sources of national accounts for measuring

globalisation– Investigate in calculation on environmental balance

indicators– Statistical coordination by Eurostat


Federal Statistical Office, GermanyEnvironmental pressures from German imports and exports.

Increasing International relationships in trade, import and export, increased global responsibilitiesDemand for systematic statistical monitoring of environmental pressures emerged, especially embodied energy and carbon dioxide emissions: EU wide monitoring system neededIntegrated economic and environmental accounts Product and consumption view, imports and exports


Main conclusions

Relocation hypothesis (export of dirty production, import of dirty products) not supported for Germany. Strong increase of energy prices an important explanatory factor

Systematic statistical approach on a regular base needed to monitor embodied environmental pressures

Comparable EU wide data needed and System of Economic and Environmental Accounts and Input Output Tables


Eurostat, directorate EGlobalisation and Environment: developments in Eurostat statistics

Globalisation in environment follows economic developments; environmental statistics integrated with other statistical domainsA plea for integrated economic and environmental accountingChallenges for environment statistics and accounts for the ESS (see next slide)

Strategies to meet the challenges (see next slide)

Priorities in Environmental accounting


Challenges for environmental statistics

Further develop integrated economic and environmental accountingRaise awareness in other statistical domains on relations with environmental statisticsUse statistics already available in other domainsResources to be reserved for environmental statisticsRespond on need for composite indicatorsInformation on river and sub basin level


Codes: 1 = data availability and use; 2 = implementation; 3 = inactivity

Member States

Air emissions

Water accounting

Economy-wide

material flow

Environmental protection

expenditure

Environmental taxes

Forest and land accounts

Subsoil asset

accountsBelgium 1 2 1 1 1 1 3Denmark 1 2 1 1 1 1 1Germany 1 1 1 1 1 1 3Greece 1 2 1 1 1 1 3Spain 2 2 3 1 1 2 3France 1 2 3 1 1 1 1Ireland 1 2 3 1 1 3 3Italy 1 2 1 1 1 2 2Luxembourg 2 3 3 1 1 3 3Netherlands 1 2 2 1 1 3 1Austria 1 2 1 1 1 1 1Portugal 2 3 2 1 1 3 3Finland 2 1 1 1 1 1 1Sweden 1 1 2 1 1 2 3United Kingdom 1 2 1 1 1 2 1Norway 1 1 2 1 1 2 1

Area of work


Strategies to meet these challenges

Emphasis on further develop Integrated Economic and Environmental accounting

Support and promote Environmental accounting

Strengthen cooperation between main European actors in Environment statistics (example Go4)


Relations with other statistics

Environmental statistics and globalisation is very strongly linked to many issues in economic and social statistics. Sharing of data should be further developed (material flows, waste etc).


TradeProduction/consumptionEnergy useTransport flowsEconomic globalisation

Social globalisationTourismMigrationConsumption patterns

Environmental globalisation


Three approaches

Key sets of indicators

Composite indicators

Multiple indicator systems (integrated Economic and Environmental Accounting)


Integrated accounting

Key indicators

Regional stats

Global statist.

Composite indicators

Advocacy


Questions (I)

Is it relevant to discuss globalisation and environmental statistics on itself or should it be considered part of the discussion in economic and/or social statistics as there are so many indications that globalisation in environmental statistics directly follows the other domains?


Questions (II)

Do indicators work and more specific is there a role for statisticians for developing key (policy) indicators as suggested in the Hungarian paper?

The development of key indicators, is this a short term or long term perspective?

How to proceed in a dialogue between statistics and environmental policies on the right way to develop indicators?


Questions (Continued III)

How to organise further harmonisation and primary data collection on environmental issues?

How to relate data from other statistical domains to the field of environmental statistics? Think about variables, classifications, geo references

Can new data collections on environmental issues be justified from the point of view of response and administrative burden?


Questions (Continued IV)

Integrated Economic and Environmental Accounting, is this the right way, even when it is long and complex?

What to think about the examples discussed?

Do we need to develop EU regulations on this issue to facilitate the development and implementation?

What are the priorities in environmental accounting, eg. focus on depletion or on pressures?


Questions (Continued V)

Are the Data Centres the best (and maybe only) solution for setting up and efficient system providing information at one hand and facilitating conceptual and analytical work?


Thank you for your attention

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