Measuring the Environmental Dimension of Globalisation

Transkript

1 Measuring the Environmental Dimension of Globalisation September 2007, DGINS: Budapest Discussion Pieter Everaers: Eurostat 21-mars-07 NOM DE LA PRÉSENTATION 1

2 Five papers Statistics Estonia: Sustainability challenge: Global goods and values versus local priorities and practices Ministry of Environment and Centre of Environmental Studies, Hungary: Globalisation and environment: targets and tools for measuring progress Statistics Netherlands: The challenges of globalisation from an environmental accounting perspective Federal Statistical Office, Germany: Environmental pressures from German imports and exports Eurostat, directorate E: Globalisation and environment: developments in Eurostat statistics 21-mars-07 NOM DE LA PRÉSENTATION 2

3 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 examples Overview of ongoing and planned actions in the field of environmental statistics and accounts (also) in the context of globalisation 21-mars-07 NOM DE LA PRÉSENTATION 3

4 Different elements (water, resources, air) globalisation Environment Economic growth Shifts production / consumption 21-mars-07 NOM DE LA PRÉSENTATION 4

5 Statistics Estonia Sustainability 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 21-mars-07 NOM DE LA PRÉSENTATION 5

6 Main conclusions Relevant issues to tackle Statistical products too far away to provide insight in achieving the Great Transition in consumption patterns to 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 needed Only bits and pieces in place: the EU statistical system is not doing enough, much more is needed: Focus on data and knowledge development. 21-mars-07 NOM DE LA PRÉSENTATION 6

7 Ministry of Environment and Centre of Environmental Studies, Hungary Globalisation and Environment: targets and tools for measuring progress Process of selecting global quantitative key-indicators to set concrete policy targets A scientific process in coordination with development in political commitment These 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 21-mars-07 NOM DE LA PRÉSENTATION 7

8 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 21-mars-07 NOM DE LA PRÉSENTATION 8

9 Statistics Netherlands The 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 trade Absolute 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 21-mars-07 NOM DE LA PRÉSENTATION 9

10 Main conclusions Environmental accounting framework is useful to assess the influence of globalisation on the environment Netherlands 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 21-mars-07 NOM DE LA PRÉSENTATION 10

11 Federal Statistical Office, Germany Environmental pressures from German imports and exports. Increasing International relationships in trade, import and export, increased global responsibilities Demand for systematic statistical monitoring of environmental pressures emerged, especially embodied energy and carbon dioxide emissions: EU wide monitoring system needed Integrated economic and environmental accounts Product and consumption view, imports and exports 21-mars-07 NOM DE LA PRÉSENTATION 11

12 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 21-mars-07 NOM DE LA PRÉSENTATION 12

13 Eurostat, directorate E Globalisation and Environment: developments in Eurostat statistics Globalisation in environment follows economic developments; environmental statistics integrated with other statistical domains A plea for integrated economic and environmental accounting Challenges for environment statistics and accounts for the ESS (see next slide) Strategies to meet the challenges (see next slide) Priorities in Environmental accounting 21-mars-07 NOM DE LA PRÉSENTATION 13

14 Challenges for environmental statistics Further develop integrated economic and environmental accounting Raise awareness in other statistical domains on relations with environmental statistics Use statistics already available in other domains Resources to be reserved for environmental statistics Respond on need for composite indicators Information on river and sub basin level 21-mars-07 NOM DE LA PRÉSENTATION 14

15 Member States Air emissions Water accounting Economywide material flow Area of work Environmental protection expenditure Environment al taxes Forest and land accounts Subsoil asset accounts Belgium Denmark Germany Greece Spain France Ireland Italy Luxembourg Netherlands Austria Portugal Finland Sweden United Kingdom Norway Codes: 1 = data availability and use; 2 = implementation; 3 = inactivity 21-mars-07 NOM DE LA PRÉSENTATION 15

16 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) 21-mars-07 NOM DE LA PRÉSENTATION 16

17 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). 21-mars-07 NOM DE LA PRÉSENTATION 17

18 Trade Production/consumption Energy use Transport flows Economic globalisation Social globalisation Tourism Migration Consumption patterns Environmental globalisation 21-mars-07 NOM DE LA PRÉSENTATION 18

19 Three approaches Key sets of indicators Composite indicators Multiple indicator systems (integrated Economic and Environmental Accounting) 21-mars-07 NOM DE LA PRÉSENTATION 19

20 Integrated accounting Regional stats Global statist. Advocacy Key indicators Composite indicators 21-mars-07 NOM DE LA PRÉSENTATION 20

21 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? 21-mars-07 NOM DE LA PRÉSENTATION 21

22 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? 21-mars-07 NOM DE LA PRÉSENTATION 22

23 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? 21-mars-07 NOM DE LA PRÉSENTATION 23

24 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? 21-mars-07 NOM DE LA PRÉSENTATION 24

25 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? 21-mars-07 NOM DE LA PRÉSENTATION 25

26 Thank you for your attention 21-mars-07 NOM DE LA PRÉSENTATION 26