Slide 2 1 Indicators, reporting and sustainable development
David Stanners Programme Manager for strategic development &
international cooperation European Environment Agency
International/Interagency Collaboration Information Technology for
Environmental Information & Environmental Data Exchange
Network, EEA &EPA, USGS, CNR, JRC and UNEP Copenhagen, 25-26
April 2002 Slide 3 2 Outline 1. Environmental challenges and
responses 2. The role of indicators in the EEAs work in support of
the policy process 3. Indicator frameworks and typologies 4.
Linking indicators to the policy process 5. A few thoughts on
sustainability indicators Aim: to reflect on the background and
approches to the indicator choices being made to help build a more
relevant, effective, consistent and streamlined reporting system
Slide 4 3 To develop a more robust, relevant, effective, consistent
and streamlined set of indicators for tracking course towards a
more sustainable future The final goal....... Slide 5 4.....to
help.... manage what you measure (indicators); respond and be
rewarded or penalised for those things which you can be held
accountable (benchmarking); and, achieve what has been agreed
(targets). Slide 6 5 1. Environmental challenges State of the
environment Sectoral trends Responses main policy processes Slide 7
6 Overall, what do we see ? The environmental problems that are
most difficult to solve persist Tackling climate change Greenhouse
gas emissions 1990 1992199419961998 4500 4000 3500 3000 2500 2000
million tonnes CO 2 equivalent EU15 greenhouse gas emissions
2008-2012 kyoto target Slide 8 7 Overall, what do we see ? (2) The
environmental problems that are most difficult to solve persist
Protecting nature and bio-diversity from land take and use Every
day during 1990 - 1998, about 10 hectares of land (10 football
pitches) were taken for motorway construction in the EU 1980 - 100
120 built-up area 115 110 105 100 95 90 85 1980 1990 1994 1998
forest land length of road network permanentgrassland Slide 9 8
Overall, what do we see ? (3) The environmental problems that are
most difficult to solve persist Sustainable management of waste and
natural resources 600 waste generated 500 400 300 1990 waste
landfilled 200 100 0 199319951996 kg/per capita Slide 10 9 Overall,
what do we see ? (4) The environmental problems that are most
difficult to solve persist Environment and health Air quality in
urban areas (ozone and particulate matters) 40 Fine particles 35 30
25 20 15 10 5 0 899091929394959697Ozone35 30 25 20 15 10 0 5
939495969798 Slide 11 10 Most issues intimately linked with energy
consumption A reflection of the overall scale of resource use 1000
mtoe 800 600 400 200 0 households industry transport services and
agriculture 19861988 19901992 19941996 1998 Slide 12 11
Eco-efficiency and material flows Positive trends in sectoral
eco-efficiency have led to a decrease in total air polluting
emissions Emissions of ozone precursors Emissions of acidifying
substances 4000 3500 3000 2500 2000 1500 1000 500 6000 5000 4000
3000 2000 1000 0 6000 5000 4000 3000 2000 1000 0 0 1400 1200 1000
800 600 400 200 0 198019821984198619881990199219941996 acid
equivalents ktonnes NH 3 NO x SO 2 CLRTAP target 2010 total
proposed NECD target 2010 GDP GDP in billion US$ CH 4 CO NMVOC
EU15(NO X +VOC) NO X proposed 2010 target NECD only NO X + VOC 2010
CLRTAP target only NO X + VOC 198019821984198619881990199219941996
GDP TOFP equivalents ktonnes GDP in billion US$ Slide 13 12 The
challenge: evolving patterns and scale of consumption and
production Transport is constantly increasing and is a core
activity of the tourism sector The number of inbound tourist
visitors grew faster than total passenger transport Passenger
transport 1980 =100 250 200 150 100 50 0 1980 19851990 1995 2000
2005 2010 number of cars passenger-km population million tourists
300 250 200 150 100 50 198019851990 1992 1994 1996 1998 Tourist
arrivals Slide 14 13 Country performance on selected indicators The
indicators used in this report give a clear signal to Ireland and
the southern European countries that more needs to be done. ir
popopopogritfres lulululubesw dkdkdkdkau ukukukukfi nlnlnlnl
dededede climate change air emission s water quantity waste Slide
15 14 Headline Indicators Keys Good progress towards meeting
objective, improvement No significant change, static Movement away
from objective, declining ? Insufficient data = tool for awareness
raising Slide 16 15 2. The role of indicators in the EEAs work in
support of the policy process Slide 17 16 The aim of EEA indicator
reports is to provide signals: yon the integration of environmental
policy into other policy fields yon eco-efficiency and material
flows yon country performance yon progress made and promises for
the future Slide 18 17 policy preparation policy formulation policy
execution policy evaluation The Policy Cycle Slide 19 18 What steps
for sustainable decision making? Sustainable development strategy
(Gothenburg Summit, June 2001) Cardiff integration strategy (since
April 1998) Lisbon Socio-economic process (since March 2000) 6 th
environmental action programme (still to be finally agreed) All
include reporting and indicators to measure & benchmark
progress Slide 20 19 The 'three corridors model' to follow progress
in sustainable development Strategy for Sustainable Development
(Gothenburg Summit June 2001 to RIO+10 June 2002) Structural
Indicators Lisbon agenda (socio- economic policies) ('Synthesis
report' to Stockhom summit, March 2001) Sectoral integration ind.
Sectoral strategies & action programmes (Economic councils for
Gothenburg Summit June 2001) Issue indicators Environmental action
plan (Env council, 6EAP for Gothenburg 2001 and specific
development plans) Integrated Monitoring and reporting Slide 21 20
EU Indicator architecture EU Indicator architecture (tentative
number of indicators per group) Spring Council indicators 36
sectoral headline indicators (n x 3) env. issue indicators ~100
sectoral indicators n x 30 env. issue headline indicators 10
structural indicators 30 Slide 22 21 The EEA focus for indicators
in support of the policy process Indicators and the 6th
Environmental Action Programme Indicators and the integration
strategies Monitoring progress with the Sustainable Development
Strategy indicators for the Synthesis report and Spring Councils
Slide 23 22 Priorities under the ECs 6 th Environmental Action
Programme (6EAP) Limiting climate change Nature and biodiversity
protecting a unique resource Environment and health & quality
of life Ensuring the sustainable management of natural resources
and wastes Slide 24 23 The 6EAP seeks to develop...ex ante
evaluation of the possible impacts of new policies...ex post
evaluation of the effectiveness of existing measures in meeting
their environmental objectives Slide 25 24 Indicators and the
integration strategies Agriculture ) Environmental Transport)
Impacts Energy) Supply/demand Tourism) Eco-efficiency Fisheries)
Subsidies Households) Prices Industry) Externalities Slide 26 25
Gteborg European Council, 15-16 June 2001 Presidency
Conclusions...agrees a strategy for sustainability development
which..... adds a third, environmental dimension to the Lisbon
strategy and establishes a new approach to policy making. Slide 27
26 Gteborg conclusions on sustainable development Four priority
areas singled out for future policy development (based on SDS,
6EAP, sector strategies): Climate change, Transport Public health
Natural resources [The other SDS priorities are: social exclusion
and poverty, demography and ageing, clean energy (with climate
change), mobility and land use.] Slide 28 27 Gteborg conclusions
cont... the Commission will evaluate the implementation of the
Sustainable Development Strategy, in its annual synthesis report,
on the basis of a number of headline indicators... Starting from
Spring 2003, the Commission will begin covering the candidate
countries and their national policies in its annual synthesis
report. Slide 29 28 Six indicators each for: General Economic
background I. Employment II. Innovation III. Economic reform IV.
Social Cohesion Six indicators for environment: V. Environmental
aspects of Sustainable Development 1. Greenhouse gas emissions
2.Energy intensity of the economy 3. Volume of transport (tonnes
and passenger km) relative to GDP 4. Modal split of transport 5.
Urban air quality 6. Municipal waste Possible indicators for the
Spring European Council published by the Commission on 30/10/2001
Slide 30 29 List of indicators to be developed under Environment
chapter of Commission publication 30/10/01 Consumption of toxic
chemicals Disability-free life expectancy Biodiversity Resource
productivity Recycling rate of selected materials Generation of
hazardous waste Slide 31 30 3. Indicator frameworks and typologies
A typology of questions and indicators The assessment framework and
the role of indicators in the policy life cycle Slide 32