Resource corner SEEA News and Notes – Issue 17
In this issue you will find several new publications on SEEA accounts from Bhutan, Canada, Eurostat, Germany, India, Indonesia and New Zealand, and other reports such as UNECE’s report on Machine Learning for Official Statistics.
Annual Environmental Accounts Statistics of Bhutan – 2021
This document presents green economy indicators and environmental accounts for products such as electricity, fossil fuel (diesel, petrol, liquid petroleum gas and kerosene), fuelwood and briquettes. It also includes timber and mineral accounts covering 2011 to 2020. The publication presents additional chapters on waste and experimental energy accounts.
Find the report here.
Canada’s New Pilot Physical Flow Account for Plastic Material
Statistics Canada released the Pilot Physical Flow Account for Plastic Material for 2012 to 2018. This account was developed to support the Government of Canada’s comprehensive zero plastic waste agenda. The account estimates the flow of plastic through the economy by product category, resin type and province or territory. The customizable tables for pilot physical flow for plastic material by product category and by resin are available through all the progression of plastic through production, use, diversion, recycling and disposal. An infographic entitled Structure of the physical flow account for plastic material depicts the progression for plastic through all phases.
Read an analytical article and links to tables and other information here.
Canadian System of Environmental–Economic Accounts: Energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, 2019
The energy use and GHG emission data presented in this release reflect the economic activities of industries, households and governments that contributed to Canada's gross domestic product (GDP) in 2019. The data for 2019 is now available in the Physical Flow account for energy use (annual) and the Physical flow account for green house gas emissions (annual).
Data visualization tools are available for Physical flow account for energy use: Interactive tool and the Physical flow account for greenhouse gas emissions: Interactive tool
Read the article here.
Statistics Canada released the intensities and demand-based measures for energy and greenhouse gas emissions with data from 2009- 2018. Information is available for direct plus indirect energy and greenhouse gas emissions intensity, by industry and physical flows by final demand category for energy and greenhouse gas emissions.
Read more here, and see this infographic.
Canadian Environmental and Clean Technology products Economic Account, 2020
This article provides analysis along with links to data tables for environmental and clean technology products output, GDP, employment, and other estimates by industry and by product type, at the provincial/territorial level. The current time series covers 2012-2020.
Read more here.
Human Activity and Environment: Accounting for Ecosystem Service Change in Canada, 2021
This report provides statistics on the extent and condition of Canada’s ecosystems, as well as estimates of the supply and use of selected ecosystem services. In particular, estimates are provided for the physical supply of provisioning services (e.g., crop production, fodder production, aquaculture production, wood production, wild animal harvests and water supply), regulating services (e.g., carbon sequestration and storage and air filtration) and use of recreation-related services. The report also offers an analysis of data gaps and how to move forward in accounting for Canada’s ecosystem and ecosystem services.
Read the article and download the report in English and French.
EU Economy Greenhouse Gases near pre-pandemic levels
Based on data on EU quarterly estimates for greenhouse gas emissions, Eurostat reported that in Q3-2021, the EU economy GHG emissions were only slightly below pre-pandemic levels.
Read the full article here, where links to data and methodology are available.
This report is on the Knowledge Innovation Project on an Integrated system for Natural Capital Accounting (KIP INCA) in the European Union. In this report, three new ecosystem services: habitat and species maintenance, on-site soil retention and water purification are assessed, valued and accounted for. The authors of the report also reviewed and improved already existing ecosystem services accounts, such as crop and timber provision, carbon sequestration and crop pollination.
The report can be found here.
How much do Europeans value biodiversity?
How much Europeans value biodiversity is a pertinent question leading up to the Post-2020 Biodiversity policy of the E.U. This report provides European-level spatially explicit estimates of biodiversity non-use value applicable in decision-making processes using a stated preference survey conducted in four European countries. The results suggest that strengthening habitat and species maintenance policy is considered a necessity by the public and that Europeans are prepared to pay for such a policy.
Germany’s first ecosystem extent account
The Federal Statistical Office of Germany, DESTATIS, published the first results of ecosystem accounts, for 2015 and 2018. The extent account covers the entirety of Germany, including marine waters and the exclusive economic zone in the North Sea and Baltic Sea. The data is also visualized in a web-application, called Ecosystem Atlas (Ökosystematlas, available in German only) where the distribution of ecosystems is displayed on the level of each municipality.
Find tables, graphics and methodology of the ecosystem accounts here.
Read the press release about the Ecosystem Atlas in English.
India releases Strategy for Environmental Economic Accounts, 2022 -2026
Building on a landscape and policy assessment in the context of the NCAVES project India, and after a public consultation, India released the Strategy for Environmental Economic Accounts in India: 2022- 2026. This publication provides a roadmap for development of environmental economic accounts in India for the period 2022-2026. The document covers current initiatives as well as a roadmap for future actions, identifying five strategic accounts to be developed within the next five years: material flow accounts, energy accounts, ocean accounts, biodiversity accounts, and urban areas accounts. The strategy can be found here and in the SEEA knowledge base.
India EnviStats-India Glossary
India has released a glossary which encompasses all the important definitions/terminologies and concepts used in the annual publications “EnviStats-India Vol. I: Environment Statistics” and “EnviStats-India Vol. II: Environment Accounts”. This will help foster a common understanding of definitions and terms amongst users. The glossary will be updated on a regular basis in line with the subsequent publications and is available on the link.
BPS Statistics Indonesia published the energy flow accounts and GHG emissions accounts of Indonesia for 2015-2019. The publication also presents information about energy intensity and productivity by industries and household and greenhouse gas emission released to the environment from energy use. This publication also highlights some SDGs indicators derived from energy flow accounts and greenhouse gas emissions accounts.
The report can be found here.
BPS Statistics Indonesia's annual publication SISNERLING provides an overview of the impact of development on the availability and role of natural resources in economic activities. It comprises land cover accounts and its changes by group of islands, physical and monetary asset accounts for timber, energy, and minerals resources, integrated environmental and economic accounts and depletion adjusted GDP, and some related SDGs indicators. To compile SISNERLING, data sources from several institutions such as Ministry of Environment and Forestry, State-owned forestry company, and Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, are used.
New Zealand greenhouse gas emissions (industry and household): September 2021 quarter
This experimental release includes data from the March 2014 quarter, up to and including the September 2021 quarter. Quarterly emissions data allows for a more detailed understanding of the timing and impact of events such as COVID-19 lockdowns, which annual data can obscure. These estimates were produced within the SEEA framework and use New Zealand greenhouse gas inventory data as released in April 2021 (2019 data). The release includes a short web report, data tables and graphs.
Find the report here.
UNECE Machine Learning for Official Statistics
This publication focuses on the use of machine learning for official statistics, as many national and international organizations are investigating how machine learning can be used to increase the relevance and quality of official statistics. The publication introduces commonly used algorithms and accuracy measures used to assess performance of machine learning models; introduces the practical applications of machine learning in different working areas of statistical organizations; discusses the quality dimensions that can guide algorithm choices; goes over key steps for moving machine learning from the experimental to production stage; and provides recommendations for future work.
Access the report here.
CO2 Emissions from air transport: A near-real-time global database for policy analysis
This paper describes a new OECD database providing near-real-time and global information on aviation-related CO2 emissions, with allocations across countries following either the territory or the residence principle. This database provides a public good for both statistical measurement and environmental policy analysis. On the statistical front, it will facilitate the compilation of global Air Emission Accounts according to the System of Environmental Economic Accounting (SEEA), bring granular and timely information on a significant source of CO2 emissions, and allow tracking their evolution during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The comparison with official statistics that are available with a significant delay and at lower frequency demonstrates the accuracy of the OECD estimates. On the environmental policy front, it is expected that the OECD database will help monitor the impact of technological developments and policy measures to curb aviation-related CO2 emissions in the future.
This publication is part of the OECD Statistics Working Paper Series
Link to the original publication: https://doi.org/10.1787/ecc9f16b-en