Resource Corner, SEEA News and Notes: Issue 27
Resource corner, SEEA News and Notes: Issue 27 | December 2024
In this issue you will find Argentina’s energy accounts, Colombia's new extent account, India’s expansion of SEEA accounts, Germany’s Methods on Extent and Condition accounts, New Zealand’s Quarterly GHG Emissions, Ireland’s first set of forest ecosystem accounts-, the Eurostat’s Forest Accounts Handbook, and new papers on ecosystem accounting.
Argentina
INDEC publishes its first SEEA account: Physical Energy Flow Account, 2018-2021.
The National Institute of Statistics and Census of Argentina (INDEC) published in August 2024 the experimental physical energy flow account (PEFA) for the reference years 2018-2021. This account marks the first environmental-economic account in the country as envisioned in the strategy and road map for the SEEA in Argentina.
Publication and methodological notes available at:
- Sistema de Contabilidad Ambiental y Económica. Cuenta de Energía. Flujos físicos de energía (indec.gob.ar)
- Nota metodológica: Estimación de cuentas ambientales y económicas en Argentina. Cuenta de energía. Flujos físicos de energía (indec.gob.ar)
Colombia
On 28 October 2024, during a side event at the UN Biodiversity Conference COP16 in Cali, Colombia, the National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE) of Colombia released the experimental results of Colombia’s ecosystem extent account under the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting – Ecosystem Accounting, The paper includes the ecosystem extent account table and ecosystem change analysis for the years 2007-2011, based on the national ecosystem map of Colombia. It also includes preliminary mapping of Colombia’s ecosystems using ARIES for SEEA to bridge national ecosystem types with the IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology.
Access the report in Spanish here.
Link to SEEA Knowledge base: CUENTA AMBIENTAL Y ECONÓMICA DE EXTENSIÓN DE LOS ECOSISTEMAS (CAE-EE) | System of Environmental Economic Accounting
Eurostat
European forest accounts handbook – 2024 edition
The handbook is primarily aimed at national experts engaged in the production of European forest accounts. This edition reflects the latest European legal requirements. The handbook provides a framework and practical recommendations for establishing European forest accounts. It offers harmonised terminology and concepts. The handbook also offers help to compilers on data sources and methods.
Link to SEEA Knowledge base: European forest accounts handbook – 2024 edition | System of Environmental Economic Accounting
Germany
Method of the Ecosystem Extent Account. 2021
Published by the Federal Statistical Office of Germany (Destatis), this report presents the methodology for the compilation of the ecosystem extent account for Germany. The ecosystem extent account is fundamentally based on the SEEA Ecosystem Accounting, and the ecosystem types were classified according to the German national ecosystem classification.
The tabular ecosystem extent accounts and, as a supplement, the digital ecosystem atlas can be can be found in the Ecosystem Accounts page
Link to the SEEA Knowledge base: Environmental Economic Accounting. Method of the Ecosystem Extent Account 2021 | System of Environmental Economic Accounting
Method of the Ecosystem Condition Account. 2023
Published by the Federal Statistical Office of Germany (Destatis), this publication presents the methodology for the compilation of the ecosystem condition account for Germany. The account, based on the SEEA Ecosystem Accounting framework, can provide information on the condition of all of Germany’s ecosystems at different administrative levels (municipal, district, state and federal). Regular, triennial accounting makes it possible to report changes in ecosystem condition over time. The tabular ecosystem condition accounts and, as a supplement, the digital ecosystem atlas can be can be found in the Ecosystem Accounts page
Link to the SEEA Knowledge base: Method of the Ecosystem Condition Account 2023 | System of Environmental Economic Accounting
India
NSO India releases EnviStats-India: Environment Accounts 2024
The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) compiled and released the seventh consecutive issue of the publication “EnviStats India 2024: Environment Accounts” on 30 September 2024 in accordance with the System of Environmental Economic Accounting Framework. This issue expands the SEEA accounts and includes updates on energy accounts, ocean accounts, the soil nutrient index and biodiversity.
Read the PressNote_Env_Account2024_30sep24.pdf
The report is available at the Ministry’s website EnviStats_India_2024.pdf
Link to the SEEA Knowledge base: EnviStats-India: Environment Accounts 2024 | System of Environmental Economic Accounting
Ireland
Fossil Fuel Subsidies 2022 - Central Statistics Office
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) released on 26 September 2024 Fossil Fuel Subsidies. This release presents data, key findings and infographics on Ireland's fossil fuel subsidies for 2022. In particular, the release presents the average effective carbon rates (ECRs) of fossil fuels in different sectors of the Irish economy.
Ecosystem Accounts – Forests and Woodlands 2012-2022 - Central Statistics Office
The Forests and Woodlands 2012-2022 Frontier Series release was published on 20 March 2024 by the Central Statistics Office (CSO). Data within the publication were revised on 10 September 2024. This release is the first time the CSO has produced a full set of ecosystem accounts (extent, condition and services) for forest and woodlands ecosystems in Ireland.
Link to SEEA Knowledge base: Ecosystem Accounts – Forests and Woodlands 2012-2022 | System of Environmental Economic Accounting
New Zealand
Quarterly greenhouse gas emissions (industry and household): Sources and methods (Stats NZ, 2022)
This report presents the methodology for construction of quarterly greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions estimates to track emissions in relation to economic activity for New Zealand, within the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA) framework. The report introduces readers to aspects of statistical methodology usually seen in -sub-annual macroeconomic statistics.
Link to SEEA Knowledge base: Approaches to measuring New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions | System of Environmental Economic Accounting
Approaches to measuring New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions
Approaches to measuring New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions provides an overview of emissions statistics in New Zealand and how they relate to each other. The emissions statistics discussed here include those commonly compiled by countries and produced as official statistics covering multiple source processes at the national level.
The paper summarizes the different approaches countries use to compile emissions statistics and the underlying principles and concepts of each approach and provide guidance on which approach is appropriate to use and when.
Link to SEEA Knowledge base: Approaches to measuring New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions | System of Environmental Economic Accounting
Other SEEA-related papers
How to account for nature-based solutions as the ecological assets that support economy and society (La Notte, 2024)
This paper presents the System of Environmental and Economic Accounts (SEEA), and in particular the Ecosystem Accounting modules where Nature-based solutions may find a suitable format to systematically link changes in ecological assets with services and benefits provided to economic activities and people.
Link to SEEA Knowledge base: How to account for nature-based solutions as the ecological assets that support economy and society | System of Environmental Economic Accounting
Marine ecosystem services of seagrass in physical and monetary terms: The Mediterranean Sea case study (Addamo et al, 2024)
The assessment focuses on four marine and coastal ecosystem services and relies on habitat modelling for the biophysical assessment and various economic valuation tools for the monetization of benefits.
Link to SEEA Knowledge base: Marine ecosystem services of seagrass in physical and monetary terms: The Mediterranean Sea case study | System of Environmental Economic Accounting
Greening finance and green financing need environmental metrics. The opportunities offered by natural capital accounts (La Notte, 2024)
This paper uses the results of the project Integrated system for Natural Capital Accounting (INCA) to illustrate some concrete examples of how ecosystem service accounts can support (i) greening finance, to inform and improve the management of economic exposures to nature-related risks, and (ii) green financing, to raise funds to address environmental issues.
Link to SEEA Knowledge base: Greening finance and green financing need environmental metrics. The opportunities offered by natural capital accounts | System of Environmental Economic Accounting