Environmental Indicators

Date = February 6, 2014
tags <ESM102> <chapter8>

There are many indicators that can be used to track environmental progress.

Table 8.3 Example indexes that measure environmental and social progress. This table was adapted from van der Kerk and Manuel (2009).

These indexes or indicators combine a large amount of information from different sources.

Name	Short description	reference
SSI	22 indicators in 5 categories and information easily compiled
Human Development I	UNDP, good for developing countries
Env Sustain Index	Requires a large amount of data
Environmental Performance Index	6 categories and 16 indicators, focuses on dimensions in the Milenium Development Goalls
Genuine Progress Indicator	Similar to ISEW as a “green” GDP, can be used to track investments in different sectors	See Maryland
Ecological Footprint	Published by WWF, converts all consumption into units of land needed to meet that carbon demand
Millenium Development Indicators	Established by the UN to measure development goals in developing countries, not sustainability
Happy Planet Index	Life satisfaction x life expectancy/community ecological footprint, very intuitive index
Gross National Happiness	Matrix of indicators, in use in Bhutan

References

van der Kerk, Geurt and Arthur R. Manuel. 2009. Sustainable Society Index. Encyclopedia of Earth. http://www.eoearth.org/article/Sustainable_Society_Index