objects/accounts-metrics-indicators.html

Environmental Metrics and Indicators

Feb 14, 2013

<accounting>

Outline:

• Purpose of environmental accounting
• "Information pyramid"
  • data
    • collected as part of monitoring and research
    • many forms of data
  • accounts
    • sort data into useful bins that can be used
    • tables of data
    • aiming for completeness and non-duplication
    • takes experience and research to set up these accounts so that they can be used
      • isn't just a theoretical excercise
      • how will the data actually work
  • indicators -
    • convey a message about the state of the system
    • descriptive statistics and indicators (can be qualitative)
    • lagging or leading indicators
    • characteristics of effective indicators (Jakobsen)
      • relevant, pertain to the system and is something that you need to know
      • easy to understand by all stakeholders including public
      • reliable
      • based on accessible data, information can be obtained in time to act
    • three types
      • state of the environment
      • sustainability
      • performance
        • related to an objective or goal of management

References:

UNSTATS brochure

SEEA

SEEA-water

IndicatorsMetrics.ppt

Susan Jakobsen, Environmental Indicators. eoearth. http://www.eoearth.org/article/Environmental_indicators

***** eoearth

Expanded outline:

• Purpose of environmental accounting
  • design and create information systems to address specific questions and make data-driven decisions
  • see environmental-accounting.html
• "Information pyramid"
• • data
    • collected as part of monitoring and research
    • many forms of data
  • accounts
    • sort data into useful bins that can be used
    • SEEA sets up data that should be collected, methodologies and where that data is used
    • tables of data
    • aiming for completeness and non-duplication
    • takes experience and research to set up these accounts so that they can be used
      • isn't just a theoretical excercise
      • how will the data actually work
  • metrics -
    • quantitative
    • derived from 2 or more measurements
    • metrics should be:
  • indicators -
    • convey a message about the state of the system
    • descriptive statistics and indicators
    • can be qualitative
    • lagging or leading indicators
    • characteristics of effective indicators (Jakobsen)
      • relevant, pertain to the system and is something that you need to know
      • easy to understand by all stakeholders including public
      • reliable
      • based on accessible data, information can be obtained in time to act
    • three types
      • state of the environment
      • sustainability
      • performance
        • related to an objective or goal of management
  • Indexes or Indices
    • compilation of indicators and metrics
    • maybe weighted or unweighted
    • used for longer term or larger scale tracking
    • see indexes.html
• These are used as part of integrated management
  • bringing together data, environmental issues, economics and social benefit
• Indicators can be used in describing scenarios
  • MEA
• Examples