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77 Components of the FDES and the Basic Set of Environment Statistics 77 3.207. Technological disasters impact human lives, habitats and ecosystems in various ways, depending on the nature and intensity of the disaster. Their effects may be short term or of significant or unknown duration. In the case of technological disasters, there is sometimes no precedent for a given disaster. The full impact of such disasters cannot always be fully antici­ pated or measured. 3.208. This topic should include information on the identification and characterization of different types of events, including information on type of disaster, location, date of occur­ rence and duration. Additionally, where relevant because of repeated episodes, the frequency of technological disasters can also be critical in guiding policy-making and the development of deterrents. 3.209. Information on environmental media that are impacted is included under Subcomponent 1.3: Environmental Quality, covering air, water, soil and noise, as relevant. 3.210. For inclusion in this subcomponent, a technological disaster should be categorized using the same criteria as the CRED EM-DAT (see text in Subcomponent 4.1 for criteria). Table 3.4.2.1 Statistics and related information for Topic 4.2.1 Component 4: Extreme Events and Disasters Subcomponent 4.2: Technological Disasters Topic 4.2.1: Occurrence of technological disasters Statistics and related information Category of measurement Potential aggregations and scales Methodological guidance (Bold text—Core Set/Tier 1; regular text—Tier 2; italicized text— Tier 3) a. Occurrence of technological disasters   •• By event •• By ISIC economic activity •• National •• Subnational •• CRED EM-DAT •• UNECLAC: Handbook for Estimating the Socio-economic and Environmental Effects of Disasters  

  1. Type of technological disaster (industrial, transportation, miscellaneous) Description  
  2. Location Location  
  3. Date of occurrence Date  
  4. Duration Time period Topic 4.2.2:  Impact of technological disasters 3.211. This topic includes specific impacts on humans and damage to the economy and eco­ systems arising from technological disasters. These impacts may include radiation-related con­ ditions and diseases or other health impacts, property damage, loss of livelihood, services and housing, social and economic disruption, and environmental damage. The statistics in this topic include the number of people killed, injured, rendered homeless or affected, and economic loss. When available, estimates of the loss of work days and economic cost in monetary terms (e.g., loss of wages or costs of treatment) may be included here. Economic loss may refer to damage to buildings and other economic assets, number of transportation networks affected, economic disruption or loss of revenue to commercial services, and utility disruption. Physical loss or damage refers to the magnitude of the impact of the event or disaster on the quantity and qual­ ity of land, crops, livestock, aquaculture and biomass. The specific impact of each technological disaster on the integrity of the local ecosystem may also be reported on, where statistics exist. In addition, the external assistance received for disaster relief may also be measured. 3.212. As to data availability, economic impact assessments are often carried out by central banks and ministries of economic development. Additionally, large technological disasters are often the subject of one-time research projects by research or academic institutions assessing their impact. Insurance companies can also provide reliable appraisals of the impact.

Framework for the Development of Environment Statistics (FDES 2013) 78 3.213. Statistics on the environmental media that are impacted by technological disasters are included in Subcomponent 1.3: Environmental Quality, under the relevant heading (e.g., air, water or soil). Statistics on the health impact of technological disasters can also be found in Topic 5.2.5: Toxic substance- and nuclear radiation-related diseases and conditions. Table 3.4.2.2 Statistics and related information for Topic 4.2.2 Component 4: Extreme Events and Disasters Subcomponent 4.2: Technological Disasters Topic 4.2.2: Impact of technological disasters Statistics and related information Category of measurement Potential aggregations and scales Methodological guidance (Bold text—Core Set/Tier 1; regular text—Tier 2; italicized text—Tier 3) a. People affected by technological disasters •• By event •• National •• Subnational •• CRED EM-DAT •• UNECLAC: Handbook for Estimating the Socio-economic and Environ­ mental Effects of Disasters  

  1. Number of people killed Number  
  2. Number of people injured Number  
  3. Number of people homeless Number  
  4. Number of people affected Number b. Economic losses due to technological disasters (e.g., damage to buildings, transportation networks, loss of revenue for businesses, utility disruption) Currency •• By event •• By ISIC economic activity •• National •• Subnational •• By direct and indirect damage c. Physical losses/damages due to technological disasters (e.g., area and amount of crops, livestock, aquaculture, biomass) Area, description, number d. Effects of technological disasters on integrity of ecosystems •• By event •• National •• Subnational  
  5. Area affected by technological disasters Area  
  6. Loss of vegetation cover Area  
  7. Area of watershed affected Area  
  8. Other (e.g., for oil spills: volume of oil released into the environ­ ment, impact on ecosystem) Description e. External assistance received Currency •• By event •• National 3.5. Component 5: Human Settlements and Environmental Health 3.214. This component contains statistics on the environment in which humans live and work, particularly with regard to living conditions and environmental health. These statistics are important for the management and improvement of conditions related to human settlements, shelter conditions, safe water, sanitation and health, particularly in the context of rapid urbani­ zation, increasing pollution, environmental degradation, disasters, extreme events and climate change. 3.215. Human settlements vary from tiny villages to large metropolitan agglomerations. Housing types also vary widely from slums to houses that meet local building codes. Increas­ ing concentrations of humans in modern urban settlements pose special challenges to humans as well as to the physical environments in which these settlements are located. Air, water or soil pollution due to activities in human settlements causes continuous environmental change that can have damaging effects on agriculture, water resources, the energy sector and human health. The capacity or the resilience of the environment to cope with the environmental impacts caused by human habitation can influence both the health of the human settlements and the natural environment with which it is associated.

79 Components of the FDES and the Basic Set of Environment Statistics 79 3.216. The well-being and health risks associated with the environment (and those posed by extreme events and disasters) can be mitigated substantially by the prevailing conditions and characteristics of human settlements. Several factors can mitigate or increase the effect of environmental and settlement-related risks on human well-being. These factors include the appropriate infrastructure that can provide water and sanitation, adequate waste disposal, wise land use planning, clean and safe transportation, safe building design and other measures of good housing, and ecosystem health. These conditions can improve a given human settle­ ment, human well-being and health. Conversely, vulnerable human settlements are often more impacted by the changing environment and recover more slowly from pollution, environmen­ tal degradation, and extreme events and disasters. 3.217. Component 5 contains two subcomponents: i. Subcomponent 5.1: Human Settlements; and ii. Subcomponent 5.2: Environmental Health. Subcomponent 5.1:  Human Settlements 3.218. This subcomponent includes relevant statistics on basic services and infrastructure of human settlements. Human settlements refer to the totality of the human community, whether people live in large cities, towns or villages. They encompass the human population that resides in a settlement, the physical elements (e.g., shelter and infrastructure), services (e.g., water, sanitation, waste removal, energy and transport), and the exposure of humans to potentially deleterious environmental conditions. 3.219. Policymakers, analysts and civil society need statistics on human settlements for infor­ mation on how humans live and work in these settlements, how they transform the landscape and the supporting ecosystems and, in turn, how this affects human well-being and health. The extent of human settlements, their ecological footprint (which is closely related to prevailing production and consumption patterns), the supporting and nearby environmental conditions and quality, and human access to infrastructure and services, all affect humans and the envi­ ronment in a cyclical and iterative way. 3.220. The type of sources needed to document the status of and changes in human settle­ ments include censuses, surveys, administrative records and remote sensing. The NSO’s insti­ tutional partners include housing and urban planning authorities, health and transportation authorities, and research institutions. Presenting the statistics spatially using maps and geo­ spatial statistics adds important value to the information produced. 3.221. The first topic in this subcomponent covers urban and rural population statistics, pro­ viding information on locations where humans construct and maintain their settlements in any given country. The next two topics cover access to water, sanitation, waste removal and energy, and housing conditions with a direct bearing on human well-being and health. The fourth topic includes complementary information describing how the spatial location of popu­ lations around sources of pollution exposes them to possible health effects. Finally, the fifth topic organizes information about additional urban environmental concerns such as transport, green spaces, and urban planning and zoning. Topic 5.1.1:  Urban and rural population 3.222. Humans live primarily in rural or urban communities, building their shelters and institutions, while using environmental resources to satisfy human needs. Depending on the carrying capacity of ecosystems, human settlements and their use of environmental resources will affect environmental conditions, as well as human well-being and health.

Framework for the Development of Environment Statistics (FDES 2013) 80 3.223. Statistics on the location of human settlements may be found in traditional demo­ graphic statistics and, increasingly, in geospatial information sources. There is a significant potential to use georeferenced population data in the field of environment statistics. They may be used as a reference and in combination with other environment statistics to construct indi­ cators. For instance, in combination with housing, water and sanitation statistics, they can provide telling determinants of the environmental sustainability of human settlements and environmental health. 3.224. The main statistics pertaining to this topic are rural, urban and total population, includ­ ing population density. When possible, these statistics should include geospatial information regarding specific geographic distributions in the country. Data on this topic are available widely in most countries. The main sources are censuses and household surveys. These statis­ tics are generally produced by NSOs, usually in the demographic or social domains. Table 3.5.1.1 Statistics and related information for Topic 5.1.1 Component 5: Human Settlements and Environmental Health Subcomponent 5.1: Human Settlements Topic 5.1.1: Urban and rural population Statistics and related information Category of measurement Potential aggregations and scales Methodological guidance (Bold text—Core Set/Tier 1; regular text—Tier 2; italicized text—Tier 3) a. Population living in urban areas Number •• Urban •• Rural •• UN Population Division •• UN Population Fund (UNFPA) b. Population living in rural areas Number c. Total urban area Area d. Total rural area Area e. Population living in coastal areas Number Topic 5.1.2:  Access to selected basic services 3.225. This topic includes information about access to water, sanitation, waste removal services and energy in urban and rural areas. Access to these basic services can have a positive effect on human health and well-being, thereby contributing to improved environmental quality. 3.226. Relevant statistics on this topic include the population using an improved drinking water source and the population using an improved sanitation facility. MDG indicator 7.8 metadata defines an improved drinking water source as one of the following: piped water into dwelling, plot or yard; public tap or standpipe; borehole or tube well; protected dug well; protected spring; rainwater collection and bottled water (if a secondary available source is also improved).71 The population using an improved drinking water source (at a national, urban and rural level) can be measured and the proportion of the total population can be obtained. Additionally, statistics on the price of water supplied, for example, through pipes or a vendor, as well as the population supplied by water supply industry, should also be collected. 3.227. MDG indicator 7.9 metadata defines an improved sanitation facility as one that hygien­ ically separates human excreta from human contact. It includes flush/pour flush toilets or latrines connected to a sewer, septic tank, or pit, ventilated improved pit latrines, pit latrines with a slab or platform of any material which covers the pit entirely, except for the drop hole and composting toilets/latrines.72 The population using an improved sanitation facility (at a national, urban and rural level) can be measured, and the proportion of the total population can be obtained.73 Collection of data on this topic is therefore relevant and useful for monitor­ ing progress towards achieving the MDGs and is required as numerators for MDG indicators 7.8 and 7.9. 71 United Nations Statistics Division. “Millennium Development Goals Indicators. Indicator 7.8 Proportion of population using an improved drinking water source”, available from http:// unstats.un.org/unsd/mdg /Metadata.aspx?IndicatorId=0& SeriesId=665 (accessed 4 August 2017). 72 United Nations Statistics Division. “Millennium Development Goals Indicators. Indicator 7.9 Proportion of population using an improved sanitation facility”, available from http://mdgs.un.org/unsd/mdg /Metadata.aspx?IndicatorId=31 (accessed 4 August 2017). 73 The Millennium Development Goal indicator 7.9 is the proportion of population using an improved sanitation facility. This is defined as the percentage of the population (national, urban and rural) with access to an improved sanitation facility with respect to the total population (national, urban and rural).

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