91 Components of the FDES and the Basic Set of Environment Statistics 91 Topic 6.2.1: Institutional strength 3.273. Government and citizen engagement in environmental and sustainable development public policy is reflected in the extent to which institutions that manage and regulate the envi ronment exist and function properly at the national and subnational levels. This topic includes statistics on environmental institutions and their resources, organized according to the main government environmental authority (name, budget and staff), and other relevant environ mental institutions (names, budget and staff). 3.274. The main institutional partners here include the environmental authority (e.g., Minis try of Environment or equivalent institution) and other relevant environmental institutions. The information to be produced for this topic should be mainly descriptive, but may also include monetary statistics on budgets. It is usually compiled at the national level but should also cover subnational levels and natural resources (e.g., rivers, forests). Table 3.6.2.1 Statistics and related information for Topic 6.2.1 Component 6: Environmental Protection, Management and Engagement Subcomponent 6.2: Environmental Governance and Regulation Topic 6.2.1: Institutional strength 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. Government environmental institutions and their resources •• National •• Subnational
- Name of main environmental authority and year of establishment Description
- Annual budget of the main environmental authority Currency
- Number of staff in the main environmental authority Number
- List of environmental departments in other authorities and year of establishment Description
- Annual budget of environmental departments in other authorities Currency
- Number of staff of environmental departments in other authorities Number b. Other environmental institutions and their resources
- Name of institution and year of establishment Description
- Annual budget of the institution Currency
- Number of staff in the institution Number Topic 6.2.2: Environmental regulation and instruments 3.275. This topic refers to policy responses to regulate and establish acceptable limits for pro tecting the environment and human health. It entails both direct regulatory and economic instruments. Direct regulatory instruments include environmental and related laws, standards, limits and their enforcement capacities. These can be described using statistics on regulated pollutants, licensing systems, applications for licences, quotas for biological resource extrac tion, and budget and number of staff dedicated to enforcement of environmental regulations. Economic instruments may comprise the existence and number of green/environmental taxes, environmental subsidies, eco-labelling and certification and emission permits. 3.276. Depending on the national institutional arrangement, the main partners in this con text include the environmental authority, internal revenue services and other environmentally relevant authorities, along with other institutions that may enforce environmental regulations (e.g., local governments or sectoral authorities). Information to be produced for this topic will be mainly descriptive, for example, a list of regulated pollutants and their descriptions, but may also include quantitative data on budgets or emission permits traded.
Framework for the Development of Environment Statistics (FDES 2013) 92 Table 3.6.2.2 Statistics and related information for Topic 6.2.2 Component 6: Environmental Protection, Management and Engagement Subcomponent 6.2: Environmental Governance and Regulation Topic 6.2.2: Environmental regulation and instruments 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. Direct regulation •• By media (e.g., water, air, land, soil, oceans) •• By ISIC economic activity •• National •• Subnational
- List of regulated pollutants and description (e.g., by year of adoption and maxi mum allowable levels) Description, number
- Description (e.g., name, year established) of licensing system to ensure compliance with environmental standards for businesses or other new facilities Description
- Number of applications for licences received and approved per year Number
- List of quotas for biological resource extraction Number
- Budget and number of staff dedicated to enforcement of environmental regulations Currency, number b. Economic instruments
- List and description (e.g., year of establishment) of green/environmental taxes Description, currency
- List and description (e.g., year of establishment) of environmentally relevant subsidies Description, currency
- List of eco-labelling and environmental certification programmes Description
- Emission permits traded Number, currency Topic 6.2.3: Participation in MEAs and environmental conventions 3.277. This topic includes information on a country’s participation 85 in MEAs and other global environmental conventions, including, for example, the Montreal and Kyoto protocols. The main institutional partners include the environmental authority, along with other insti tutions that may be responsible for MEAs or environmental conventions. The information to be produced on this topic is mainly descriptive, although comparable time series can also be derived from these statistics. Table 3.6.2.3 Statistics and related information for Topic 6.2.3 Component 6: Environmental Protection, Management and Engagement Subcomponent 6.2: Environmental Governance and Regulation Topic 6.2.3: Participation in MEAs and environmental conventions 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. Participation in MEAs and other global environmental conventions MEA Secretariats
- List and description (e.g., country’s year of participationd) of MEAs and other global environmental conventions Description, number d Participation means that the country or area has become party to the agreements under the treaty or convention, which is achieved through various means, depending on the country’s circumstances, namely, accession, acceptance, approval, formal confirmation, ratification and succession. Countries or areas that have signed but not become party to the agreements under a given convention or treaty are not considered to be participating. Subcomponent 6.3: Extreme Event Preparedness and Disaster Management 3.278. Statistics describing extreme event preparedness and disaster management will differ by country, based on the type of extreme event and disaster that usually occurs or may occur. In general, these statistics include the existence and strength of the disaster management agency’s facilities and infrastructure. 85 Participation means that the country or area has become party to the agreements under the treaty or convention, which is achieved through various means, depending on the country’s circumstances, namely, accession, acceptance, approval, formal confirmation, ratification and succession. Countries or areas that have signed but not become party to the agreements under a given convention or treaty are not considered to be participating.
93 Components of the FDES and the Basic Set of Environment Statistics 93 3.279. Extreme event preparedness and disaster management expenditure should also be cap tured under this subcomponent. It refers to any public or private expenditure whose primary purpose is to help inform, educate and protect the population from extreme events and disas ters, including but not limited to, establishing and maintaining warning systems, monitoring stations and systems, signals, communication systems, emergency centres and shelters. Topic 6.3.1: Preparedness for natural extreme events and disasters 3.280. Measures of disaster preparedness vary according to the community and location’s characteristics and historical profile for natural extreme events and disasters. Relevant infor mation may include the existence and description of national disaster plans; the type and number of shelters in place; the type and number of internationally certified emergency and recovery management specialists; the number of volunteers; and the quantity of first aid, emer gency supplies and equipment stockpiles. The existence of early warning systems for all major hazards, and expenditure on disaster prevention, preparedness, clean-up and rehabilitation, are also important data requirements. 3.281. Lead responsibility for disaster preparedness plans is often delegated to infrastructure authorities or ministries of public works, construction and housing. Common data providers are national and subnational authorities responsible for disaster management and assistance as well as emergency management agencies and municipalities. Global and regional meteorologi cal forecasting agencies can also provide useful data on the spatial scale and likelihood of a crisis. NSOs may provide relevant population data, while authorities responsible for flood and drainage control may provide pertinent flood and drainage control information. Close agro- meteorological collaboration can also provide effective and actionable joint forecast informa tion from agriculture ministries and counterparts in meteorological agencies, complementing data from each of their domains. Table 3.6.3.1 Statistics and related information for Topic 6.3.1 Component 6: Environmental Protection, Management and Engagement Subcomponent 6.3: Extreme Event Preparedness and Disaster Management Topic 6.3.1: Preparedness for natural extreme events and 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. National natural extreme event and disaster preparedness and management systems •• National •• Subnational •• International Emergency Management Organization (IEMO) •• UNISDR •• Hyogo Framework for Action
- Existence of national disaster plans/programmes Description
- Description (e.g., number of staff) of national disaster plans/programmes Description
- Number and type of shelters in place or able to be deployed Description, number
- Number and type of internationally certified emergency and recovery management specialists Description, number
- Number of volunteers Number
- Quantity of first aid, emergency supplies and equipment stockpiles Number
- Existence of early warning systems for all major hazards Description
- Expenditure on disaster prevention, preparedness, clean-up and rehabilitation Currency Topic 6.3.2: Preparedness for technological disasters 3.282. Preparedness for technological disasters can be quite different from natural extreme event and disaster preparedness. This is because technological disasters usually arise at an industrial location or on a mode of transportation where it is often the corporate sector that has a vested interest or legal obligation in contributing to preparedness and clean-up. Natural
Framework for the Development of Environment Statistics (FDES 2013) 94 extreme events and disasters usually occur on a larger scale and, typically, the government is primarily involved in preparedness and clean-up. 3.283. Measures of corporate disaster preparedness will vary according to the enterprise’s size, location and historical profile for technological disasters. The impact of the disaster may vary by the size of the enterprise relative to the local area. The same disaster may not have a substantial effect on a large industrial complex in a major city, but may reach tragic proportions in a one-factory town, where that enterprise is the main employer. Relevant information may include the existence of an emergency management plan and expenditure on disaster preven tion, preparedness, clean-up and rehabilitation. Table 3.6.3.2 Statistics and related information for Topic 6.3.2 Component 6: Environmental Protection, Management and Engagement Subcomponent 6.3: Extreme Event Preparedness and Disaster Management Topic 6.3.2: Preparedness for 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. National technological disaster preparedness and management systems •• National •• Subnational •• IEMO •• UNISDR •• Hyogo Framework for Action
- Existence and description (e.g., number of staff) of public disaster management plans/programmes (and private when available) Description
- Expenditure on disaster prevention, preparedness, clean-up and rehabilitation Currency Subcomponent 6.4: Environmental Information and Awareness 3.284. This subcomponent covers statistics about environmental information and diverse pro cesses that contribute to increasing social awareness of environmental issues, thus promoting pro-environmental engagement and actions by the public and decision-makers at both local and national levels. 3.285. The statistics in this subcomponent are relevant for policymakers, analysts and civil soci ety. With these statistics, they are able to learn which information and education programmes are in place in their countries; whether these activities are increasing or decreasing over time; and the potential impact of information and education on public perception, awareness of envi ronmental issues and social engagement in pro-environmental actions. An understanding of environmental perceptions among the general public and key local constituencies can also help policymakers to shape local and national environmental policies and programmes. 3.286. Information dissemination, outreach and education, and public perceptions of envi ronmental issues and policies are all necessary but not sufficient to forge environmentally sustainable options. In general, as information and awareness increases in a society, individu als and groups expect more pro-environmental actions and choices. Informed consumers and organized citizens have been able to change environmental and social practices in some indus tries, providing that there are reasonable alternatives and that public policies have directed the incentives properly. 3.287. The statistical topics included here are in an early stage of development in general, although countries have developed important good practices and expertise. Because methods of production differ, so do the sources and institutional partners in each of the following sets of environment statistics. Topic 6.4.1: Environmental information 3.288. Environmental information includes quantitative and qualitative facts describing the state of the environment and its changes as described in the components of the FDES.