en-1707151358-FDES_2013.pdf

Framework for the Development of Environment Statistics (FDES 2013) 106 Component Subcomponent Topic Core Set / Tier 1 Statistics Category of measurement Component 4: Extreme Events and Disasters Subcomponent 4.1: Natural Extreme Events and Disasters Topic 4.1.1: Occurrence of natural extreme events and disasters a. Occurrence of natural extreme events and disasters

1. Type of natural extreme event and disaster (geophysical, meteorological, hydrological, climatological, biological) Description
2. Location Location Topic 4.1.2: Impact of natural extreme events and disasters a. People affected by natural extreme events and disasters
3. Number of people killed Number b. Economic losses due to natural extreme events and disasters (e.g., damage to buildings, trans­ portation networks, loss of revenue for businesses, utility disruption) Currency Component 5: Human Settlements and Environmental Health Subcomponent 5.1: Human Settlements Topic 5.1.2: Access to selected basic services a. Population using an improved drinking water source Number b. Population using an improved sanitation facility Number c. Population served by municipal waste collection Number e. Population connected to wastewater treatment Number f. Population supplied by water supply industry Number Topic 5.1.5: Environmental concerns specific to urban settlements c. Number of private and public vehicles Number Subcomponent 5.2: Environmental Health Topic 5.2.2: Water-related diseases and conditions a. Water-related diseases and conditions
4. Incidence Number
5. Prevalence Number
6. Mortality Number Topic 5.2.3: Vector-borne diseases a. Vector-borne diseases
7. Incidence Number
8. Prevalence Number
9. Mortality Number Component 6: Environmental Protection, Management and Engagement Subcomponent 6.1: Environmental Protection and Resource Management Expenditure Topic 6.1.1: Government environmental pro­ tection and resource manage­ ment expenditure a. Government environmental protection and resource management expenditure
10. Annual government environmental protec­ tion expenditure Currency Subcomponent 6.2: Environmental Governance and Regulation Topic 6.2.2: Environmental regulation and instruments a. Direct regulation
11. List of regulated pollutants and description (e.g., by year of adoption and maximum allow­ able levels) Description, number Topic 6.2.3: Participation in MEAs and envi­ ronmental conventions a. Participation in MEAs and other global environ­ mental conventions
12. List and description (e.g., country’s year of participationa) of MEAs and other global environmental conventions Description, number a 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. Table 4.2 The Core Set of Environment Statistics (continued)

107 Chapter 5 Applications of the FDES to cross- cutting environmental issues 5.1. The FDES is a framework which organizes the domain of environment statistics into six components, which are broken down further into subcomponents and statistical topics. The statistical topics in the FDES, and the underlying environment statistics in the Basic Set of Environment Statistics and the Core Set of Environment Statistics, may be combined and reorganized in different ways based on specific analytical needs and policy requirements. This is an inherent aspect of the design of the FDES as a flexible multipurpose framework. 5.2. This chapter describes how to identify and organize the FDES topics and statistics from the Basic Set of Environment Statistics and the Core Set of Environment Statistics necessary to inform on four selected cross-cutting issues: water, energy, climate change and agriculture. The cross-cutting issues of water and energy apply the contents of the FDES to environmental resource use and management. Climate change uses the FDES to inform on a highly relevant scientific and policy issue. Agriculture and the environment focuses on the application of the FDES to a specific economic activity. This chapter discusses these environmental issues and provides a detailed list of the relevant corresponding individual environment statistics for each issue. Statistics related to these cross-cutting issues are certainly relevant from the regional and global perspectives, but the emphasis is on the national level. 5.3. When compiling environment statistics on a particular cross-cutting issue, it is impor­ tant to begin by understanding the scientific background, underlying processes and cause- effect relationships. It is also necessary to analyse and understand the relevance of the issue to the country and particular subnational areas, economic activities and social groups, national policy implications and commitments, institutional aspects and the international context. This comprehensive view will help the environmental statistician better adapt the FDES, the Core Set of Environment Statistics and the Basic Set of Environment Statistics to provide environ­ ment statistics that meet users’ needs. 5.4. The cross-cutting issues of water, energy, climate change and agriculture discussed in this chapter are examples and should be considered illustrative applications of the FDES to selected cross-cutting issues. FDES users may wish to develop other analyses of cross-cutting issues for specific purposes based on national relevance and needs (e.g., sustainable manage­ ment of natural resources, environmental impacts of specific activities such as tourism, trans­ port, mining and manufacturing, or issues such as the relationship between poverty and the environment). 5.5. The statistics for describing the selected cross-cutting issues are organized based on the relevant policy framework or the sequence of events that can be used to inform about the related processes. These sequences reflect the occurrence of events, based on the nature of the issue. In each case, the correspondence of these sequences with the FDES structure is described. Each application is presented both at the level of the statistical topics and of individual statistics from the Core Set of Environment Statistics and the Basic Set of Environment Statistics.

Framework for the Development of Environment Statistics (FDES 2013) 108 5.6. The presentation at the topic level includes the names of the topics relevant to the cross- cutting issue. The presentation at the level of individual statistics shows which statistics under the relevant topics are necessary for the statistical description of the cross-cutting issue. 5.1. Water and the environment 5.7. Water is fundamental to every form of life and plays a critical role in human develop­ ment in terms of both quantity and quality. Increasing scarcity of and competition for water resources and potable water impede development, compromise ecosystem functions, undercut human health and contribute to conflicts between and within states. 5.8. The quality of and access to potable water remains a critical public health issue, particu­ larly in developing countries, although the situation has been improving over recent decades. Human consumption and agricultural practices also place increasing pressures on water sup­ ply. Efforts to restructure natural hydrological systems have provided benefits to the human subsystem but have also created new environmental issues. These issues are wide-ranging and include water-borne diseases, stress on ecosystems, loss of natural and human habitats, reduc­ tion of fish and aquatic plant productivity, waterlogging and salinization of soils, and conflicts between upstream and downstream water users. In addition, deforestation has also contributed to higher levels of siltation, more devastating and frequent floods, as well as to the degradation of ecosystems and productivity of inland and coastal waters. The need to monitor the sustain­ able management of water resources and the demand for related environment statistics are increasing worldwide. 5.9. Water use and returns affect the environment in many ways. If water is abstracted faster than it is replenished naturally, the resource can be depleted and even exhausted. Water abstraction itself affects the environment by decreasing, even if momentarily, the water avail­ able for other purposes, including key ecological functions. Distribution losses can cause inef­ ficiency and require larger amounts of water to be extracted. When water is used and returned to the environment, quality and pollution become the major problems. Returns of water can either be treated or not, and to different extents, so when it is returned it has the potential to adversely affect the environment. Water temperature is also an important factor in returns to the environment for key ecological functions. Distribution and access to adequate drinking water and water for other uses such as small scale agriculture, particularly in rural areas of developing countries, raise another problem. Similar access problems also occur with regard to sanitation facilities in developing countries. 5.10. Protecting the quality of fresh water is important for ecosystems, drinking water sup­ ply, food production and recreational water use. The main causes of water quality degradation include elevated levels of salinity; suspended matter; nutrients, which can be positive for food production of aquatic resources in certain circumstances; toxins and odour compounds; pes­ ticides and other contaminants; water temperature; dissolved oxygen and pH outside natural ranges; and radiological hazards. 5.11. In addition to quantity and quality of water supply, the distribution of this supply within countries is of key importance. When assessing distribution of total available water, spatial and temporal considerations must be considered. Subnational statistics must be used, as aggregated national statistics can be misleading, and subnational statistics must be assessed in the context of the specific geographic location, as the challenges of equitable water distribution vary depending on location (e.g., rainforest versus desert). Seasonality must also be considered as precipitation levels change over time and seasonal flooding occurs in certain areas. 5.12. International partners in water assessment and management include UN-Water, the UN inter-agency mechanism on all fresh water–related issues, including sanitation. The UN has also issued water quantity, quality and sanitation MDGs, specifically target 7.a, indica­

109 Applications of the FDES to cross-cutting environmental issues 109 tor 7.5 (proportion of total water resources used) and target 7.c, indicators 7.8 (proportion of population using an improved drinking water source) and 7.9 (proportion of population using an improved sanitation facility). FAO has developed a number of initiatives related to water sta­ tistics, notably the AQUASTAT database, which serves as a global information system on water and agriculture.88 It collects, analyses and disseminates data and information by country and region. Several international and inter-governmental organisations collect data on water statis­ tics from countries (such as through the UNSD/UNEP Questionnaire on Environment Statis­ tics and the OECD/Eurostat Questionnaire on the State of the Environment). In addition, the UN has developed the IRWS in an effort to assist countries to establish and strengthen infor­ mation systems for water as part of their integrated water resources management (IWRM).89 IWRM is a process which promotes the coordinated development and management of water, land and related resources, in order to maximize the resultant economic and social welfare in an equitable manner without compromising the sustainability of vital ecosystems.90 The IRWS was adopted by the United Nations Statistical Commission in 2010. With regard to environmental-economic accounts for water, the SEEA-Water is also available.91 Part I of the SEEA-Water was adopted as an interim international statistical standard by the United Nations Statistical Commission in 2007. 5.13. The Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (20-22 June 2012) provided the context for the pivotal role of water. Its outcome document noted that water was “at the core of sustainable development”,92 because of its link to key global challenges such as poverty eradication, the empowerment of women and the protection of human health. It under­ scored the need to address environmental challenges such as floods, droughts and water scarcity and, ultimately, the balance between water supply and demand. It encouraged investment in water infrastructure and sanitation services and stressed the need to significantly improve water quality, wastewater treatment and water efficiency, while reducing water losses. Application of the FDES to water statistics 5.14. In the figures below, the FDES has been applied specifically to organize the relevant environment statistics needed to inform on issues related to water resources. Two approaches have been followed. 5.15. The first approach illustrates how the structure of the FDES and its six components describe the relationship of water with the environment, the society and the economy in a holistic manner, as shown in Figures 5.1 and 5.2. Figure 5.1 Water and the environment in the FDES—topic level 88 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2014). Aquastat, available from www .fao.org/nr/water/aquastat /main/index.stm (accessed
4 August 2017). 89 United Nations Statistics Division (2012). International Recommendations for Water Statistics. Available from
http://unstats.un.org/unsd /envaccounting/irws /irwswebversion.pdf (accessed
4 August 2017). 90 Global Water Partnership (2012). “What is IWRM?”, available from www.gwp.org/en/ The-Challenge/What-is-IWRM/ (accessed 4 August 2017). 91 United Nations Statistics Division (2012). System of Environmental- Economic Accounts for Water (SEEA-Water), available from http://unstats.un.org /unsd/envaccounting/seeaw /seeawaterwebversion.pdf (accessed 4 August 2017). 92 United Nations (2012). Rio+20 outcome document, “The Future We Want”, paragraph 119, available from https:// sustainabledevelopment.un.org /futurewewant.html (accessed
4 August 2017). Component 1: Environmental Conditions and Quality Subcomponent 1.1: Physical Conditions Subcomponent 1.2:   Land Cover, Ecosystems and Biodiversity Subcomponent 1.3: Environmental Quality 1.1.1  Atmosphere, climate and weather 1.1.2  Hydrographical characteristics 1.1.3  Geological and geographical information 1.2.1  Land cover 1.2.2  Ecosystems and biodiversity 1.3.2  Freshwater quality 1.3.3  Marine water quality Component 2: Environmental Resources and their Use Subcomponent 2.3: Land Subcomponent 2.5: Biological Resources Subcomponent 2.6: Water Resources 2.3.1  Land use 2.5.2  Aquatic resources 2.6.1  Water resources 2.6.2  Abstraction, use and returns of water Component 3: Residuals Subcomponent 3.2: Generation and Management of Wastewater 3.2.1  Generation and pollutant content of wastewater 3.2.2  Collection and treatment of wastewater 3.2.3  Discharge of wastewater to the environment