Discussant: Session 5. The Way Forward

Julie L. Hass, European Commission – Eurostat

Climate Change, Development and Official Statistics11-12 December 2008Seoul, Korea

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Extremely ambitious – very exciting – with many recommendations!

What is realistic? Need a vision but also something we can breakdown into a step-by-step implementation plan.

Practically – how to we implement these recommendations? (Some help in section IX)

Balance between challenges and visions on one side and reality on the other.

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Official Statistics – what do we have control over? Definitions Classifications Methodologies Data Quality

Climate Change is happening…It is being picked up by our statistical systems.Where is it? How do we identify changes that can be related to climate change?

Recommendation I. is related to the topic of standard concepts and classifications

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What should we look at? Climate Change policy goals:

Korea and India1. Reduce GHG emissions2. Green Technology3. Green convergence tech.4. Create new green jobs 5. Enhance corp. competitiveness6. Reinvent land, urban area,

buildings and transport7. Life-style changes-green

products8. Green Education9. Eco-friendly tax reform10. National Green Brand

Specific areas: UNEP, Philippines– Water– Ecosystems– Food– Coasts– Health– Energy – Transport– Buildings– Material recycling, substitution– Agriculture– Forestry– Waste

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What is climate change? Philippines…

Temperature Precipitation Sea levels Extreme events

What do we believe are causing changes in the normal patterns?– Economic activity– Agriculture / Forestry– Energy use– Waste

Impacts and vulnerabilities– Ecosystems – terrestrial &

marine– Water resources– Food security /safety– Human health– Settlements and society

Mitigation and Adaptation

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Recommendation III. Production of InventoriesFoundations of Emissions Inventories:

Energy Statistics

Production Statistics

Economic Statistics

Agriculture Statistics

Waste Statistics

Forestry Statistics

Pollution /

emission

registers

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Recommendation V. Government FinanceMitigation and adaptation expenditures Definition Classification Methodology – Budget analysis

Record in national accounts as a tax Results in transfers of taxes between countries – not

allowed in the national accounts at this time

Recommendations VI &VII Emission Trading Schemes in the national accounts

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Recommendations I.2 and XI. GIS and spatial data / land use / land cover Needs work – demand for this type of information;

need to devise smart ways to protect the individual data Not sure this merits 2 recommendations

Indicators – this should naturally develop from the analysis such as the one done by the Philippines – this is a longer term goal.

Recommendation XII. Identify CC indicators

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Coordination and governance

When you look at the broad areas of statistics that relate to climate change – is it realistic that a group that only have responsibility for environmental accounts and statistics (UNCEEA) lead this work?

Perhaps – but we need the entire statistical system to work on this not just environmental statistics and accounts!

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And finally…

Section IX helps us understand the priorities that are being proposed.

Short/medium/long-term actions is a good way to set up these proposals - helps us understand what is meant.

Again this is very ambitious and very exciting. We need to be sure to focus our efforts and limited

resources where it will do the most good – not spread ourselves too thin.