United Nations Economic Commission for EuropeStatistical DivisionUnited Nations Economic Commission for EuropeStatistical Division

Task Force on Climate Change Related Statistics

Chair’s Opening Remarks

Second Meeting on Climate Change Related Statistics for Producers And Users

8-9 October, 2013

Slide 2

Background to the Task Force

Greenhouse gas emission inventories are well-established but other statistics on climate change, including on the social and economic impacts of mitigation and adaptation, are undeveloped

• The environmental, social and economic statistics offered by national statistical offices could be better utilized for climate change analysis

• The information needed for fully understanding the causes and impacts of climate change is scattered

• The global nature of climate change calls for wider cooperation among organisations to better respond to the information needs

Slide 3

Task Force – mandate and objectives Created in November 2011 by UNECE

Conference of European Statisticians to identify practical steps for development of climate change related statistics and to explore the data requirements of the producers of greenhouse gas emission inventories

Final report with concrete recommendations and priorities for national statistical offices – April 2014

Slide 4

Consultations and coordination

The Task Force has consulted with:

• UNFCCC/IPCC• WHO• WMO• European Environment Agency• EU DG Clima• NGOs (WWF, Carbon Brief)• Researchers (Finnish Env Inst, U of Bologna, FEEM)• United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD)• UNCEEA

19 November 2012

Slide 5

Purpose of our meeting

Follow-up to November 2012 meeting

To review the Task Force’s draft report before it is circulated for international consultation

• In particular, to review the recommendations The meeting has been structured to provide maximum

opportunity for discussion

• Session chairs will briefly review draft recommendations• Discussants will offer their own thoughts and suggest

questions to motivate the discussion• We are counting on active participation!

Slide 6

Structure of the report

Chapter 1 – Scope of climate change related statistics

Chapter 2 – Statistical needs related to greenhouse gas inventories

Chapter 3 – Other needs for climate change related statistics

Chapter 4 – Recommendations and future work agenda

Slide 7

Climate change related statistics Climate change related statistics refer to those

environmental, social and economic statistics that measure climate sensitive phenomena

We distinguish these from climate change statistics, which are those that measure weather and climate directly

The former are the object of focus for the Task Force as they are most closely related to the mandates of national statistical offices

19 November 2012

Slide 8

The National Statistical System

National statistics are, broadly speaking, those that adhere to official quality standards

• The Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics In most countries, a national statistical office (NSO) exists and is

responsible for producing a large portion of national statistics

Other agencies play important roles as well

• Central banks, various line ministries and agencies Together, the NSO and other agencies make up the national

statistical system

The report is directed at all parts of the national statistical system but particularly to national statistical offices

Slide 9

Statistical frameworks

The following frameworks were analysed:

• Driving forces – Pressure – State – Impacts – Response (DPSIR)

• Framework for the Development of Environmental Statistics (FDES, 2013)

• UN System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA, 2013)

• Natural capital approach• Impact, mitigation and adaptation

Each had strengths and weaknesses, but we did not adopt any specific framework

19 November 2012

Slide 10

Scope of climate change related statistics Very broadly, the Task Force defines the scope

of climate change related statistics as

• Environmental, social and economic data that measure the human causes of climate change, the impacts of climate change on human and natural systems, the efforts of humans to avoid the consequences as well as their efforts to adapt to these consequences

Slide 11

Strengths of statistical offices

Political independence and adherence to transparent quality standards

Focus on long time series and the tools to produce them

Broad mandate (in some countries) covering economy, society and environment in an integrated fashion

Capacity for spatial disaggregation19 November 2012

Slide 12

Challenges for statistical offices Lots of data – but not all are well suited to climate

change analysis

Limited mandate (in some countries) that does not allow for collection of many climate change related statistics

Mechanisms to identify users’ needs for climate change related statistics are sometimes lacking

Mechanisms to coordinate the national statistical system to improve climate change related statistics are not always well established

19 November 2012

Slide 13

My hopes for the next day-and-a-half Rich discussion – plenty of time in the agenda for

your comments

• Please make use of it Identifying what we may have missed or gotten

wrong in our recommendations

Establishing some clear priorities for the path forward

Reinforcing the bridges the Task Force’s work has already started

19 November 2012