1 1 Scope of Climate Change Related Statistics Meeting on climate change related statistics for producers and users UNECE Task Force Geneva, Switzerland, November 2012 Julie L. Hass, Ph.D. Statistics Norway

2 Who is attending this meeting? Work areas? Producer – User? National Statistical Offices Ministries/Agency of Environment Research Institutes and consultants Others? GHG emissions inventories Environment statistics Other statistics – labor force, health Others?

3 Why are we talking about this? - Need for comprehensive information/data - Many different needs, producers and users - Need for communication and coordination - Experience from work on Sustainable Development What are we talking about? … Change, Climate, Statistics/Official Statistics

4 What is “Change”? Change – measured over time (  y  x  Statistical System’s core competence is the development and maintenance of data for consistent time series! –Seasonal adjustments –Temperature corrected –Monetary time series (“constant prices”) –Monetary comparisons between countries (Purchasing Power Standards)

5 What is “Climate”? Climate is the description of the long-term pattern of weather in a particular area. Average weather for a particular region and time period (typically 30 years)

6 Climate Statistics: Global Climate Observing System Domain44 Essential Climate Variables (ECV) (selected) Atmospheric (over land, sea and ice) Surface: Air temperature, Precipitation, Air pressure Upper-air: Radiation, Upper-air temperature, Water vapour, Cloud properties, etc. Composition: Carbon dioxide, Methane, Ozone, etc. Oceanic Surface: Sea-surface temperature/salinity, Sea level, Sea state, Sea ice, Current, Ocean colour Sub-surface: Temperature, Salinity, Current, etc. Terrestrial River discharge, Water use, Ground water, Lake levels, Snow cover, Glaciers and ice caps, Permafrost, Land cover, Soil moisture, etc.

7 What is “Climate Change” ? Typically addressed from a natural science perspective Examples: Changes in global temperature Change in sea levels

8 UNFCCC – defines climate change Article 1: “…a change of climate which is attributed directly or indirectly to human activity that alters the composition of the global atmosphere and which is in addition to natural climate variability observed over comparable time periods. Through the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change programs to address this challenge are developed. Focus on composition of the global atmosphere… especially on emissions of greenhouse gases

9 How does official statistics enter this picture? Statistical system focuses mostly on activities from a human perspective Built originally with a focus on sector policy needs – such as agriculture or education policy

10 Climate Change related Statistics New user groups – with different user needs New types of analyses are needed Statistical system – multi-purpose data systems serving user needs: Collect data once, use many times New uses for some existing statistics: Foundation for the calculations for greenhouse gas emissions

11 Energy Statistics Production Statistics Economic Statistics Agriculture Statistics Waste Statistics Forestry Statistics Pollution / emissions registers Greenhouse gas emissions inventories: Foundation from Official Statistics Transport Statistics Land use / cover

12 Need from statistical system: (Activity Data) x (Emissions Factors) = Emissions physical unit Emissions/physical unit Typically from statistics

13 Agriculture Numbers, types and ages of livestock Grazing patterns, Manure management Types of crops

14 Use/improve existing information rather than establish new reporting systems The Statistical System… is the only world-wide, comprehensive, multi-layer information system covering a spectrum of social, economic, environmental and institutional themes. has the responsibility for and control over definitions, classifications, nomenclatures, methodologies, accounting standards and data quality. needs to know what is being used and anticipate future needs for data use and analysis.

15 Health statistics Re-occurrence of diseases no longer in areas, for example malaria in Europe New diseases Changes in current trends “Extreme events” (heat waves, storms, etc.)

16 Water And resulting land use land cover changes, and soil degradation. … or the lack of it

17 Crop production patterns

18 Jobs… “Green Jobs”

19 Population / Demographics / Migration Types of “households”

20 Boundaries for Climate Change related Statistics What to include and exclude? Is everything related to climate change? Explored this using different frameworks to see if these could help us determine the definition / boundary / scope of climate change related statistics. –Driving forces – Pressure – State – Impacts – Response (DPSIR) –Mitigation, impact and adaptation –Framework for the Development of Environmental Statistics (FDES) –Natural capital