Discussant: Session 5. The Way Forward Julie L. Hass, European Commission – Eurostat Climate Change, Development and Official Statistics December 2008 Seoul, Korea

2 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.

3 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

4 What should we look at? Climate Change policy goals: Korea and India 1.Reduce GHG emissions 2.Green Technology 3.Green convergence tech. 4.Create new green jobs 5.Enhance corp. competitiveness 6.Reinvent land, urban area, buildings and transport 7.Life-style changes-green products 8.Green Education 9.Eco-friendly tax reform 10.National Green Brand Specific areas: UNEP, Philippines –Water –Ecosystems –Food –Coasts –Health –Energy –Transport –Buildings –Material recycling, substitution –Agriculture –Forestry –Waste

5 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

6 Recommendation III. Production of Inventories Foundations of Emissions Inventories: Energy Statistics Production Statistics Economic Statistics Agriculture Statistics Waste Statistics Forestry Statistics Pollution / emission registers

7 Recommendation V. Government Finance Mitigation 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

8 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

9 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!

10 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.