Measuring Sustainable Development: Canadian Experience Rowena Orok Environment Accounts and Statistics Division First Meeting of the Joint UNECE/OECD/Eurostat Task Force for Measuring Sustainable Development September 23, 2009

12/26/2015 Statistics Canada Statistique Canada 2 Introduction 1.Overview of the Canadian Context 2.Capital-Based Accounting in Canada 3.Examples of National Indicators 4.Strengths and Weaknesses of the Current System 5.Future Directions

12/26/2015 Statistics Canada Statistique Canada 3 Canadian Context  Development of a capital-based conceptual framework began in the 1990s  Indicator sets based on the natural capital framework were articulated in 2001 (Smith, Simard and Sharpe)  Sustainable development indicators in Canada: highly fragmented, largely policy-driven  2009: a period of transition for Canada with respect to measuring sustainable development

12/26/2015 Statistics Canada Statistique Canada 4 Capital-Based Accounting (1)  Environmental Accounting Program* Natural Resource Stock Accounts  Sub-soil Assets, Timber, Land, Water Material and Energy Flow Accounts  Energy flow accounts  Greenhouse gas emission accounts Environmental Protection Accounts  Environmental protection expenditures  Supply of environmental goods and services *Canadian System of Environmental and Resource Accounts.

12/26/2015 Statistics Canada Statistique Canada 5 Capital-Based Accounting (2)  Research efforts to construct a measure of human capital for Canada Aggregate human capital rose at an annual rate of 1.7% between 1970 and 2007 Impacts of aging Canadian population and higher educational levels on the growth of human capital Comparing the value of human capital vs produced capital and natural capital

Broader Measure of National Wealth 12/26/2015 Statistics Canada Statistique Canada 6

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Indicator 12/26/2015 Statistics Canada Statistique Canada 7

Air Quality Indicator 12/26/2015 Statistics Canada Statistique Canada 8

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12/26/2015 Statistics Canada Statistique Canada 10 Strengths of the Current System  Robust conceptual foundation to guide the measurement and statistical frameworks  Demonstrates the role of the central statistical agency in ensuring rigour in the development and implementation of the statistical framework  Natural capital approach has been used to elaborate the six SD indicators resulting from an extensive round of national consultations held by the federal government in 2003

12/26/2015 Statistics Canada Statistique Canada 11 Weaknesses of the Current System  Application of the capital approach has been fragmented: fairly significant work on produced capital and some forms of natural capital; some work on human capital; none on social capital  Progress is somewhat dependent on the uptake by policy departments: work on SD indicators in Canada is highly decentralized and largely policy driven  Major challenge: data gaps and limitations

12/26/2015 Statistics Canada Statistique Canada 12 Future Directions  Key drivers to progress: Framework for Developing Environmental Statistics Canada’s new Federal Sustainable Act and Federal Sustainable Development Strategy  Increased focus on accountability and performance measures  Further efforts on the measurement of human capital  Social capital: conceptual ambiguities and measurement difficulties

12/26/2015 Statistics Canada Statistique Canada 13 Thank You! Rowena Orok Acting Director Environment Accounts and Statistics Division 7-E RH Coats Building Tunney’s Pasture, Ottawa, ON K1A 0T6