1. SEEA Research agenda Climate statistics & SDGs Fossil fuel transactions
Viveka Palm
Deputy Director Regions and Environment,
Statistics Sweden
Adjunct professor KTH, Stockholm
Member of IAEG-SDG, The Inter-Agency Expert Group for the Sustainable Development Goals

2. The 17 SDG goals and SEEA Basic human needs Economy Environment
Poverty
Agriculture, food security
Health
Education
Gender
Water
Energy
Growth and employment
Infrastructure and innovation
Inequality
Cities
Sustainable production and consumption
Climate change
Marine areas
Land degradation and biodiversity loss
Peace, justice
Governance – including statistical capacity
Basic human needs
Economy
Environment
Society

3. Indicators per sust dev goal
Speglar kanske mer internationella förhandlingar än faktisk datatillgång.
Delmålen är ofta så formulerade att det är mycket svårt att hitta indikatorer som både passar och täcker in hela delmålet.
Vi fick t.ex. inte med ngn indikator om klimatgaser (i alla fall ingen riktigt vettig) trots att det finns data. Det rapporteras ju till konventioner och så men kvalar alltså inte in i det här sammanhanget.

4. Agenda 2030 Goal 12
Indicator 12.c.1: “Amount of fossil fuel subsidies per unit of GDP and as a proportion of total national expenditure on fossil fuels”
International subsidy data available from collections of IEA, OECD, World Bank, IMF
An expert group is formed to suggest a method for the indicator. UN Environment is the Custodian for the indicator.
The group has had two meetings so far. Some NSO:s are part of the group.

5. The SEEA: one unified account with economic and physical data
Environm. statistics
National Accounts
Environmental Accounts

6. Relevant transaction data in the SNA
Regular reporting from NSO:s is not in place. However, the SNA contains the on-budget transactions that are of interest.
The System of National Account (SNA) subsidy definition is too narrow: only current transfers to industry are included.
Capital transfers to industry (investment grants) and transfers to households data needed too.
The fossil fuel transactions from the state budget can be identified for the industries to which transfers are allocated.

7. SEEA fossil fuel transfers
On-budget transfers: from the state to industry (as SNA subsidy definition), but also including transfers to international beneficiaries, households as well as capital transfers (investment grants)
Preferential tax treatment transfers: can be estimated with extra data on energy taxes paid by industry, combined with energy use or carbon dioxide emissions by industry. Or with national or international price reference.
Undertaxed external effects: Emissions by industry from SEEA can be a first step.

8. Preferential tax treatment: Energy tax and fuel use by industry

9. Off-budget fossil fuel subsidies
External costs of emissions can be calculated if there is a reference value.
The emissions could be provided from the accounts, and with international reference values (such as those that IMF have used from regional markets or from damage costs) internationally comparable numbers could be provided from national statistics.
To calculate the estimates two reference levels could be tested. One region specific and one internationally relevant reference.

10. Preferential tax treatments $
A tentative table for SEEA fossil fuel transactions
Nace
Agric,
fishing,
forestry
Indust.
Energy
Transp.
Public org
Households
A. On-budget
Current transfers $
Capital transfers $
B. Off-budget
Preferential tax treatments $
Data for external cost reference, Tonnes

11. Way forward
We suggest to create a group of experts to discuss following items (via web) during 2018, using method proposed by the Expert group led by UN Environment as a starting point.
Discuss and test the measurement definition for the transactions of interests – subsidies, investment grants and social transfers in kind, indirect transactions: as well as some suggested reference values
Evaluate and adjust proposal
Propose an approach to the SEEA – discuss the proposal at UNEP/London group 2018/2019
Go through established process: SEEA Technical Committee and UNCEEA and publish on SEEA website.

12. Question to the London group participants
Would you agree to search your data systems for these transactions to make some pilot analyses?
Can you see that there would be good practices that we can follow from your country?