1. Statistical Research Institute
Reflections on the International Seminar on Green Economy and Official Statistics
Lee, Jae-won
Statistical Research Institute
Statistics Korea

2. Contents
Seminar Overview
Issues Discussed
Challenges Ahead

3. 1. Seminar Overview

4. 1-1. Seminar Overview
Title: International Seminar on Green Economy and Official Statistics
Organizers: KOSTAT, UNSD
Date: July 6-8, 2011
Venue: Seoul, Korea (Jamshil Lotte Hotel)

5. 1-2. Participants
High level statistical professionals, policy makers, and experts on green economy
From advanced, developing countries and major international organizations
100 attendees from 22 countries and international organizations (UNSD, EUROSTAT, OECD, etc)

6. Session 1: Korea’s Green Growth Initiative and
1-3. Topics
Session 1: Korea’s Green Growth Initiative and
Official Statistics
Session 2: Green Economy and Official Statistics
Session 3: Economic Instruments to Reduce
Greenhouse Gas Emissions and
Statistical Issues Arising

7. Session 4: Identifying Green Jobs/Adapting
1-3. Topics
Session 4: Identifying Green Jobs/Adapting
Statistical Classifications
Session 5: Statistics on Energy Efficiencies and
Renewable, Production Efficiencies
and Consumption Efficiencies
Session 6: The Statistical Issues from the
Developing Countries’ Perspectives

8. 1-4. Motivation for Organizing Seminar
To discuss the role of official statistical agencies and international statistical standards for green economy
The paradigm shift in national development strategies to green economy
Lack of national statistics on establishing and monitoring green
economy policies
Organized based on the agreement between Statistics Korea and UNSD to annually organize international seminar on global issues
First seminar : ｢International Seminar on ICT Statistics｣, July 19-21, 2010 in Seoul
This seminar was the second joint seminar between Statistics Korea and UNSD
8/20

9. 2. Issues Discussed

10. 2-1. Economic Polices and Official Statistics
Economic policies towards environmentally friendly direction
“Green goods and services” are emerging as new economic engine
Green economic statistics development efforts throughout the world: OECD (green growth indicators), India (environmental resource accounts)
Green is a dynamic concept : the stage of maturity for each society needs to be considered to quantify green economy
Brown Economy
Green Economy
Energy-intensive Society
Energy-efficient
Low carbon society
Brown Statistics
Green Statistics

11. 2-2. Core Indicators for International Comparison
Need core indicators to ensure international comparability in green economy/growth indicators
Also need a set of core indicators between various programs on green economy led by international organizations
Set of Core Indicators
Programs on green economy
Green Economy Initiative (UNEP)
EU Actions on Climate Change
UN Summit on Sustainable Development
Green Growth Initiative (OECD)

12. 2-3. Importance of Utilizing SEEA
System of Integrated Environmental and Economic Accounts (SEEA) as a framework for consistent measurement of green economy
SEEA Volume1 will be included in the agenda for UN Statistics Commission in 2012
Need accompanying guidance on how countries may apply SEEA in accordance with their particular priorities
Significant portion of statistics used in Netherlands’ green growth indicators are based on SEEA

13. 2-4. EGSS as Framework for Measuring Green Economy
The environmental goods and services sector (EGSS) : a critical role as a framework for measuring green economy
EGSS can be used in harmony with CEPA2000 and SEEA
* CEPA : Classification of Environmental Protection Activities
Statistics on EGSS can be compared with those of all other industries

14. 2-5. Green Classification
Official statisticians should be prudent in labeling particular phenomena as “green” or not
The perspectives for “green jobs”
the perspective of people employed in defined industries
the perspective of people working in a defined set of occupations
For international comparability, classifications should be applicable to countries with diverse environments

15. 2-6. Korea’s Experience for Green Growth Statistics
‘Low carbon green growth’ as one of Korea’s national vision for growth
Develop green growth indicators, green industry statistics,
green life indicators to statistically support the national strategy for
green growth
To monitor the progress of green growth, seminar took place at a mid-point (2011) of the nation’s five-year plan for green growth
Under study to adopt SEEA frameworks to enhance international comparability based on recommendations of the seminar

16. 3. Challenges Ahead

17. Review green growth policies of each country
Challenges Ahead
Re-establishing the role of official statistical organizations in regards to green growth statistics
Compiling “SEEA” as framework for measuring green economy
SEEA and EGSS : a critical role in compiling consistent and internationally comparable statistics for green economy
Preparation works by statistical agencies of each country to compile SEEA and EGSS
Review green growth policies of each country
Develop basic conceptual framework and classifications of green growth statistics

18. Challenges Ahead Improving statistics on energy efficiency
Improved statistics on energy are required in the fields of efficient energy use and renewable energy
As most of greenhouse gas emissions occur during the process of producing energy
Compiling green economy statistics tailored for each country’s circumstances
Sharing experiences of each country would be useful in compiling statistics tailored to each country’s circumstances
Statistics on consumption and household dimensions are essential to green economy issues

19. Challenges Ahead Importance of sharing outcomes of the seminar
Report key conclusions from the seminar to the 43rd Session of the UN Statistical Commission in 2012
Upcoming project and meeting
UNSD: Project on Developing Green Economy Indicators
UNSD project ( ) to support development of green economy indicators for its member countries

20. Challenges Ahead
UNEP : Workshop on Statistics for Environmental Goods and Services
UNEP Workshop on the EGSS for measuring green economy on November 14-15, 2011 in Geneva