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Environment Canada:Environmental Indicator Reporting

Environment Canada

Paula Brand

Director, Strategic Alignment Division

April 8,2008

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Presentation outline

• Background / diagnostique– User needs research

• Integrating indicators to next generation State of Environment reporting

• Key elements

– Key indicators

– Web-based delivery

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Reporting as a basis for demonstrating accountability to Canadians

• Reporting to Canadians on the state of their environment is a federal role

• Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) provides the legislative basis for State of Environment reporting

– Requires the Minister “publish, arrange for the publication of or distribute through an information clearinghouse… a periodic report on the state of the Canadian environment” [44(1)(f)ii].

• Supported by broad Ministerial responsibilities outlined in the Department of Environment Act

– the Minister shall, “initiate, recommend and undertake programs, and coordinate programs of the Government of Canada that are designed… to provide to Canadians environmental information in the public interest” [5(a)(iii)]

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Numerous SoE reporting efforts have had varied results

• Iterations of SoE reporting efforts: – 1986, 1991 & 1996: large reports focussed on amassing considerable

amounts of scientific information– 1991: Report on Canada’s Progress Towards a National Set of Environmental

Indicators– 1993-1996: SoE Fact Sheets– 1992-2001: SoE Indicator Bulletins– 1997-2002: 5 NR Department MOU for Federal SoE reporting

▪ (i.e.: Nutrients in the Canadian Environment, Ecological Assessment of the Boreal Shield)

– 1997-2005: Thematic and regional reports – 2001: Tracking key environmental issues– 2003: Environmental Signals: National Environmental Indicator Series– 2005, 2006, 2007: Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators Initiative

• Shifting and unsustained reporting efforts over the past 20 years have failed to:

– inform Canadians – provide consistent information over time

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Environmental Reporting in Canada: Reporting in transition

•Moving towards using indicators for more integrated sustainable development reporting, performance reporting for decision-makers •From

– Comprehensive State of the Environment reports for broad public use

– Environmental indicators for public awareness

To– Sustainable development indicators, performance reporting,

socio-economic modules (e.g., Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators) for policy analysts, managers as a key user group, and for Canadians

– Focus on information systems, analysis capacity and user needs

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Environmental Signals: indicators in 15 issue areas

• Air quality*• Climate change*• Acid rain• Stratospheric ozone• Severe weather and

disasters• Energy • Transportation•

• Freshwater*

•Biodiversity•Soil quality•Agricultural landscapes•Forested landscapes•Watersheds•Toxic substances•Municipal solid waste

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Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators

• Indicators to measure environmental performance in relation to economic performance and human health that can sure to supplement traditional health and economic measures

• Focus on 3 indicators, annual reporting– Air quality– Greenhouse gas emissions– Freshwater quality

• Environmental-economic connections

• Web-based information system - drill down

• Audience: policy analysts and public, can serve a variety of communities, requires a product suite

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Air and GHG Results

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CEPA review recommendations address frequency and delivery of SoE reporting

• CEPA consultations– Highlighted the need for “easily understandable, reliable and relevant

information” . . . to “track results . . . warn of potential new threats and . . . help shape environmental and health protection policies and practices”

• Parliamentary Committee on the Environment and Sustainable Development

– Recommends “that the government publish biennially, in electronic and hard copy formats, a comprehensive state of the environment report to provide timely, accurate and accessible environmental information, integrated with socioeconomic factors, to improve decision-making and support progress towards sustainability”

• Standing Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources

– Recommends “that CEPA 1999 be amended to require the Government of Canada to publish a comprehensive State of the Environment Report no less frequently than every ten years”

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Communicating Canada’s environmental performance story

• Previous SoE reporting efforts were communicated from a science perspective making it complicated for Canadians

• In the absence of a strong federal story, Canada’s performance story is being told by others:

– Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)– United Nations Environment Program (UNEP)– Suzuki Foundation

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Public opinion research provides insight for demand-driven reporting

• Clear demand for authoritative, timely, credible, consistent information

• Unanimous support for the currently reported issues (air, water, climate change), no consensus on the next priority

• Preference for depth of information on priority topics versus coverage of a greater breadth of topics

• Information needed for public: real-world impacts, international comparability, what do the statistics mean

Focus Group Participants’ Key Questions:● what are the concrete impacts of these trends?

● is the situation getting better or worse? ● what is being done?● what can be done to address these issues?

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What we heard on the importance of international comparison

• Very important to see how Canada compares to other countries

– Adopting best practices / cooperation– Establishing benchmarks / standards– National pride– Credibility, accountability– Interconnectedness

“It’s a global issue”

“National pride”

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Public opinion research identified other common findings

• Overwhelming support for trends over time

• Desire for more up to date information (< 2 yrs)

• Demand for local and place-based information

• Target audiences (Canadians, stakeholders) more receptive to web delivery

– Information access is by media, web search, Wikipedia

• While improvements were suggested, all agreed an initiative like CESI is important

Public opinion feedback on current CESI initiative:

“very important”, “absolutely important”, “extremely important”, “essential”

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Technology exists for an effective new approach• Advances in information technologies are revolutionizing

the way people interact with information

• Customer satisfaction increases significantly when government services are accessed through the web

• Parliamentary committee recognized need for a modernized SoE reporting approach

– “…should be reinstated in manner suitable to today’s technology that gives access to the data as well as analysis.”

• Web is the most effective means to respond to public expectations

– More frequent reporting cycles, access to underlying detail, local scale information

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Next generation SoE reporting

▪ Focus on issues of importance to Canadians and GoC agenda (Climate change, air, water, protected areas)

▪ Demand driven and policy-based▪ Trend-based information▪ Easily understood

▪ Dashboard approach ▪ Access to local and regional level information▪ Customizable and searchable

VISION

Key Indicators

Web-based delivery

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SoE reporting driven from an audience-based perspective

Inventory And Monitoring Data and

Statistics

People withTopic or Issue Interests

Is problem X common? How are conditions changing?

ManagersAnd

Policy AnalystsIs Program Z

“doing its job?”

Core Indicators

Generally Informed Public How are we doing overall?What does it mean to me?

Scientist / Individuals

Public

Policy, PlanningAnd

ManagementMetrics

Key indicators

CESI

National Inventory

Report What are current conditions

and trends at Area C

VISION

DPR

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Key indicators: Attributes based on public audience perspective

Inventory And Monitoring Data and

Statistics

Core Indicators

Attributes of Key Indicators- Easily understood- Health related- Performance toward a target- Trends (are things getting better / worse?)- Comparable internationally

Policy, PlanningAnd

ManagementMetrics

Key Indicators

Science Program Reporting- Assessments, technical, science-based - Examples: GHG Inventory, State of the Air, Ecosystem Status & Trends, CCME Water Task Group

INDICATORS

Attributes of Core Indicators- Authoritative measures- Status and trends- Basis for comparison

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Key indicators: Criteria for selection

• User relevance – Simple, understandable and easy to interpret by target audience

• Policy relevance – Monitor key outcomes of environmental policy and legislation, and inform

on familiar issues to the public

• Analytical validity – Accurate whether based on scientific, community or traditional

knowledge. Data are credible and robust and the methodologies have integrity

• Measurability– Long term, derived from information collected in a comparable manner

from year to year. Information will be available in the future and show reliability over time

• Cost effectiveness– Require limited numbers of parameters to be established and simple to

monitor, regular monitoring is in place

INDICATORS

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*Strategic Outcomes from RPP 2007/08

Key indicators: alignment with departmental priorities and reporting

Strategic Outcome Policy Objective Target

Core Indicators(authoritative information,

basis for policy)Key Indicators

(reporting to pubic)

Canadians and their environment are protected from the effects of pollution and waste*

Environmental Health

20% PM2.5

Population weighted, ambient levels of PM2.5

Air Health Indicator

  Population weighted ground level ozone

Canada's natural capital is restored, conserved and enhanced*

Air

55% S0xS0x emissions by source/total emissions

Progress toward ambient air targets

40% N0xN0x emissions by source/total emissions

45% VOC Emissions of V0C by source

Water

Quality   Water Quality Index Comparative WQI (relative differences between sites and over time)

Quantity 

Stream flow conditions Water level index (normal, below, above normal)

Climate ChangeGHG total -20% by

2020Greenhouse gas emissions GHG emissions relative to targets

Biodiversity & Ecosystems   Protected areas

Percentage of protected area under government jurisdiction

I ndicator established and/ or presently reported

Condit ional on completion of 2008 comittments, could be reported in 2009

I ndicator development / partnership required

INDICATORS

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Web-based delivery: SoE reporting based on a high profile web presence

• Shift from lengthy, descriptive reports to a dynamic online information source ensuring access to the most up-to-date information

• Window to My Environment with functionality including:

– Customizable dashboard to environmental information

– User ability to select indicators, functionality and scalability ▪ mapping, searching, viewing: my city, my indicator

– Links to information at various scales ▪ local, provincial / territorial information

– Address fundamental user needs question ▪ “How are we doing and what can I do?”

WEB-BASED DELIVERY

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Web-based Delivery: Mock home page

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Web-based delivery: A user mock upWEB-BASED DELIVERY

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CESI renewal provides the basis for next generation SoE reporting

• CESI provides the foundation of core indicators – Established consistent base of environmental quality information over last 4 yrs

– Public and stakeholder support for CESI-like effort to provide key environmental information

• A transparent consultative process used to developed a path forward– User needs – Canadians, stakeholders, internal decision-makers

– Diagnostique – best practices, lessons learned, international analysis, historical reviews, workshops, senior level consultations

• CESI 2008 report will begin transition to new SoE reporting vision – Providing more trends, access to site level information, better integration of

socio-economic information

– Enhanced web-based reporting