RevisionSystem of Environmental and Economic Accounts

(SEEA)

OECD-NAWP 3-5 October 2007

Mark de HaanChair London Group

United Nations Committee of Experts on Environmental-Economic Accounting (UNCEEA)

Main goals:• Elevate SEEA to international statistical standard• Advance the implementation of the SEEA

London Group on Environmental Accounting • responsible for a large part of the SEEA revision research agenda• report their findings to the UNCEEA

New Structure of the SEEA:

Part I: Statistical Standard- Physical flow accounts- Asset accounts- Environmental expenditure accounts

Part II: “Non-standardised” accounts - Valuation of environmental degadation- (Ecosystem services accounts)

Part III: Applications and policy uses

Research agenda - Part I

23 research issues have been identified.

The most substantial ones are:• Material Flow Accounts• Energy accounts• Recording of natural resource depletion and depletion adjusted NA balancing items• Classification issues: physical flows, environmental assets

Material Flow Accounting

• Resource productivity• Manuals OECD & Eurostat• Close linkage to physical supply-use and input-output tables• Research issues → Boundary issues (national economy, agriculture) → Terminology (→ Indicators)

Energy accounts • Sustainability• Linkage to air emissions (global warming)• Oslo group on energy statistics• Boundary issues: territory versus resident principle and the use of bridge tables• Renewable energy sources• Terminology

Asset accounts and natural resource depletion • Showing resource dependencies• Natural resource depletion (also for renewable resources)• Implications SNA93Rev1: ownership, decommissioning costs, permits to access natural resources• Specific resources: soil, fish, forests, ecosystems (services)

Governance SEEA revision

• Issue papers discussed in the LG and other groups• Outcome papers reported back to UNCEEA• Worldwide review of UNCEEA recommendations• Drafting of chapters • Worldwide review of chapters• Adoption of the revised SEEA by the Statistical Commission in 2012• Decision pending on whether Part I can be brought to the Statistical Commission for approval earlier

Time table review of issues

Finalisation at this moment not yet settled (Research agenda Part II is not yet determined)

It is expected that the revision issues of Part I will be solved early 2009, taking three London Group meetings.

Next LG meeting: 17-19 December 2007, Istat, Rome.

More information on the SEEA revision can be found at the following website:http://unstats.un.org/unsd/envaccounting/