Indicators of Sustainable Development in America David Schaller David Schaller U. S. Environmental Protection Agency International Symposium on International Symposium on Indicators of Sustainable Development Indicators of Sustainable Development Taipei, Taiwan Taipei, Taiwan December 1, 2000 December 1, 2000

Introduction b Sustainable Development is an evolving process - not an end point b Why the policy interest in Sustainable Development? b The importance of measurement and the use of indicators b Advantages and risks b Creating a policy framework b The United States experiment

Sustainable Development - A Working Definition  An evolving process that improves the economy, the environment, and society for the benefit of current and future generations  Sustainable Development is about dynamics, not absolutes b How do we measure a moving target?

New Policy Interest in Sustainable Development New Policy Interest in Sustainable Development b Problems are increasingly multi-dimensional b Our knowledge and expertise is expanding b The world is becoming a smaller place b Technology gives us new ways of looking at the world b Problems are becoming harder to ignore b We have an opportunity to integrate our needs, our goals, and our competing demands

Sustainable Development: Its All About Measurement b We need to ask the right questions b Look not just at symptoms but also root causes of non-sustainability b Understand linkages and feedback loops b Apply intergenerational considerations b Measures are meaningless if they can’t be communicated

Developing Indicators  The world is complex and changing, with conflicting signals all around us b There is need for a framework b One model begins with: long-term endowments and liabilities; b then examines economic, ecological, and social-cultural-political processes; and  lastly, identifies results b Multi-generational application possible

Long-term Endowments and Liabilities Processes Economic Environmental Social Current Results Long-term Endowments and Liabilities Processes Current Results Indicator Framework with Flow of Information Time

Long-term Endowments and Liabilities Processes Economic Environmental Social Current Results Long-term Endowments and Liabilities Processes Current Results Indicator Framework with Flow of Information Time

Long-term Endowments and Liabilities b Current Climate b Current Sea Levels b Availability of fossil fuel reserves b Availability of renewable energy reserves b Built infrastructure and existing technologies

Long-term Endowments and Liabilities Processes Economic Environmental Social Current Results Long-term Endowments and Liabilities Processes Current Results Indicator Framework with Flow of Information Time

Processes b Environmental regulation b Fiscal policy-making b Climate/weather processes b Energy generation and use b Ecosystem interactions b Agricultural production b Natural resource consumption b Emission of greenhouse gases b Investment in R&D

Long-term Endowments and Liabilities Processes Economic Environmental Social Current Results Long-term Endowments and Liabilities Processes Current Results Indicator Framework with Flow of Information Time

Current Results b Current weather patterns b Current cost and availability of energy b Current agricultural productivity b Current ecosystem distribution patterns b Current distribution of disease vectors

Advantages and Risks of Using Indicators Advantages Risks Promise of new information Unmet expectations Show interrelationships Requires much data Help us anticipate the future Cost of information More informed decisions Unwanted answers

Creating a Policy Framework b Create a statement of vision b Create a declaration of policy b Identify sustainability criteria b Optimize scope and scale of actions to be taken b Assign responsibilities b Report and communicate findings  Continue to refine and improve each step as new information becomes available

Sustainable Development Indicators and the American Experience b US Interagency Working Group (1998) b Indicators established for endowments and liabilities, processes, and results b Trends identified b Informed decisions now more possible

An experimental set of indicators: Long-term endowments and liabilities

An experimental set of indicators: Processes

An experimental set of indicators: Current Results

Conclusions on the use of Sustainable Development indicators b Indicators never tell the full story b They are a tool for examining important issues in a comprehensive fashion b Indicators make for a more informed policy debate b Without action, indicators are meaningless