Naturvårdsverket | Swedish Environmental Protection Agency Environmental evaluation in the EU: a simple idea and a hard practice in a complex context A 10 minute intervention by Lisa Eriksson, Swedish Environmental Protection Agency Helsinki, 3-5 October, 2012

To complement the case for collaboration and mutual learning: The issue of scale: national, regional and local perspectives. Examples from Sweden and a comparison of perspectives using Finland and Belgium. Naturvårdsverket | Swedish Environmental Protection Agency

What about environmental evaluations in Sweden? Objectives: A societal transition towards sustainable development and 16 national environmental objectives. Scale: National, regional and local objectives and perspectives. Naturvårdsverket | Swedish Environmental Protection Agency

The generational goal The generational goal means that the basic conditions for solving the environmental problems we face are to be achieved within one generation, and that environmental policy should be directed towards ensuring that.

Visions – two examples Ecosystems have recovered, or are on the way to recovery, and their long-term capacity to generate ecosystem services is assured. Patterns of consumption of goods and services cause the least possible problems for the environment and human health. Naturvårdsverket | Swedish Environmental Protection Agency

What exactly do these concepts mean? A methodological challenge for evaluation ! Naturvårdsverket | Swedish Environmental Protection Agency

The national environmental quality objectives 1.Reduced Climate Impact 2.Clean Air 3.Natural Acidification Only 4.A Non-Toxic Environment 5.A Protective Ozone Layer 6.A Safe Radiation Environment 7.Zero Eutrophication 8.Flourishing Lakes and Streams 9.Good-Quality Groundwater 10. A Balanced Marine Environment… 11. Thirving Wetlands 12. Sustainable Forests 13. A Varied Agricultural Landscape 14. A Magnificant Mountain Landscape 15. A Good Built Environment 16. A Rich Diversity of Plant and Animal Life

Naturvårdsverket | Swedish Environmental Protection Agency Parlamentary decision on … National level agencies, county administrative boards, municipalities, NGO´s, Corp. Etc. Activities/ measures Political objectives National level agencies: SEPA (coordinating responsibility), Swedish Chemicals Agency, Swedish Forestry Agency etc. Responsible for follow-up and evaluation Generational goal Activities/measures that aims at effectiveness 2020 (2050) Implementing, contributing 16 Environmental quality objectives: Reduced Climate Impact, Clean Air, Natural Acidification Only, A Non-Toxic Environment, etc…

Naturvårdsverket | Swedish Environmental Protection Agency Parlamentary decision on… National level agencies, county administrative boards, municipalities, NGO´s, Corp. Etc. Activities/ measures Political objectives National level agencies: SEPA (coordinating responsibility), Swedish Chemicals Agency, Swedish Forestry Agency etc. Responsible for follow-up and evaluation Generational goal Activities/measures that aims at effectiveness 2020 (2050 ) Implementing, contributing State of the environment ”State of” the implementa- tion of environmental actions 16 Environmental quality objectives: Reduced Climate Impact, Clean Air, Natural Acidification Only, A Non-Toxic Environment, etc…

Tracking progress on a regular basis Annual reports to the Government. An in-depth evaluation once every parliamentary term. Naturvårdsverket | Swedish Environmental Protection Agency

A chain of effects Prereque sities: state of environ- ment, drivers Activities: objectives and tasks Perform- ance: incentives Effects, measures in society Effects, measures in nature Effects in nature

Naturvårdsverket | Swedish Environmental Protection Agency Evaluation focusing on different levels Prereque sities: state of environ- ment, drivers Activities: objectives and tasks Perform- ance: incentives Effects, measures in society Effects, measures in nature Effects in nature Cause- effect in nature Cause- effect measures in society The optimal measures ? Evaluate all the way?

Naturvårdsverket | Swedish Environmental Protection Agency Evaluation focusing on different levels Prereque sities: state of environ- ment, drivers Activities: objectives and tasks Perform- ance: incentives Effects, measures in society Effects, measures in nature Effects in nature Cause- effect in nature Cause- effect measures in society The optimal measures ? Evaluate all the way?

Naturvårdsverket | Swedish Environmental Protection Agency The basis for assessing progress The basis for assessing progress towards the environmental quality objectives: within a generation, either the quality of the environment which they express, or the basic conditions (incentives, measures) for attaining that quality, should be achieved.

Some thoughts Naturvårdsverket | Swedish Environmental Protection Agency How may the complex chain from policies to the state of environment be illustrated and evaluated? Which kind of knowledge may and should evaluations of that kind contribute to? What methodological challenges are evaluations of policy instruments and actions presented with? Which experiences are connected to those kinds of evaluations? Which difficulties and opportunities?

Society versus natural science Historically a strong focus on measuring effects in the natural environment A difference in scientific backgrounds – natural scientists meet social scientists A variety of methods implies a need for flexible minds and flexible organisational cultures Complex systems – where do we start? Naturvårdsverket | Swedish Environmental Protection Agency

Where do evaluations take place? Finland – a country with more people working at the Ministry of the Environment than at the Environmental Agency. Sweden – a country with more people working at the Environmental Agency than at the Ministry of Environment. Around 500 persons at the agency handing out money financing up to 3000 persons throughout the country. Financing research at universities etc. Naturvårdsverket | Swedish Environmental Protection Agency

A geographical issue Belgium covers an area of 30,528 km 2 and it has a population of about 11 million people (355 inhabitants/km 2) : 3 regions, 10 provinces, 589 municipalities. Sweden covers 450,295 km 2, population of about 9,4 million people (21 inhabitants/km 2 ): 21 counties, 290 municipalities. Distance from capital city to EU center Brussels: 0 and 1280 km, respectively. Naturvårdsverket | Swedish Environmental Protection Agency

Wikipedia

What do we learn from this? Different contexts meens different approaches are needed! Areas of evaluation that have similarities! Collaboration and mutual learning! Naturvårdsverket | Swedish Environmental Protection Agency

For the future… Views, knowledge, experiences… …to share? Illustration by Tobias Flygar

Welcome to share your thoughts with us! 2 nd European Environmental Evaluators Network forum, 9-10 April 2013, Stockholm Theme: Evaluating sustainability transitions Naturvårdsverket | Swedish Environmental Protection Agency Scanpix