Leslie Elizabeth TORRES "Towards an environmentally-adjusted macroeconomic index"
1. MAKING A CASE
Towards an environmentally-adjusted
macroeconomic index for land degradation
Ms Leslie Torres (MSc. Environmental Economics),
Dr. Massimo Candelori (PhD. Agronomy)
11 April 2013
2. Outline
1. Issues at stake.
2. An Index, as an opportunity.
3. The Way Forward: Example
3. 1. Issues at stake…
UNCCD …regarding…. Descriptive Indicators TARGETS?
Strategic
Objectives Quantified?
SO-1 Population Poverty Rate(Proportion of the
(Welfare Impact) population in affected areas living above
the poverty line), Childhood
malnutrition, Calorie intake per
capita, change in land use, Water
availability in affected areas.
SO-2 Ecosystems Land Cover Status, plant-animal
(Biophysical biodiversity, aridity index, change
Drivers) in land use, level of land
degradation (salinization, wind
erosion etc…)
SO-3 Global Benefits Plant-animal biodiversity, carbon
(macro-Econ) stocks above and below ground,
land under SLM; Proportion of the
population in affected areas living
above the poverty line.
4. 2. Index as an Opportunity
GDP
Common Concepts
Common Definitions
HDI
Common Classifications
Common Accounting Rules
Methodological Transparency
CPI
5. 2. Index as an Opportunity
• Land Degradation Index (GLADIS) • Index of Captured Ecosystem Values
• Environmentally Adjusted Prod. Index • Sustainable Economic Welfare Index
• Water Poverty Index • Ecological Footprint Index
• Sensitivity to Desertification Index • Happy Planet Index
(Environmentally Sensitive Areas) • Wealth Index
6. An Overarching Index: Construction Process
Implementation
Development
Economics,
Science +
Policy
1. Motivation 4. Functional Form 7. Performance Comparison
2. Variable Choice 5. Standardization 8. Decision Making
6. Weighting 9. Policy Making
7. Aggregation
7. 3. Example with existing data
Let’s choose some important indicators found on the UNCCD Strategy, to
construct our possible Index, (I); (W) stands for ‘weights’:
Select Choose
Start Standardize Functional Weights
Items
Form
NO
Judge
Yes
INDEX
Using already existing data: FAO, WB, UNDP
8. Argentina
7
6
Remember: The higher the
5 Index, the better the Country’s
performance in addressing Land
4 Degradation , and thereby land
degradation neutrality.
3
2
1
0
1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007
13. THANK YOU !
Contact: Ms Leslie Elizabeth Torres Sibille
MSc. Environmental Economics (University of York, UK)
Email:letatkent@hotmail.com Tel: +49 15227680021
Hinweis der Redaktion
Why an Overarching Index?: Indices are multi-dimensional; Land degradation is also a multi-dimensional problem.Indices are typically used for slow moving process; Desertification is a slow process.Particularly economic indices, are more holistic than scientific indices alone: They can combine measures of physical change with the price/value of change perceived to people across dissimilar categoriesFor society to move towards realising this target, werecommend the development of a small set of focused,relevant, efficient and achievable sub-targets. Each ofthese sub-targets should have scientifically and sociallyappropriate outcomes and timescales, support biodiversity’srole in human well-being, be linked to legislativeand regulatory processes, be relevant at global scales butreflect local and national interests, and be open to accurateand efficient reporting