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UNSD/UNCEEAUser-Producer Dialogue on Water Accounting CBS – Voorburg - The Netherlands, 22-24 May 2006
Water accounts: expectations Water accounts: expectations and contribution of the and contribution of the
European Environment AgencyEuropean Environment Agency
UNSD/UNCEEAUser-Producer Dialogue
Water Accounting – A Tool for Integrated Water Resource Management?
(CBS – Voorburg - The Netherlands, 22-24 May 2006)
Pr. Jacqueline McGlade
Executive Director
UNSD/UNCEEAUser-Producer Dialogue on Water Accounting CBS – Voorburg - The Netherlands, 22-24 May 2006
WaterWater‘…then once more, and with extreme
swiftness, it mounts again and returns by the same descent, thus rising from the inside to the outside, and going round from the lowest to the highest, from whence it rushes down in a natural course. Thus by these two movements combined in a constant circulation, it travels through the veins of the earth.’
Leonardo da Vinci, The Notebooks, 965.
UNSD/UNCEEAUser-Producer Dialogue on Water Accounting CBS – Voorburg - The Netherlands, 22-24 May 2006
The EEA is...The EEA is...
• An independent information provider
• An analyst and assessor
• Building bridges between science and policy
• Dependent upon strong networks to carry out its work
...to support policy processes and inform the public
UNSD/UNCEEAUser-Producer Dialogue on Water Accounting CBS – Voorburg - The Netherlands, 22-24 May 2006
Working together inEuropeWorking together inEurope
http://dataservice.eea.eu.int/seishttp://dataservice.eea.eu.int/wise
UNSD/UNCEEAUser-Producer Dialogue on Water Accounting CBS – Voorburg - The Netherlands, 22-24 May 2006
Water isWater is
• a component - flowing in rivers, mains and bodies…
• a system - hydrological• a service - to economic production and
ecological and human well being• and a threat to all of these when scarce
UNSD/UNCEEAUser-Producer Dialogue on Water Accounting CBS – Voorburg - The Netherlands, 22-24 May 2006
a metaphor of stability and resiliencea metaphor of stability and resilience
for measuring environmental components, for measuring environmental components, systems, services and threats systems, services and threats www.resalliance.orgwww.resalliance.org
The RaftThe Raft
UNSD/UNCEEAUser-Producer Dialogue on Water Accounting CBS – Voorburg - The Netherlands, 22-24 May 2006
The Raft -1The Raft -1• When empty, the raft is stable and
capable of delivering a transport service• The raft is resilient and can easily
accommodate loads – people or goods – without being under threat.
UNSD/UNCEEAUser-Producer Dialogue on Water Accounting CBS – Voorburg - The Netherlands, 22-24 May 2006
The Raft- 2The Raft- 2• The resilient raft can accommodate some
loads, keeping enough stability• But when the load is excessive, the raft is
less capable to adapt - it starts sinking
UNSD/UNCEEAUser-Producer Dialogue on Water Accounting CBS – Voorburg - The Netherlands, 22-24 May 2006
The Raft- 3The Raft- 3• When the resilience of the raft is low, the risk of
flipping is high, at any time• The unstable raft is threatened not only by an
additional significant load but by the position of any new load even when small
UNSD/UNCEEAUser-Producer Dialogue on Water Accounting CBS – Voorburg - The Netherlands, 22-24 May 2006
The Raft- 4The Raft- 4
The objectives of the passengers of the raft may be different e.g.
• traders who want to carry as many goods as possible (even with risk)
• passengers who are concerned with their personal safety (not too much load)
Trade offs between social groups willdetermine the final degree of stability of thesystem
UNSD/UNCEEAUser-Producer Dialogue on Water Accounting CBS – Voorburg - The Netherlands, 22-24 May 2006
Water accounts and the raft Water accounts and the raft metaphormetaphor
• various aspects of water systems should be addressed in water accounts
• interactions between components of the water system should be traceable - - accounts as one input to integrated modelling
• interactions between water and other ecosystems should be reflected
• long term/broad scale trends matter as much as local configurations and short term processes
• water systems are part of a socio-ecoological system
UNSD/UNCEEAUser-Producer Dialogue on Water Accounting CBS – Voorburg - The Netherlands, 22-24 May 2006
Bird decline
Loss of natural/ sem i-
natural land Forest m anagem ent
Soil degradationLoss of am enities (tourism )
W ater stressW etland
vulnerability to pollution
Condition of W ater ecosystemsFish decline
W ater stress
W ater abstraction
FloodingDrainage
Pesticides & fertilizers leakage to rivers,
sea
W ater body restructuring, dam s
H ydrom orphic changeAvailab le w ater resource
W ater quality, quality o f the rivers, lakesQ uality o f coasta l & m arine
w ater Q uality o f groundw ater
W aste w ater d ischarge
In troduced species
Species dynam ics
H abita ts sta te and dynam ics
C ondition o f terrestria l ecosystem s
Landscape d ivers ity
B iod ivers ity o f agrosystem
U rban spraw lIrrigation
Transport netw orksPestic ides & fertilizers use
C onvers ion of m arg ina l landW ater use
Intensification of agricu lture
Fragmentation of habitatsLoss in buffering
capacitiesW etland drainage
Eutrophication
Integration of information on water, biodiversity Integration of information on water, biodiversity & human well-being: space & time distributions& human well-being: space & time distributions
UNSD/UNCEEAUser-Producer Dialogue on Water Accounting CBS – Voorburg - The Netherlands, 22-24 May 2006
SEEA: Water accounts do cover many SEEA: Water accounts do cover many aspects, all are importantaspects, all are important
Ecosystem accountsServices &
Natural assets accounts
UNSD/UNCEEAUser-Producer Dialogue on Water Accounting CBS – Voorburg - The Netherlands, 22-24 May 2006
European Water Framework Directive European Water Framework Directive integrates policiesintegrates policies
in order to:• Prevent deterioration and enhance status
of aquatic ecosystems, including groundwater;
• Promote sustainable water use;• Reduce pollution; and• Contribute to the mitigation of floods and
droughts.
UNSD/UNCEEAUser-Producer Dialogue on Water Accounting CBS – Voorburg - The Netherlands, 22-24 May 2006
The WFD covers in particularThe WFD covers in particular
• regulatory regimes incl. charging schemes
• river basin characterisation• monitoring and classification• river basin management planning
UNSD/UNCEEAUser-Producer Dialogue on Water Accounting CBS – Voorburg - The Netherlands, 22-24 May 2006
The EEA is both user & producer of The EEA is both user & producer of water accountswater accounts
• User for integrated assessment: framework for integrating socio-economic variables (supply & use, emissions, costs)
• WFD• Biodiversity 2010 (SEBI2010)• Climate Change• Agri-environment
• Producer of ecosystem accounts: rivers, lakes, wetlands, coastal sea…
• Collector of primary data: EIONET, Environment Agencies, GMES/GEOSS
• Institutional partner of Eurostat and JRC
UNSD/UNCEEAUser-Producer Dialogue on Water Accounting CBS – Voorburg - The Netherlands, 22-24 May 2006
Accounts can contribute to key Accounts can contribute to key environmental policy questionsenvironmental policy questions
1. Cost of environmental protection the “burden” issue• Cost for public budgets: financing of protection (incl. administration and
research)• Cost for companies: effects on economic competitiveness
2. Environmental performance of the economy the “decoupling” issue • Compliance to national emission standards, respect of international
conventions• Distances to targets, economic and technological options• Use of scarce resource• Sustainability of consumption patterns
3. Cost of insufficient environmental protection the “externalities” issue• Depletion of renewable resources (forest, fisheries, water…)• Degradation of natural assets (forests, fisheries, soil, water,
ecosystems…)• Impacts on human health and well being• Costs of remediation (instead of protection…)
UNSD/UNCEEAUser-Producer Dialogue on Water Accounting CBS – Voorburg - The Netherlands, 22-24 May 2006
Accounts can contribute to key Accounts can contribute to key environmental policy questionsenvironmental policy questions
4. Assessment of policies the “effectiveness/efficiency” issue
• Efficiency/effectiveness of environmental policies and instruments• Efficiency/effectiveness of environmental sector policies (agriculture,
transport…)• Environmental impact assessment of social and economic policies • Incorporation of environmental concerns in the multiple levels of
public and private decision-making (participation, awareness, corporate accounting)
5. Conservation of comparative advantages the “natural capital” issue
• Reserves (ownership, access, operation)• Economic rents on natural resources (depletion…)• Viability of living/cycling natural capital, continuity of ecosystem
services• Adaptability to change (global market, climate change, technology)
UNSD/UNCEEAUser-Producer Dialogue on Water Accounting CBS – Voorburg - The Netherlands, 22-24 May 2006
EEA’s expectations from water EEA’s expectations from water accountsaccounts
• Fair description of water stocks & flows and water ecosystem services (direct and indirect)
• Possibility of bridging the physical water accounts to the National Accounts
• Possibility of connecting water accounts to land use and ecosystems at the appropriate space & time scales
• A gateway to social statistics (consumption behaviour, access to clean water, health, seasonal migrations)
expectations to the statistical system
UNSD/UNCEEAUser-Producer Dialogue on Water Accounting CBS – Voorburg - The Netherlands, 22-24 May 2006
EEA’s expectations from the statistical EEA’s expectations from the statistical systemsystem
• Expenditure: • Water protection & resource management • By sectors & by industries• By regions (administrative, river basin districts &
functional river basins)• Regular updates, international comparisons
• Supply & Use• By sectors & by industries• By regions (administrative, river basin districts &
functional river basins)• Regular updates, international comparisons
UNSD/UNCEEAUser-Producer Dialogue on Water Accounting CBS – Voorburg - The Netherlands, 22-24 May 2006
EEA’s contribution to water accountsEEA’s contribution to water accounts• Assets accounts and circulating resource:
• Sub-systems (rivers, canals, reservoirs & lakes, topsoil reserve, aquifers, snow & ice, sea): delineation, monitoring, sampling, assimilation & modelling of water flows
• Mass flows: sediments, N, P (by hydrological units)• Water systems state (health, fragmentation…) and
ecosystem services• General quality of rivers and lakes • Biological quality• Fragmentation (dams…)• Particular attention to small rivers• Relation of inland water systems to other ecosystems
(wetlands, coastal waters) • Emissions to water, N & P surplus calculation , pesticides• Time and space integration
• Variability assessment (meteo, run off, temporarily flooded areas)
• GIS data assimilation
UNSD/UNCEEAUser-Producer Dialogue on Water Accounting CBS – Voorburg - The Netherlands, 22-24 May 2006
Water Data Centre at the EEA: a resource for Water Data Centre at the EEA: a resource for water accounting for Europe in WISEwater accounting for Europe in WISE
• need for agreed accounting units, compatible with WFD and SEEA, matching basic requirements of integrated spatial assessments of ecosystems and land use (e.g. ‘accounting catchments’, ‘elementary hydrological units’, ‘river reaches’, ‘water bodies’, ‘river basin districts’)
• need for appropriate geographical details (in particular for sampling monitoring data and reporting on socio-economic local data)
• need for appropriate periodicity (quarterly) for detecting water stress