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WP4: Sustainability indicators

TMLeuven (Eef Delhaye, Christophe Heyndrickx)

CEFIR

October 29, 2009

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Outline

SUST-RUS meeting 22 10 2009

• Goal of WP4• How to achieve this goal• What will be the output from WP4

• Progress within WP4

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Goal of WP4• Define sustainability indicators

– Social– Economic effects of policies– Environmental

• Establish an assessment framework– How to use the results of a policy analysis with the model

• How to interpret each of the indicators• How to weight the different dimensions

SUST-RUS meeting 22 10 2009

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How to achieve this goal (1)

• Literature review• For each area:

– Selection and construction of 5 to 7 indicators– Choice based on importance/tractability indicators

• Development of methodology for assessment structure of model

SUST-RUS meeting 22 10 2009

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How to achieve this goal (2)

• Literature review to learn– How to choose between indicators

• Eg. Indicators which are scientific, functional and pragmatic

– What are possible problems when choosing• Eg. Subjectivity, only measuring the measurables,…• Eg. Data requirements

– Methodology for possible aggregations• Eg. Advantages/disadvantages of monetization, using

performance scales, using an aggregate

– Balance between the interpretation and measurement of the complex phenomena of sustainable development while keeping indicators as simple as possible and their number in low levels.

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How to achieve this goal (3)

• Selection and construction of– Social indicators– Economic indicators– Environmental indicators

• Selection based on– Assuring that indicators are representative– Keeping the number of indicators at a reasonable

level (5-7) and striving for a certain balance in terms of number of indicators representing the various dimensions of sustainability

– Trying to avoid excessive overlapping– Assuring practicability and feasibility; in particular

having confidence that the indicators can be generated within the SUST-RUS research project.

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How to achieve this goal (3)

• Possible economic indicators– GDP per capita – Unemployment– Consumptions– …

• Possible environmental indicators– Emissions of pollutants– Land use– …

• Possible social indicators– Welfare induced by policy change– Poverty gap– …

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How to achieve this goal (4)

• Development of policy assessment framework– How to take into account all dimensions in a

consistent way• Multicriteria versus aggregate• Intra versus intergenerational• Compensatory versus non-compensatory• Time horizon

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Output from WP4

• For the indicators: fact sheet with– Name of indicator– Description of indicator– Calculation of indicator– Indicative tresholds for its value

• Assessment tool

SUST-RUS meeting 22 10 2009

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Progress within WP4

• Started with literature review• Screening of possible indicators