EIPOT Final Project Report - Stockholm Environment Institute

More documents

Recommendations

Info

ERA-NET SKEP Project EIPOT (www.eipot.eu) “Development of a methodology for the assessment of global environmental impacts of traded goods and services” SKEP ERA-NET Project EIPOT (www.eipot.eu) Development of a methodology for the assessment of global environmental impacts of traded goods and services Final Report 7 th August 2009 Thomas Wiedmann a) , Harry Wilting b) , Stephan Lutter c) , Viveka Palm d) , Stefan Giljum c) , Anders Wadeskog d) and Durk Nijdam b) a) Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) at the University of York, UK (project coordinator) b) Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL), Bilthoven, The Netherlands c) Sustainable Europe Research Institute (SERI), Vienna, Austria d) Statistics Sweden, Environmental Accounting Unit (SCB), Stockholm, Sweden Product Code: SCHO1009BRAM-E-P ISBN: 978-1-84911-121-8 1
ERA-NET SKEP Project EIPOT (www.eipot.eu) “Development of a methodology for the assessment of global environmental impacts of traded goods and services” Executive Summary In 2008, the SKEP (Scientific Knowledge for Environmental Protection) network commissioned research to develop a suitable methodology to assess transnational environmental impacts through international trade, which led to the establishment of the EIPOT project (environmental impacts of trade). The project was carried out between April 2008 and May 2009 by a consortium of four European research institutions: Stockholm Environment Institute at the University of York (project coordinator), Sustainable Europe Research Institute in Vienna, Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency in Bilthoven and Statistics Sweden in Stockholm. The project aimed to: • review and evaluate existing environmental accounting techniques that can be used to illustrate transnational impacts of traded goods and services; • specify the (theoretical) framework and criteria for environmental accounting methodologies to assess the environmental impacts of imported and exported goods and services; • identify the most suitable methodology and expand it into an accounting approach which can be used by all SKEP member states; • identify data requirements and possible data sources for the recommended method; • elaborate the roles of different regulatory authorities in providing the required data and advice on the practical implementation of the methodology. During the project, it became clear that a) given the variety of possible research and policy questions to be answered, it would not be appropriate to stipulate one single method but rather put forward a flexible range of compatible methods and b) as a consequence, the focus should be on the developments needed in data and organisational roles. The EIPOT project report will be of interest and use to the SKEP network, national ministries and agencies, national statistical offices (NSO), the European Commission (EC) and Eurostat as well as academia. In the EIPOT project, an evaluation approach called RACER was adapted for the purposes of the project. RACER is used by the European Commission Directorate General Environment to assess the suitability of methods and indicators for policy-oriented applications. On the basis of assessments carried out here, EIPOT makes recommendations for setting up a method able to fulfil the project's aim of assessing transnational environmental impacts of traded goods and products. The suggested way forward is a methodology incorporating elements of different tools which have proven to be successful, and identification of future needs in order to develop an effective and applicable tool, rather than focussing on one approach and its further development. The relevance and suitability of any methodology always depends on the particular research or policy question that needs to be answered. The report looked at five policy dimensions – economic, environmental pressure/impact, geography, time, and life cycle stage – in order to understand the specific requirements for the methodology. The primary focus of the EIPOT project was on trade flows between different economies and production sectors within them, rather than on individual traded products. 2
Page 1: Development of a methodology for th
Page 5 and 6: ERA-NET SKEP Project EIPOT (www.eip
Page 53 and 54:
ERA-NET SKEP Project EIPOT (www.eip
Page 55 and 56:
Page 57 and 58:
Page 59 and 60:
Page 61 and 62:
Page 63 and 64:
Page 65 and 66:
Page 67 and 68:
Page 69 and 70:
Page 71 and 72:
Page 73 and 74:
Page 75 and 76:
Page 77 and 78:
Page 79 and 80:
Page 81 and 82:
Page 83:
show all

EIPOT Final Project Report - Stockholm Environment Institute

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?