Sustainable_Competitiveness_Index_2013

Natural Capital & Resource Efficiency:
Indicators
Natural capital and depletion indicators
19 data points
Indicator
Renewable freshwater resources
Inland water
Population density
Arable land
Potentially arable land
Cereal yield
Land degradation
Desertification & desertification risks
Forest area & forest loss
Biodiversity potential
Extreme weather events
Endangered species
Fossil resources
Mineral resources
Energy self-sufficiency
Resource depletion
Pollution levels
SO 2 emissions
Hazardous waste
Resource efficiency indicators
14 data points
Indicator
Energy consumption
Energy consumption
Water consumption
Water productivity
Steel & metal usage
Steel & metal usage
Ecological footprint
Electricity consumptions
Electricity consumption
Renewable electricity generation %
Coal electricity generation %
Transmission losses
GHG emissions
GHG emissions
Relative to
Population
Population
Area
Population
Population
Absolute
Area
Area
Area
Absolute
Time
Absolute
Population, GDP
Population, GDP
Absolute
Absolute
Absolute
Population
Population
Relative to
Population
GDP
Population
GDP
Population
GDP
Absolute
Population
GDP
Time
Population
GDP
Natural Capital
The natural capital of a nation or country is
defined by the characteristics of the natural
environment, which consists of a mixture of
size, population, geography, climate,
biodiversity and availability of natural
resources (renewable and non-renewable),
as well as the depletion of those resources.
The combination of these factors and the
level of depletion of the natural resources due
to human activity and climate change
represents the future potential of sustaining a
prosperous livelihood for the population and
the economy of a nation.
Indicators used encompass forests and
biodiversity indicator, agricultural indicators,
land degradation and desertification, water
resources, minerals and energy resources,
pollution indicators and depletion indicators.
Resource Intensity
The more efficient a nation is using resources,
the smaller the negative impacts of a
potential supply scarcity of resources (food,
energy, water, and minerals). Higher
efficiency is also equal to lower cost per
production unit in agriculture, industrial
production, and to a lesser extend also in the
service sector. Efficient use of resources and
energy is an indicator for a nation’s ability to
maintain or improve living standard levels
both under a future business-as-usual scenario
as well as under changing external economic
or geo-political circumstances and influences
that might affect raw material and resource
prices.
Indicators used cover water usage and
intwnsity, energy usage, energy intensity and
energy sources, climate change emissions
and intensity as well as certain raw material
usage. However, global data availability for
raw materials consumption other than steel is
limited and therefore could not be included.
Page 42
The Sustainable Competitiveness Index 2013
Table of contents