Environment

The System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA) provides the agreed upon statistical framework for measuring the relationship between the environment and the economy. It is comprised of two complimentary international statistical standards: the SEEA Central Framework (SEEA CF) and the SEEA Ecosystem Accounting (SEEA EA). The SEEA CF takes a resource-based approach to measuring the supply and use of environmental resources and availability of environmental assets. The SEEA EA takes a holistic and spatially explicit approach to compiling accounts on ecosystems.

Climate change is one of the most pressing issues of our time. Its impacts on well-being are far reaching, including impacts on health and the economy. Humans have contributed to climate change largely through economic activities which are intrinsically linked to climate change. Our supply and use of energy for example has led to increased emissions of greenhouse gases which have resulted in global warming.

The United Nations Statistical Institute for Asia and the Pacific (SIAP) and the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD), in cooperation with the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Unit and the Secretariat for the Pacific Community, are organizing an Energy Statistics Training Workshop for Pacific SIDS. The Workshop will be held in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea from 29 April – 1 May 2026.

Sustainable consumption and production (SCP) and increased resource efficiency are priorities for many countries. These linked priorities are also reflected in the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which call for sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources. Data on economy-wide material flow accounts (EW-MFA) are necessary to inform policies not only for the management of natural resources and waste, but also policies related to circular economy, resource use and ecosystems.

The United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) and the United Nations Statistical Institute for Asia and the Pacific (UNSIAP), with the support of the Office of the Director-General for Policy Planning on Statistical Policy, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications of the Government of Japan are organizing a Regional Training Workshop on SEEA Asset Accounts for Sustainable Development. The workshop will be held in Chiba, Japan from 16-19 June. The workshop will be conducted in English. 

Climate change is one of the most pressing issues of our time. Its impacts on well-being are far reaching, including impacts on health and the economy. Humans have contributed to climate change largely through economic activities which are intrinsically linked to climate change. Our supply and use of energy for example has led to increased emissions of greenhouse gases which have resulted in global warming. A better understanding of the relationship between the economy and climate change through the compilation of relevant indicators is key to mitigating and adapting to climate change.

Climate change is one of the most pressing issues in the Pacific region. Many countries are already experiencing intensifying threats such as rising sea levels, increasing ocean acidification, and escalating extreme weather events, profoundly impacting the region's economy, society, and environment. There is a need to address the well-being of people through good evidence-based policy. Reliable statistics and indicators on the impact of climate change are vital to enable evidence-based policy, decision-making, planning and investment.

In the Pacific region, climate change is one of the most pressing policy issues given its wideranging impacts on well-being. At the Fifty-first Pacific Islands Forum in 2022, Pacific Island leaders emphasized climate change as an existential threat to the wellbeing, livelihoods, and security of the Pacific, resonating with the Boe Declaration (2018) and the Kainaki II Declaration (2019). Consequently, they declared a climate emergency.

This course will focus on climate change indicators that can be compiled from environmental economic accounts. After a brief overview of climate change and, relevant polices and multilateral agreements, participants will learn how to compile various indicators that inform climate change. The focus of the course is on better understanding the relationship between climate change and economic activity. And the statistical framework that provides the concepts, definitions, and methodology for measuring this relationship is the System of Environmental Economic Accounting.