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In the 2004 edition of the
World Energy Outlook,
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the IEA introduced an energy
development index (EDI) to better understand the role that energy plays in human
development. The index is intended to be used as a simple composite measure of a
country or region’s progress in its transition to modern fuels and of the degree of
maturity of its energy end use. The EDI seeks to capture the quality of energy services
as well as their quantity and can be used to assess the need for policies to promote the
use of modern fuels and to stimulate investment in energy
infrastructure in each
region. It is calculated in such a way as to mirror the Human Development Index
(HDI) of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
2.3.3 Eurostat
Eurostat has collaborated with the IEA on energy-data collection for more than 25
years, and more recently has collaborated on indicator development. As in most IEA
Member countries, since the oil crises of the 1970s, energy policy in the European
Union (EU) has traditionally concentrated on security and diversity of supply, energy
efficiency, prices and competitiveness.
At the European Council
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meeting in Cardiff
in 1998, the principle of integrating environmental concerns into broader policy was
introduced, with a particular emphasis on energy. Minimizing damage to the
environment became of fundamental importance to the EU’s sustainable energy
policy. This ‘Cardiff Process’ emphasized the need for indicators to measure progress
and so raised the profile of indicator work. Eurostat publishes annually, in pocketbook
format, integration indicators for energy based on data collected
by Eurostat and the
EEA.
In June 2001, the European Council in Gothenburg integrated the Cardiff Process into
a new, wider EU Sustainable Development Strategy (SDS). The SDS is based on the
principle that the economic, social and environmental effects of all policies should be
considered in a coordinated manner in all decision making.
Energy issues are addressed under several of the themes of the SDS. On climate
change, the SDS aims to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by increasing the
use of renewable forms of energy. It addresses public health,
where air pollution from
the burning of fossil fuels is an important issue, and it addresses transport. Energy is
also of primary importance for the EU’s commitments following the WSSD and the
JPOI, for sustainable production and consumption, and for global partnership and
good governance.
Following the adoption of the EU SDS, the EU’s Statistical Programme Committee
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set up a Task Force on sustainable development indicators to promote a common
approach for the European Statistical System. This Task
Force is chaired by the
‘Environment and Sustainable Development’ unit of Eurostat and is composed of
experts from Member States, European Free Trade Area countries, various
Commission Directorates-General and international organizations.
8
5
IEA,
2004.
World Energy Outlook. Paris, France: International Energy Agency.
6
The European Council is made up of the heads of state of the EU Member States and meets at least
every six months.
7
The Statistical Programme Committee is composed of the general-directors of the statistical
institutions of EU Member States.
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For more information, see http://forum.europa.eu.int/Public/irc/dsis/susdevind/home.
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2.3.4 European Environment Agency (EEA)
The EEA is the EU body
dedicated to providing sound, independent information on
the environment. It is a main information source for those involved in developing,
adopting, implementing and evaluating environmental policy, and for the general
public.
Indicators are an important tool in the EEA’s work for assessing progress towards
environmental protection and sustainable development. The EEA's indicator work
covers the environmental aspect of sustainable development and is based on the so-
called DPSIR assessment framework (Driving forces, Pressures,
State of the
environment, Impacts, and societal Responses).
The EEA has developed a set of about 25 indicators for energy and environment that
are updated regularly. In line with the EEA’s mandate, these indicators have more of
an environmental emphasis than those of the IEA or Eurostat
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and, taken together,
allow assessment of progress towards environmental integration in Europe by energy
sector. The indicators describe the development of the sector in Europe and
implications for the environment and related policy actions. The indicators cover not
only
the current situation, but also trends and prospects; most importantly, they point
to the conditions for change that are needed for progress towards a more sustainable
energy policy that benefits the environment.
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More information on the work of the EEA on energy and environment indicators is available at
http://themes.eea.eu.int/Sectors_and_activities/energy, including the EU’s first report
(http://reports.eea.eu.int/environmental_issue_report_2002_31/en).