Experiments in Measuring Sustainability - The Environmental Sustainability Index and its Critics

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Experiments in Measuring Sustainability - The
Environmental Sustainability Index and its Critics

• Marc Levy
• CIESIN
• marc.levy_at_ciesin.columbia.edu
• http//sedac.ciesin.columbia.edu/es/esi/

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CIESIN involvement with sustainability indicators

• 1999-2005
• Environmental Sustainability Index
• Collection of national-level indicators suitable
  for comparison and aggregation
• 2005-2006
• Environmental Performance Index
• Collection of national-level report cards
  measuring proximity to policy targets
• Proposal to U.S. Millennium Challenge Account
  currently in public review (http//www.mca.gov/cou
  ntries/selection/NRS_indicator.shtml)
• 2002-2006
• Collection of integrated well-being / environment
  indicators to support research into systemic
  interactions
• E.g. Millennium Ecosystem Assessment

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Sustainability Indicators in Context
Understanding
Evaluation and Learning
Engagement and Deliberation
Goal-Setting
Implementation
Useful Indicators can improve ability to -
Describe problems accurately and saliently -
Diagnose the causes of these problems - Design
solutions commensurate with description and
diagnosis - Drive action with ongoing monitoring
and evaluation
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Criticism

• Multi-dimensionality plus aggregation confusion
• Aggregates not grounded in theory not subject to
  testing
• Weights are ultimately arbitrary

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Response

• There is a demand for aggregated numbers
• Although aggregation can be misused, it can be
  useful
• Transparency can temper arbitrariness

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The ESI gives strong weight to social and
institutional capacity measures

• Social and Institutional Capacity one of five
  core components of the ESI
• 4 of the ESIs 21 indicators are capacity
  measures
• Governance
• Eco-efficiency
• Private Sector Responsiveness
• Science and Technology
• 24 variables used to quantify these indicators

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The critique

• Rewards wealthy countries
• Capacity measures arent environmental, so they
  cloud the picture of environmental sustainability
• Some of attributes of high capacity are linked to
  patterns of high environmental stress (e.g.
  resource consumption) might send wrong signal

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Response

• Stick with it because it matters
• Erect clear boundaries separating governance from
  drivers and impacts

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The ESI combines things that are within
governments near-term control and those that are
not

• Exposure to environmental natural hazards
• Endangered species
• Anthropogenic land conversion
• Projected population growth

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Criticism This confuses whatever signal the ESI
wants to send about performance

• Things that happened long in the past arent
  relevant for current planning
• Things that cant be controlled arent relevant

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Response, I

• Given what ESI was trying to quantify, it makes
  sense to include both kinds of metrics
• ESI is meant to measure ability to maintain
  favorable environmental conditions long into the
  future
• That is a function of the cumulative, interacting
  effects of exogenous conditions, behaviors
  undertaken in the past, and behaviors undertaken
  in the future

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Response, II

• A Pilot Environmental Performance Index
• Focuses only on measures subject to policy
  intervention
• Metrics are benchmarked in terms of proximity to
  target
• Natural Resource Management Indicator
• Proposed for use by Millennium Challenge Account
• Unweighted average of
• Access to water
• Access to sanitation
• Child mortality (age 1-4)
• Achievement of 10 protection target, by biome

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Clear Sustainability Targets Remain Elusive

• Human-oriented indicators tend to be linked to
  clear targets
• Child Mortality
• Drinking Water
• Sanitation
• Urban Particulates
• BIG EXCEPTION Indoor Air Pollution

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• Ecosystem-oriented targets hard to find
• Regional ozone
• Nitrogen loading
• Water consumption
• Wilderness Protection
• Overfishing

These are problems that manifest themselves over
complicated transnational, multi-scale,
coupled-system dynamics
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Measurement Infrastructure is not Adequate

• Of the 16 indicators included in EPI, only 9 are
  updated on a regular basis
• The indicators measured regularly are dominated
  by human-focused indicators
• This reinforces the current policy stalemate
• Hard to set goals when metrics arent available
• Hard to mobilize support for measurement in the
  absence of policy goals
• MDGs help reinvigorate many socioeconomic
  measurement efforts did not have same effect on
  the environment