4653.0 - Environment and Energy News, Dec 2001
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 19/12/2001
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ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY STATISTICS SECTION The Environment and Energy Statistics Section (EESS) of the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) is a multi-disciplinary team involved in the research and analysis of environmental and energy issues based on ABS and non-ABS data. Since its inception in June 1991, the Section's scope has progressively expanded and advances made into new areas of environment statistics. Notable achievements include:
Staff in EESS have experience in researching and collating data from various sources for publication. Various products and services, such as consultancy and user funded data gathering, are available if other priorities permit. Data can be customised to suit specific requirements. ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER The ABS Environment Statistics Newsletter is produced on a half yearly basis. It features news and developments in relation to work done by EESS. If you would like to be placed on our free electronic mailing list, please contact Alec Davidson and leave your address details. Alec Davidson 3a7 Environment & Energy Statistics Section Australian Bureau of Statistics PO Box 10, Belconnen ACT 2617 Tel: (02) 6252 7751 Fax: (02) 6252 5335 Email: alec.davidson@abs.gov.au INPUT-OUTPUT ENERGY AND GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS MULTIPLIERS These multipliers for 1994-95 and 1996-97 were produced for a paper presented at the 30th Conference of Economists in September 2001 under the theme of "Sustainable development". They are an extension of the information provided in the ABS publication Energy and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Accounts, Australia 1994-95 to 1997-98 (Catalogue No. 4604.0). Chapter 4 in that publication provides an input-output analysis on energy and greenhouse gas emissions (E & GHGE ) based on economic relationships recorded in Australian National Accounts, Input-Output Tables (Cat. No. 5209.0). An input-output use table holds detailed information about the disposition of products (including different types of energy) in the Australian economy and about the structure of, and inter-relationships between, Australian industries. E & GHGE accounts present similar information about E & GHGE. In addition to showing industries using energy and producing GHG emissions, an input-output analysis on these provides information on which final users are responsible for energy use and associated GHG emissions. Input-output multipliers can be used to explore “what if” questions on E & GHGE (for example, what would be the impact on E & GHGE of an x% change in output by the Construction industry). However this type of analysis should be made only in the light of knowledge of input-output multipliers, their assumptions, shortcomings, and most appropriate applications. E & GHGE multipliers can provide a simple means of working out the flow-on effects of a change in output in an industry on the use of different E & GHGE. Relationships between final demands and these flow-on effects can be derived when these multipliers are analysed in conjunction with the relationships between final demand and output in the source input-output table There are multipliers showing only the 'first-round' effects, while others include the aggregated effects once all secondary effects have flowed through the system. In the paper presented at the conference are different types of multipliers by type of E & GHGE. Analysis is made of the magnitudes of these multipliers by producing industry. “What if” scenarios are explored. The paper and tables of multipliers are available on request and your comments are very welcome. Contact: Doris de Zilva Email: doris.dezilva@abs.gov.au LAND AND WATER MANAGEMENT STATISTICS FOR 1999-2000 This year's edition of Agriculture Australia (Cat. No. 7113.0) contains an expanded chapter on land management. The chapter has historically contained information on the area devoted to crops, pasture and irrigated land by each State and Territory. The chapter now has more detailed information on irrigation and data on the type of method used for irrigation. Some of the data are shown in the table below. IRRIGATION, Methods used and total area - Year ended 30 June 2000
The chapter also reports ABS data that shows, for the year to June 2000, around 48,900 km of fencing was built to protect vegetation from grazing and that 43 million trees were planted by farmers on agricultural land. Around a third of the trees planted were for timber or pulp production. With increasing attention on land management and water issues, it is hoped that the ABS can continue to expand its work in this area. Suggestions on what data the ABS may be able to collect in this regard are welcome. More information is contained in Agriculture, Australia 1999-2000 (Cat. No. 7113.0) available from the ABS bookshop for $32. Contact: Michael Vardon Email: michael.vardon@abs.gov.au COMING ATTRACTION IN 2002! - CURRICULUM LESSON PLANS FOR ENVIRONMENT STUDIES The National Education Services Unit (located in Melbourne) and the Environment and Energy Section (located in Canberra) are jointly hosting a Teacher Release to Industry Program (TRIP) placement in 2002. TRIP is a professional development program for teachers in Victoria funded jointly by the Victorian Department of Education, Employment and Training (DEET), Victorian Employers' Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VECCI) and host employers. Under the TRIP arrangement, teachers work in industries for 10 months bringing with them industry knowledge and experience to the workplace. The TRIP project for 2002 is the development of curriculum materials and lesson plans ( which are relevant to the Curriculum Standards Framework) to support the ABS publication Australia's Environment: Issues and Trends (Cat. no. 4613.0). The output from the project will be a set of web pages which will provide easy and effective access to environment statistics through the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) web site and Schoolsnet site (an Internet Service Provider for most schools in Australia). This initiative is part of the National Education Services' continual effort to promote greater understanding, knowledge and access to ABS statistics. This should encourage greater use of ABS statistical resources in the school curriculum. We are seeking feedback from relevant stakeholders about this project and we welcome any comments relating to user needs and suggestions in the development of this project. Contact: Soo Kong Email: soo.kong@abs.gov.au HOUSEHOLD SURVEYS The seventh edition of Environmental Issues: People's Views and Practices ABS Cat. No. 4602.0 was recently released in November 2001. Main issues covered in this latest edition include:
Results from previous years are also published. For the key points of the current survey results, please refer to Main Features on this site. To order copies, please phone Information Services on 1300 135 070 or email: client.services@abs.gov.au. The next survey is on Household Energy Use and Conservation and will commence in March 2002. The findings will be published by the end of the year. In preparation for the 2003 survey on Household Waste Management, Transport Use and Vehicle Ownership, a user consultation will be conducted in January 2002. Interested stakeholders and users of these statistics who wish to see new issues considered, or have the publication made more relevant to their needs, are invited to participate in the questionnaire drafting process. Contact: Sarah Coleman Email: sarah.coleman@abs.gov.au THE THEMATIC Australia's Environment: Issues and Trends (ABS catalogue No. 4613.0) is intended for a general readership and explores some of the relationships between Australia's society, economy and environment. The 2002 edition has adopted the broad theme of understanding and measuring environmental values in the context of environmental management. Key areas covered include the role of indicators and environmental accounts, valuing forests and the land, assessing the ecological impacts of forestry and agriculture, eco-efficiency measures in the mining industry, and an analysis of national trends in waste and pollution. The planned release date for the publication is World Environment Day (June 5, 2002). Contact: Darren Evans Email: darren.evans@abs.gov.au ENVIRONMENT MANAGEMENT SURVEY 2000-2001 The Environment Management Survey (EMS), 2000-2001, collects physical and financial information on environment management in the Manufacturing and Mining industry. A similar collection was conducted for 1996-97 and released in Environment Protection Expenditure, Australia, 1995-96 and 1996-97 (ABS Cat. No. 4603.0). Environment protection is a significant and growing expense in the Australian economy. In 1996-97, for example, Australia spent over $8.6 billion on environment protection activities. The 2000-2001 EMS provides measures of environment management activities as well as eco-efficiency indicators for the manufacturing and mining industries. Information on other industries could be collected in future surveys. Environment management financial activity includes expenditure on solid waste management, liquid waste management, air emissions management, and other environment management expenses such as noise control. Eco-efficiency goals aim to reduce materials/resources used and waste/pollution generated by industries in producing their goods and services. The new eco-efficiency component of the EMS enables physical and financial data to be combined to derive an indication of industries' performance in environmental management. The publication, Environment Protection, Mining and Manufacturing Industries, Australia (Cat. no. 4603.0) is due out in late 2002.
THE ENVIRONMENT AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT The ABS has collected financial information on environment protection and natural resource management by Local Government Authorities since the 1997-98 financial year. Results for 1999-2000 were released on 5 December 2001 showing that local government spent over $2.5 billion on environment protection activity. This was mainly in the areas of solid waste management ($1.1 billion) and waste water management ($1.0 billion). Other environment protection activity includes protection of biodiversity and habitat, protection of soil resources, cultural heritage and air pollution abatement. Queensland and New South Wales were the states with the highest expenditure on environment protection spending $926 million and $894 million respectively. Council expenditure on using and conserving natural resources was estimated to be $1.8 billion in 1999-2000. Land management and water supply played important roles in natural resource activities, accounting for nearly 52% ($924 million) and 42% ($836 million) respectively. Queensland and New South Wales are two major providers in natural resource use and management, spending $714 million and $600 million in these two states alone. Contact: Peter Meadows Email: p.meadows@abs.gov.au THE WASTE ACCOUNT Exploratory work and data investigation is well under way on the compilation of a waste account. This is part of the broader project being undertaken on environmental accounts. At this point the focus is on collecting data on solid waste, which will include both hazardous and non-hazardous waste streams. As well, data on landfills, recycling activity, the cost of waste management, and the international trade and movements of waste will be included where available. The ABS is seeking data and information about data sources relating to waste and how it can better link into the data collection activities of other organisations. We welcome any feedback you may have about this topic. Contact: Mark Nelson Phone: (02) 6252 7890 Email: mark.nelson@abs.gov.au WATER ACCOUNT FOR AUSTRALIA 2000-2001 The development of the Water Account for Australia 2000-2001 is underway, with its release expected in late 2002 to early 2003. Throughout the development of the second edition of the water account there has been the opportunity for key agencies in the water industry to provide comments on both the first edition of the water account and the strategy paper for the second edition. This has highlighted key areas of interest and provided us with feedback on how the next edition of the water account can continue to provide valuable water resource information. The water supply and water use data by industry will remain a feature of the second water account, with a more in depth study of the rural sector. Water asset tables will be presented on a national scale, incorporating resource information produced in the National Land and Water Resources Audit. More detailed information on water reuse across the economy, especially in the manufacturing and mining sectors as well as by the water and sewerage industry, will also be included. Other key areas of the water account will include information on environmental provisions, water trading, water pricing and water quality. A summary of the first account can be found on the ABS web site. Contact: Stuart Peevor Email: stuart.peevor@abs.gov.au Document Selection These documents will be presented in a new window.
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