Environment and Sustainable Development Indicators for Canada

National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy (NRTEE)

Canada?s decision-makers have no way of measuring whether our country can maintain its current level of economic activity and prosperity into the future. In the 2000 budget, the federal government asked the NRTEE to ??develop a set of indicators to measure environmental performance in conjunction with economic performance.?

Working in close collaboration with Statistics Canada and Environment Canada, the National Round Table has developed six proposed new formal economic measures or indicators. These indicators will augment familiar economic data such as gross domestic product (GDP) and the consumer price index (CPI).

Five of the recommended indicators measure Canada?s natural capital ? measuring trends in forest cover, freshwater quality, air quality, greenhouse gas emissions, and the extent of wetlands. The sixth indicator measures educational attainment.

PDF Version:
Environment and Sustainable Development Indicators for Canada
(2.02 Mb - 100 pages)
Date: 2003
ISBN: 1-894737-06-7

Contents

1. INTRODUCTION
2. CONTEXT
3. THE CAPITAL MODEL
4. NATIONAL INDICATORS OF NATURAL AND HUMAN CAPITAL
5. A BETTER CAPITAL INFORMATION FRAMEWORK
6. THE STATE OF THE DEBATE
7. RECOMMENDED NEXT STEPS
Appendix A: ESDI Cluster Groups, September 2001 - February 2002
Appendix B: Participants in Workshops with Potential Indicator Audiences
Appendix C: Economists' Workshop, February 20, 2002
Appendix D: Technical Assistance in the Development of the Final Indicators, July 2002 - February 2003
Appendix E: Acknowledgements and Photo Credits

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