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Swiss Experience in preparing national SoE reports

Swiss Experience in preparing national SoE reports. Nicolas Perritaz International Affairs Division Federal Office for the Environment FOEN. Meeting on Environmental Assessments, UNECE - WGEMA, Geneva, 16-17 April 2013. Swiss Experience in preparing national SoE reports. Swiss Context.

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Swiss Experience in preparing national SoE reports

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  1. Swiss Experience in preparing national SoE reports Nicolas Perritaz International Affairs Division Federal Office forthe Environment FOEN Meeting on Environmental Assessments, UNECE - WGEMA, Geneva, 16-17 April 2013

  2. Swiss Experience in preparing national SoE reports Swiss Context Meeting on Environmental Assessments, UNECE - WGEMA, Geneva, 16-17 April 2013

  3. Swiss context • Confoederatio Helvetica (CH) • Location: landlocked alpine country • Area: 41,290 km2 • Population: 8 014 000 (Dec. 2012) • Political system: Federal state (Swiss confederation) consisting of 26 semi-autonomous (the cantons) and about 3000 municipalities (the communes) • Status: member of the UN and the EFTA, various bilateral agreements with the EU

  4. Swiss environment under pressure • Switzerland’s environment is subject to severe pressures (pollution, use of natural resources, urban sprawl) due in particular to industry, agriculture, transport, households and tourism. • These pressures stem from very high population densities, a high level of economic activities and high incomes. The mountain environment, especially fragile to climate change, is under threat of landslides or floods. Source: FOEN 2012

  5. Relations with the European Union (EU) Switzerland-EU Environment-relevant aspects Source: FOEN 2012

  6. Switzerland as EEA member country • Switzerland became the 32nd EEA member country on 1st April 2006 Source: EEA 2012

  7. Switzerland as EEA member country • The Federal Office for the Environment FOEN is the Swiss National Focal Point to the EEA (located at the International Affairs Division). • As a full member, Switzerland participates without restriction in the EEA activities, has direct access to all data and information that is disseminated through the European Information and Observation Network (Eionet). Source: EEA 2012

  8. Switzerland as EEA member country Added value of the Swiss membership to the EEA • Alignement to our environmental reporting system with European and EEA standards • Harmonisation of the data, indicators, assessment conceptual and methodological framworks As the results, Switzerland is able: • toanswer to its international reporting obligations (delivered once for multiple purposes) • to share comparable data Switzerland delivers 100% of the EEA priority data flows. These data are used for EEA information products Source: EEA 2012

  9. Swiss SoE reports Published by FOEN since 1990… ….some editions prepared together with FSO State of the Environment 1990 State of the Environment 1993 Environment in Switzerland 1997 Environment Switzerland 2002 Environment Switzerland 2007

  10. Swiss SoE reports Since 2007, SoE reports are produced on a regular basis; an indicator-based mechanisms is used ? Environment Switzerland 2009 Environment Switzerland 2011 Environment Switzerland 2013 Environment Switzerland 2015

  11. Swiss Experience in preparing national SoE reports 3. Legal andregulatorybasis forpublicationofSoEreports Meeting on Environmental Assessments, UNECE - WGEMA, Geneva, 16-17 April 2013

  12. Legal and regulatory basis The Federal Office for the Environment FOEN is: • the federal government’s centre of environmental expertise • part of the Department (Ministry) of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications DETEC The Federal Office for the Environment FOEN has in its core duties: • Knowing the facts (on the state of the environment and changes to it; early warnings of environmental problems)

  13. Legal and regulatory basis Double role of the FOEN: • Ministry (Policy) • Focus: Political interpretation, assessment • Products: SoE reports, Indicators, environmental statusreports online, thematic reports, forward-looking information • Agency (Information) • Focus: Monitoring, ‘public service’, open data • Products: Data and map portal

  14. Legal and regulatory basis • Environmental Protection Act (USG), 1983 The Federal Council coordinates the federal and cantonal data collection. The public authorities have to provide information to the public concerning environmental protection and state of the environment. The overall environmental data management, data exchange and environmental reporting is coordinated by the FOEN. • “The authorities inform the public properly about the environment protection and the state of environmental pollution.“ • Federal Law on Statistics,1990 Provision of public statistics for the public (ie statistical information compiled by the Government and its offices), including environmental data

  15. Legal and regulatory basis • Aarhus Convention Switzerland has signed but not yetratified the Aarhus Convention. Ratification needs an addition to the USG. The change of thislawis in discussion in the parliament in 2012-2013 and should enter into force before 2014, if approved • If the Aarhus Convention is ratified the information requirements would be specified in the Federal Environmental Protection Act : • Switzerlandhastoinformaboutthestateoftheenvironmentat least every 4 years

  16. Swiss Experience in preparing national SoE reports 4. Institutionalmechanisms fortheproductionofSoEreports Meeting on Environmental Assessments, UNECE - WGEMA, Geneva, 16-17 April 2013

  17. Institutional mechanisms Needs for sharing environmental information Although the available information clearly indicates the areas facing important environmental problems, • limitation of data availability and comparability, • non-systematic use of indicators, and • lower environmental awareness …pose difficulties in sharing environmental information

  18. Institutional mechanisms In 2004, FOEN adopted a generalconcept in Environ-mental Reporting (updated in 2007 and 2011). The implementation of this concept is now resulting in: • proposing new targeted products such as web services, on-line data available on the Internet, briefings on specific political issues, environmental assessment reports; • insuring a more effective level of communication with the policy makers, the public and the key partners; • supporting understanding of the effects and effectiveness of policies.

  19. Institutional mechanisms The generalconcept in Environmental Reporting hasthefollowingcomponents: • Environmental information systems are strengthened to reach the key clients • Specificproducts are properlydisseminated to target groups through the mostappropriate information channels • Main target groups are the general public and the policy-makers

  20. Institutional mechanisms • The state-of-the-environment reports are linked with the policy-cycle and launched according to key sessions of the Parliament. • These reports are designed to provide systematic information about the state of the environment and its development according to the latest knowledge and the data available. • They are primarily directed at decision-makers and the general public • They outline the position in Switzerland compared with that of several other European countries.

  21. Institutional mechanisms • Publishedby: • FOEN • Federal Council from 2015 onwards (AarhusConvention) • Steeringcommittee • Project Management • Project team • Group of experts (selectionofindicators, writingteam) • Mandate holders (translation, layout etc.)

  22. Institutional mechanisms FOEN Board Project organisation Steering Committee Project team Project Management Graphic concept Data management Writing of the report Report Editing Communication Group of experts Experts et writing team Mandate Holders Editor Translators Graphic Designer Printer

  23. Swiss Experience in preparing national SoE reports 5. StructureandcontentsofSoEreports Country specificsections Meeting on Environmental Assessments, UNECE - WGEMA, Geneva, 16-17 April 2013

  24. Structure and content Since 2007, Swiss SoE reports include an assessment of environmental policy, are shorter and more structured Swiss SoE reports Activities • Conceptual • framework 2. Structure & Content 3. Data management 4. Writing 5. Editing & Launch

  25. Structure and content • Target groups: Policy makers, interested public • Content – 4 parts: • Stocktaking of environmental policy implementation (Part I) • State of the environment (Part II) • Forward-looking information (Part III) • Switzerland in the international context (by 2015) (Part IV) • Methodology: • DPSIR model • Indicator-based assessement reports

  26. Structure and content Part I: Stocktaking of environmental policy implementation Synoptic part: Investigation on the effects of environmental policy according to objectives laid down in legislation Air, Climate, Ozone layer, Chemical products, Waste, Contaminated sites, Risk of major accidents, Hazardous organisms, Noise and vibrations, Biodiversity, Nature and landscape, Forests, Soils, Water, International Cooperation (+ Resources, Biotechnology, Chemicals, Non-ionising radiation, Landscape) • Distance to target  analysis, use of indicators • Positive or negative trends

  27. Structure and content Part II: State of the environment Analytical part: Assessment and overview of the present situation, developments in the state of the environment and of the measures taken. Environmental themes are considered in a way that supplements the information given in part I 6 chapters« Drivers and Pressure »: Resources and material flows, Energy and electromagnetic radiation, Transport and mobility, Industry, production and commerce, Households and consumption, Agriculture (Economy and production, Households, consumption and tourism) 9 chapters « State, Impact and Response »: Air quality, Climate change, Ozone layer, Water quality, Soils, Landscape and biodiversity, Forests, Natural Risks, Risk of major accidents, Noise and vibrations, Environment and health (Ozone layer in Air quality, Landscape, Biodiversity)

  28. Structure and content Systematic evaluation, which provides a foundation for preparing SoE reports: • The main environmental problems were identied using environmental legislation, the latest assessment and problems arisen in the meantime (exhaustive list) • A DPSIR analysis was performed for each of the problems identified (on this basis, the report structure was established) • The most appropriated indicators were selected for the issues analysed • Experts from the Swiss administration participated in the process and in drafting the report (writing teams per chapter)

  29. Swiss Experience in preparing national SoE reports 5. StructureandcontentsofSoEreports Useof environmental indicators Meeting on Environmental Assessments, UNECE - WGEMA, Geneva, 16-17 April 2013

  30. Use of environmental indicators FOEN environmental indicators system and review • Indicators & Reporting: Indicatorsas a basisfor environmental reporting • Indicator Management: Technical solutionforindicatormanagement

  31. Use of environmental indicators The Swiss definitionof an indicator • Criteria • Policyrelevance • Representative • Understandable , uniqueandclear • Target availability • Data availabilityandregularmonitoring • Spatialand temporal coverage • Methodologicalsoundness • Internationallycomparable Many (all?) points in commonwith EEA Indicators, other national indicators?

  32. Use of environmental indicators The Swiss definition of an indicator • Onedataset • Onevalue per year • Availableforseveralyears • Assessment • „Traffic lights“

  33. Use of environmental indicators • Indicatorsarebasicallyusedfortwopurposes: • Steering environmental observation (DPSIR flowers) • Setting the Agenda: What must bemeasured? • Distribution offinancialmeans • Environmental Reporting: Products forthepublicandpolicymakers

  34. Use of environmental indicators Indicators as a basis for different reporting products: Online Reporting • Indicator portal: http://www.bafu.admin.ch/umwelt/indikatoren/index.html?lang=en • Environmental Status Reports Onlinehttp://www.bafu.admin.ch/umwelt/status/index.html?lang=en

  35. Use of environmental indicators • Print products • Environment Switzerland • Thematicreports

  36. Use of environmental indicators Indicator Management: Database • Indicator Metadata • Indicator Assessment • Data • 4 languages (D, F, I, E)

  37. Indicator Management:Workflow • Still a lot of off-line work needed • Possible to generate wordfiles to track changes! • Close contact to experts • Difficult for experts to simplify „their“ topics • Difficult to choose the traffic light • Time consuming to be up-to-date!

  38. Environmental reporting: SoE online Online Products: http://www.bafu.admin.ch/umwelt/index.html?lang=en Map viewer www.map.bafu.admin.ch • 4 languages: d, f, i, en

  39. Environmental reporting: SoE online • Status reports (topics, short overview,DPSIR, includes indicators • Indicators (as shown before)

  40. Environmental reporting: SoE online • Data (planned for mid 2013) • Access to all online databases FOEN • Integrated data sets (i.e. global megatrends) • Publications • List of available publications including international reports

  41. Swiss Experience in preparing national SoE reports 6. PublicationanddisseminationofSoEreports Meeting on Environmental Assessments, UNECE - WGEMA, Geneva, 16-17 April 2013

  42. Publication and dissemination • Publication cycle: every 2 years (and every 4 years from 2015 onwards) • Medium: Mixture print/online (in 4 languages) • Release: • Beginning of July 2013 • Beginning of 2015 (according to the policy cycle) • Dissemination: • Flyer as a supplement in the environmental magazine • Press release • Internet

  43. Dissemination of environmental information Since 2005 the FOEN aligned its activities. • Use of Internet was reinforced, giving a new dimension to data sharing. • Information and products like maps, short state of the environment reports, indicators, graphs and tables was made available on the Internet covering around 20 environmental issues. • In 2012 the map viewer has been updated and is now reachable at map.bafu.admin.ch • All of the mentioned websites will continuously be updated in 2013 with a focus on interlinking maps and tables and more interactivity in data display.

  44. Dissemination of environmental information • Topics: Air, Biological Safety, Chemicals, Climate, Forests, Habitat, Hazardous waste, Landscape, Major accidents, Natural Hazards, Noise, Ozone layer, Resources, Soils, Species diversity, Species use, Waste management, Waterbodies, Wood. • Products: Maps, Environmental status reports, Indicators, Short Environmental reports online, other Publications. • All products are available in 4 languages. They focus on the DPSIR-Model (Driving forces, Pressures, States, Impacts, Responses), allowing an analyses of the environmental state within the cause-and-effect chain.

  45. Swiss Experience in preparing national SoE reports 7. Links with other assessment reports Meeting on Environmental Assessments, UNECE - WGEMA, Geneva, 16-17 April 2013

  46. Links with other assessment reports At national level: • Environmental statusreports online • Thematic reports • Forward-looking information At international level: • As a member country of the EEA, OECD and UN (UNECE, UNEP), Switzerland participates in the publication of international SoE reports. • EEA SOER reports, UNECE Europe’sEnvironment report, OECD EnvironmentalOutlooks, UNEP GEO reports • International SoE reports link to the FOEN web page http://www.bafu.admin.ch/umwelt/10822/11752/index.html?lang=en EEA SoEreport

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