Energy indicators for sustainable development - Country studies on Brazil, Cuba, Lithuania, Mexico, Russian Federation, Slovakia and Thailand

Feb 2007

These energy indicators were formulated in line with sustainable development goals and were designed to complement the indicators on sustainable development developed by the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development. Work on developing indicators on sustainable development was undertaken in response to a call in Agenda 21 for harmonizing efforts, and the set has been tested, reviewed at the Commission’s ninth session, and is currently being updated and modified based on national level feedback received. There are other credible and viable indicator systems that focus on energy, but those identified, discussed and applied in these case studies, are notable for their flexibility of use and their specific orientation towards sustainability dimensions, identified as economic, social and environmental. Countries can adapt these indicators to suit national energy characteristics and needs. In other words, the indicators are designed to fit real-life situations, rather than modifying or assuming away information that does not fit the model, as often occurs when applying statistical models and tools.
The effort that culminated in the development and refinement of these indicators was initiated by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in cooperation with the International Energy Agency (IEA), the European Environmental Agency (EEA), EUROSTAT and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA). The indicators are identified and elaborated in the chapter entitled, Indicators for Sustainable Energy Development. This chapter provides background on the rationale and need for energy indicators, and the ways and means of testing the indicators and encouraging their use. The chapter elaborates on the indicators themselves and illustrates their individual relevance to the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development; it also identifies their interrelationships and their credibility as a set or system for analyzing energy within the framework of sustainable development.
The applications of the energy indicators in developing countries and countries with economies in transition are highlighted in the national case studies of Brazil, Cuba, Lithuania, Mexico, Russia, Slovakia and Thailand. Experts from these countries participated in the testing of the energy indicators, as part of the IAEA project. Thus, the case studies contained in this publication represent initial applications of the indicators, and are considered first steps in a hopefully more comprehensive and long-term utilization of the tool. Each application provides not only an example of the way in which the indicators can be used to support sustainable development measures and policies, but also an identification, and in some cases an analysis, of priorities and goals with regard to energy within the context of the broader sustainable development framework.

By: IAEA, UNDESA

 
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