Environmental indicator

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An environmental indicator is a methodical construct that uses measurable substitutes ( indicans ) to describe an otherwise difficult to grasp environmental issue (the indicandum ).

Definition approaches

A number of slightly different definitions have been developed for the term environmental indicator in recent years.

  • "An indicator is generally understood to be a parameter that is used to describe the state of a system." (Walz et al. 1997)
  • Indicators are comparatively easy to understand, meaningful benchmarks for overall systems that are otherwise difficult to characterize, e.g. B. ecosystems or landscapes. (see Bastian & Scheiber 1999)
  • "Indicators are in principle parameters (e.g. physical quantities, proportional values, ...) that representatively depict or illustrate the state of a larger, often complex system." (ICLEI 1998)
  • Indicators are measured values ​​that, as proxy for complex structures, provide a status report on the quality of a situation that is as simple and understandable as possible. (cf. Pfister et al. 1997)
  • "Therefore indicators ... should generally be defined as parameters that are used to depict ... a specific, not directly measurable and often complex issue (indicandum)." (Sandhövel 1999)

In 2004, Barkmann combined these approaches into a formulation that emphasizes the property of an environmental indicator as a methodological construct (see introduction to the article).

Different approaches

The OECD established in the 1980s, an approach for documenting the state of the environment in its member countries. This so-called PSR approach (P: Pressure ; S: State ; R: Response ) aims to provide comparable data to improve environmental policy. From the beginning, the PSR approach was more an instrument for environmental policy than a scientific analysis system. This approach assumes that human activities exert pressure ( Pressure ) and change the state of the environment . Another indicator area is intended to represent the measures ( response ) implemented to directly or indirectly improve the state of the environment.

The European Environment Agency ( EEA for short ) expanded the PSR approach to include two additional areas in addition to the DPSIR approach. Here the economic driving forces (D: Drivers ) initially cause or intensify the stress factors. The change in the state of the environment has both socio-economic and biophysical effects (I: Impacts ).

Examples of environmental indicators

Traffic-related measuring station for selected air pollution parameters in the Hessen air measuring network

Typical environmental indicators relate, for example, to the degree of soil erosion , the built-up and sealed surfaces, fine dust pollution and nitrogen oxides as indicators of air quality , water quality or water consumption .

natural reserve

In nature conservation , for example, environmental indicators are used to record the ecological status, ecological development or possible development potential of an area. In urban land use planning , very detailed representations can be used to investigate the threat to individual animal and plant species and to develop the necessary compensatory measures.

Environmental reporting

As a supplement to qualitative environmental reporting, environmental indicators can provide comparative figures in order to show the successes, conditions and unsolved problems of the environmental policy of a country or city. When used in environmental reporting, individual bio- indicators are usually not used, but entire indicator systems. The change in an environmental indicator over the years is often shown as a time series so that developments can be easily read.

From the overall consideration with other indicators - for example from the traffic sector the number of cars or the relationship between motorized individual traffic and public transport (modal split) - further statements can be made. This overall view is sometimes used to represent a ranking between cities and regions in order to stimulate competition in environmental policy. The award of the title European Green Capital is an example of this competition.

Sustainability indicators

Together with indicators for social and economic (possibly also institutional) issues, environmental indicators form a core component of sustainability indicators. In 2001 the United Nations issued a set of sustainability indicators. For several years now, the EEA has been issuing the Environmental Signals , which compiles indicators from certain economic and environmental areas and is partly also available in German. In 2004, the Conference of Ministers of the Environment (UMK) in Germany adopted a joint set of 24 environment-specific sustainability indicators (environmental indicators) of the federal and state governments, about which an experience report has been published approximately every two years since 2006.

See also

literature

Web links

Single receipts

  1. ↑ Jan Barkmann: Development of “appropriate” indicators of sustainable development for the strategic control of a state ministry and for the information of the public: Example case Schleswig-Holstein. In: H. Wiggering, F. Müller (ed.): Environmental goals and indicators. Scientific requirements for their definition and case studies. (= Geosciences + environment ). Springer-Verlag, Berlin / Heidelberg 2004, pp. 575–605.
  2. ↑ Federal Statistical Office: Glossary of environmental and sustainability indicators (PDF; 35 kB)
  3. ↑ Environmental Terminology and Discovery Service (ETDS) ( Memento of the original from March 5, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / glossary.de.eea.europa.eu
  4. ↑ Documents of the German State Initiative Core Indicators (LIKI)