The importance of biodiversity valuation is widely understood in academia and is increasingly used in policy making and other fora. For example, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), through the Conference of the Parties (COP), recognises that "economic valuation of biodiversity and biological resources is an important tool for well-targeted and calibrated economic incentive measures". Further, it encourages the Parties to "take into account economic, social, cultural and ethical valuation in the development of relevant incentive measures" (CBD COP Decision IV/10). Biodiversity valuation should be an integral part of environmental economic policy, providing information to policy makers in their quest to identify priorities and equate trade-offs. As part of its effort to support governments in using valuation methods to assess the value of biological diversity, the OECD commissioned this series of case studies. They cover the state of the art on economic valuation and on the interface between economic and ecological valuation.
This document describes the design and results of the validation exercise for the Rapid Estrogen ACTivity In Vivo (REACTIV) Assay, organised by France and the United Kingdom. This method was developed for the detection of estrogen axis active substances. The project was on the Test Guidelines Programme work plan until 2024.
This document presents the design and the results of a validation exercise for the short-term Juvenile Hormone Activity Screening Assay (JHASA) using Daphnia magna, organised by Japan. This method was developed to detect the potential endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) with juvenile hormone activity. The project was on the Test Guidelines Programme work plan since 2016 and until 2024.
A Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR) is a system to collect and disseminate information on environmental releases and transfers of pollutants from industrial and other facilities. Among the most important applications of PRTRs is their use to inform decisions, gain insight, identify opportunities, and assess progress related to sustainability. The OECD Framework on the Role of Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers (PRTRs) in Global Sustainability Analyses describes the role of PRTRs in sustainable development and illustrates how PRTR data and information can be used to assess progress towards global sustainability. Based on the Framework, this analysis developed approaches for using PRTR data from multiple countries to conduct a global-scale analysis focused on assessing progress towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically Goal 12, Target 12.4. This target focuses on sound chemical management, reducing releases of chemicals to the environment, and minimising the adverse impacts of chemical releases on human health and the environment.
A Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR) is a publicly accessible database or inventory of chemicals or pollutants released to air, water and soil and transferred off-site for treatment. It brings together information about which chemicals are being released, where, how much and by whom. PRTRs provide a rich source of data for multiple uses and purposes. For facilitating better uses of PRTR data, this document compiles good practices of the data uses and tools for their presentation, which were gathered from member countries. It could illustrate the varied uses of PRTR data and encourage additional audiences to access PRTR data.
This OECD Emission Scenario Document (ESD) is intended to provide information on the sources, use patterns, and potential release and exposure pathways of non-volatile chemicals used in Aqueous Film-Forming Foams (AFFFs) in firefighting applications. The document presents standard approaches for estimating the environmental releases of and occupational exposures to chemicals used in AFFF.
This OECD Emission Scenario Document (ESD) provides information on the sources, use patterns, and potential release pathways of non-volatile chemicals used in textile dyes. The document focuses primarily on the application of dyes to fibers, yarns and fabrics by batch or continuous processes. The document presents standard approaches for estimating the environmental releases of and occupational exposures to non-volatile chemicals used in dye formulations.
This OECD Emission Scenario Document (ESD) provides information on the sources, use patterns, and potential release pathways of chemicals used in adhesive products, specifically during the use of adhesives in various industries. The document presents standard approaches for estimating the environmental releases of and occupational exposures to additives and components used in adhesive formulations.
The Urban Green Growth in Dynamic Asia project explores how to promote green growth in cities in Asia, examining policies and governance practices that encourage environmental sustainability and competitiveness in a rapidly expanding economy. This synthesis report presents the results of case studies along with practical policy recommendations, reflecting the local contexts of Southeast Asia. While Southeast Asian cities are affected by a range of economic, infrastructure, environmental and social challenges, ongoing rapid development offers opportunities to shift towards greener growth models. The concept of urban green growth can be a powerful vector of sustainable development, by emphasising the existence and potential of co-benefits between economic and environmental performance.
The multidimensional and intergenerational nature of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) calls for integrated policies. Progress made in a particular social, economic or environmental area or individual goal may generate synergies and trade-offs across dimensions (spillover effects), and steps taken in one country could have positive or negative impacts beyond national borders (transboundary effects). Assessing the multidimensional and cross-border effects of policies has become even more urgent in the context of COVID-19 containment measures. However, there are gaps in governance and analytical tools for identifying and managing spillover and transboundary effects, posing challenges for governments in designing and implementing sustainability strategies. This book, a collaborative effort by the OECD and the European Commission-Joint Research Centre (EC-JRC) presents a set of new governance and analytical tools, lessons learned from country experiences, and good emerging practices for managing spillover and transboundary effects in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
This joint ITC-OECD report presents a comprehensive, flexible, and value-neutral typology framework that aims to promote a shared understanding of the complex landscape of sustainability initiatives. Taking into account the diverse and multifaceted nature of sustainability initiatives, the typology framework offers a structured system of parameters and a common language to support policy makers, private sector operators, NGOs, and other stakeholders in assessing the differences between sustainability initiatives.
The role of nuclear energy in a sustainable development context has multiple facets, a significant number of which relate to the nuclear fuel cycle. This report provides a description of the developments and trends in the nuclear fuel cycle that may improve the competitiveness and sustainability of nuclear generating systems over the medium and long term. It also presents criteria and indicators for future nuclear energy systems. Prepared by experts from the nuclear industry, government agencies and research organisations, this report will be of interest to those involved in nuclear energy policy and decision making.
This report updates the data published in the 2015 OECD Compendium of Agri-environmental Indicators to present a summary of the environmental performance of agriculture in OECD countries as of end-2015. It also includes new and innovative material to further strengthen its relevance as a reference document. In particular, the four thematic chapters each cover a targeted set of indicators for which data coverage is generally more consistent across time in OECD countries and that capture the main pressures agriculture exerts on the environment. The thematic chapters cover the following areas: the interlinked issues of land use, pesticides and farmland birds; ammonia and greenhouse gas emissions, the main air pollutants from agricultural activities; nitrogen and phosphorus balances, two indicators that signal air and water pollution; and water use and irrigation in agriculture.
This OECD Emission Scenario Document (ESD) provides information on the sources and release pathways of chemicals during their transport and storage in a wide range of industries, to help estimate releases of chemicals into the environment. This ESD covers the transport and storage of chemicals either as pure chemicals or as components of finished products. However, it does not consider the following: mixed waste streams, radioactive substances, biological and infectious materials and foodstuffs.
Efforts that primarily focus on incremental change in systems that are unsustainable by design are one of the main barriers to scaling up climate action. This report applies the OECD well-being lens process to the transport sector. It builds on the report Accelerating Climate Action and encourages countries to focus climate action on delivering systems that - by design - improve well-being while requiring less energy and materials, and thus producing less emissions. The report identifies three dynamics at the source of car dependency and high emissions: induced demand, urban sprawl and the erosion of active and shared transport modes. The report also provides policy recommendations to reverse such dynamics and reduce emissions while improving well-being, from radical street redesign, to spatial planning aimed at increasing proximity, and policies to mainstream shared mobility. Analysis also shows why the effectiveness and public acceptability of carbon pricing and policies incentivising vehicle electrification can significantly increase after policy reprioritisation towards systems redesign.
Using the principles of responsible business conduct identified in the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, this report reviews three key areas of corporate action: accounting for greenhouse gas emissions; achieving emissions reductions; and engaging suppliers, consumers and other stakeholders.
The search for cost-effective environmental policy measures has led to an increase in the use of tradeable permit systems. This publication offers valuable lessons for applying tradeable permits and provides links between policy evaluation and policy making general. It is for government officials responsible for the implementation and reform of tradeable permit systems, researchers concerned with their analysis and evaluation, and other stakeholders interested in the more general issues associated with environmental policy design and evaluation.
This collection of studies is intended as a practical tool to help negotiators navigate the numerous, complex issues that have arisen in international discussions over liberalising trade in environmental goods and services. In addition to explaining the background to the two earlier lists of environmental goods (stemming from separate efforts by the OECD and by the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation Forum), the different chapters:
- Explore various practical issues related to the classification of environmental goods, including "dual use" goods.
- Provide concrete examples of synergies between trade in environmental services and environmental goods.
- Synthesise the findings of various country studies on environmental goods and services undertaken by the OECD and other inter-governmental organisations.
International conventions designed to combat global environmental problems -- known as Multilateral Environmental Agreements or MEAs -- often use trade measures, among other instruments. But in fact the term trade measures covers a variety of provisions, ranging from simple reporting requirements of transboundary movements to the use of trade sanctions imposed to change a country’s environmental behaviour. MEA use of trade measures has not been without controversy in both trade policy and environment policy circles. In order to try and disentangle the various strands of this important set of trade and environment issues, the OECD Joint Session of Trade and Environment Experts focused on the actual experience with the use of trade measures in three universally subscribed MEAs -- CITES (on endangered species), the Montreal Protocol (on ozone layer depleting substances) and the Basel Convention (on hazardous wastes). Whilst the case studies unsurprisingly reveal varying experiences, common issues and main themes, as well as a series of lessons learned, could nonetheless be drawn together from the case study analyses and have been assembled in the concluding chapter of this volume.
A wide range of countries make efforts to track their entire national public energy research, development and demonstration (RD&D) activity on an ongoing basis, also sharing the collected data with the IEA through a standardised template. However, the approaches adopted to collect data vary significantly across countries.
This roadmap describes the variety of country approaches, also identifying the most important common components: the institutional arrangements; the methods for collecting, classifying and validating the data; the data management and technology processes; and, finally, the dissemination. It is intended not only as a guide for countries near the beginning of their journeys towards the collection of energy RD&D, but also for countries with more advanced systems looking to strengthen specific areas.
The roadmap is the product of interviews held with representatives of 20 governments between November 2021 and March 2022, and it is indebted to their generosity in sharing their experiences with tracking national energy RD&D spending. Case studies based on the interviews are used to highlight noteworthy methods, while complete national systems descriptions are included in the annex. It is hoped that this publication will serve as a reference and inspiration for experts in this important area of tracking clean energy transitions and that new experiences can be added in the future.