1. The role of indicators in improving timeliness of international environmental reports
- Author
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Ulla Rosenström and Jari Lyytimäki
- Subjects
state of the environment reports ,010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Geography, Planning and Development ,Accounting ,010501 environmental sciences ,Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law ,environmental reporting ,01 natural sciences ,ympäristön tila ,Environmental data ,11. Sustainability ,Agency (sociology) ,Quality (business) ,EEA ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,media_common ,ajantasaisuus ,Data collection ,Warning system ,business.industry ,Usability ,Public relations ,indicators ,13. Climate action ,Publishing ,OECD ,The Internet ,timeliness ,ympäristöraportointi ,business ,indikaattorit - Abstract
Environmental indicators were developed mainly to improve information flows from scientists to policy-makers. This article discusses the importance of timely environmental data and investigates the influence of indicator-based reporting on the data timeliness of environmental reports by international organizations. Timeliness of information contributes to the quality and appeal of the reports, and to their role as early warning tools, and increases their usability by decision-makers in short-term decision cycles. The results of an analysis of 11 international reports by the European Environmental Agency (EEA) and the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) show a considerable time lag of three years on average, with only minor development towards more timely reporting. The results suggest that the introduction of environmental indicators has not improved the timeliness of reporting. In order to overcome these problems, the article recommends some methods for improving timeliness. These include better choice of indicators in smaller sets, use of preliminary data and outlooks, development of new indicators, publishing on the internet and more effective use of internet databases to avoid intermediate levels in data collection. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
- Published
- 2006