ENVIRONMENTAL INDICATORS: TYPES AND THEIR CHARACTERISTICS - BIOLOGY - 2025

An environmental indicator can be defined as a physical, chemical, biological, social, or economic measure that reports important information about a particular environmental factor.

Environmental indicators can be quantitative or qualitative, depending on the nature of the measurement or assessment. A quantitative indicator is a parameter or a value calculated from a set of parameters, which is used to measure and provide information about a phenomenon.

Figure 1. Image that symbolizes the necessary protection of the environment. Source: Pixabay.com.

The advantages of using correctly designed quantitative indicators are the following:

a.- They are used to assess magnitudes, evaluate project objectives, describe impacts and effects of some multi-variable action.

b.- They provide standardized measurements.

c.- They allow the comparison in an objective way.

On the other hand, qualitative indicators are also widely used and are usually based on the perceptions, the impressions of the respondents. For example; the observation that a forest has areas that have been transformed into savanna, indicating environmental degradation, would be an indicator.

Types of environmental indicators

Environmental indicators can be classified into three types:

Type I

Indicators for whose generation there are fully available data obtained through permanent monitoring.

Type II

Indicators whose calculation implies partially or totally available data from permanent monitoring and that require additional data, analysis and prior management of the same.

Type III

Strictly conceptual indicators that do not have a mathematical formulation or available data.

Characteristics of environmental indicators

Environmental indicators must have the greatest number of the following characteristics:

-Be intelligible and easy to use.

-Be reliable (effectively measure what they are supposed to measure).

-Be relevant, specific and univocal (which implies correspondence with the objectives of its design, its ability to measure an aspect of the analysis, not giving rise to different interpretations).

-Be sensitive (record changes in the variables of interest).

-Be efficient and timely (that compensate the time and money it costs to obtain them and that they can be obtained when they are needed).

-Have prospective capacity and replicability (provide alternatives and be able to be measured in the long term).

-This list may include other characteristics depending on the specific case.

Main environmental indicators

Sustainable Economic Well-being Index (IBES)

This index was designed by Herman Daly and John Cobb between 1989 and 1994. It establishes, with a numerical value, the sustainability of the well-being of the population of a country and its levels, over time.

Integrates with a specific weight or weighting, economic, environmental and social variables.

The variables included are: adjusted consumption and the Gini coefficient (measure of socioeconomic inequality).

It varies between 0 and 1; value 0 indicates perfect equality and 1 equals inequality; the compensatory or defensive expenses of the population, the population's health level, the level of education, and access to other goods and services.

Measurement of the IBES index in developed countries shows a growing divergence between economic growth and the well-being of the population, from the point of view of its sustainability over time.

The welfare indicator is a powerful index for evaluating sustainable development policies, as it is comparable with other indicators such as GDP (Gross Domestic Product).

Several authors point out that the power of the IBES is greater than that of the Human Development Index, designed by the UNDP (United Nations Development Program), which is much more widely used.

Human development index (HDI)

This index evaluates the achievements of each country in the dimensions of human development such as: health, education and economic wealth:

Health is measured through life expectancy at birth.

Education, using the adult literacy rate, the combined rate of enrollment in education at the three levels (primary, secondary and higher) and the years required for compulsory education.

Economic wealth is evaluated through per capita gross domestic product (PPP) in units of international dollars.

Environmental sustainability index (ISA)

Index designed in 2001 by the World Economic Forum, Yale University, and Columbia University.

The ISA index has a hierarchical structure, it includes 67 variables, to which equal weighting is assigned, structured in 5 components, which include 22 environmental factors.

Among these environmental factors evaluated are: the reduction of waste, the use of agrochemicals, the quality and quantity of water, emissions and concentrations of pollutants, energy consumption and efficiency, population growth, vehicle fleet, perception of corruption, even the protection of international common goods.

Environmental performance index (EPI)

Called EPI for its acronym in English: Environmental Performance Index, it is a method of quantifying the performance and efficiency of a country's environmental policies.

The precursor to this index was the Environmental Sustainability Index (ISA), used between 2000 and 2005. Both indexes have been developed by the universities of Yale and Columbia in collaboration with the World Economic Forum.

The EPI began to be developed in 2006 and until 2018 it has experienced changes in its formulation. During these years there have been changes in the variables and their weights. In particular, the environmental health and ecosystem vitality components have changed in their weight contribution.

Global Green Economy Index (GGEI)

The index called GGEI, for its acronym in English Global Green Economy Index, was published by the environmental consulting company of the United States of North America, Dual Citizen LLC.

It measures the "green" performance of the economy of each country. Designed in 2010, it uses both quantitative and qualitative indices to measure green performance in four dimensions: leadership and climate change, efficiency sectors, markets and investments, and the environment.

It is distinguished by considering the market, investment and leadership aspects and by including qualitative indicators, in addition to quantitative ones.

Ecological footprint (HE)

The ecological footprint can be defined as an indicator that evaluates the environmental impact produced by human demand and its use of natural resources, related to the resilience capacity of the planet.

Represents the use of environmental space (soil, water, air volume), necessary to produce the living standards that exist in human populations, related to the assimilation capacities of waste and pollutants (carrying capacity) of the affected ecosystems.

Living Planet Index (LPI)

The Living Planet Index was designed by the World Wildlife Fund International (WWFI).

The LPI (for its acronym in English Life Living Planet) is an index that measures the abundance of life forms and is constructed with the sum of three indicators: forest cover area, populations of organisms that live in fresh water and populations that make up marine ecosystems.

Carbon footprint

Carbon footprint is defined as “all greenhouse gases (GHG) produced directly or indirectly, by a person, a company, an industrial product, a country or a region”.

Figure 2. Symbolic representation of the carbon footprint.

The carbon footprint is quantified through an inventory of GHG emissions. For the particular case of an industrial product, the life cycle analysis is carried out, taking into account all the emissions generated in each of the industrial processes necessary for manufacturing.

Water footprint

This indicator quantifies the use of water, directly and indirectly, by person, family, city, public body, private company, economic sector, state or country.

Depending on the type of water used, the water footprint is classified as:

-Blue water footprint, if the water used comes from rain.

-Green water footprint, use of fresh ground or surface water.

-Gray water footprint, referring to waters that are contaminated after use, such as municipal wastewater and aqueous effluents from industries.

References

1. Daly, HE and Cobb, JB (1989). For the Common Good. Boston: Beacon Press.
2. Ditor, M., O'Farrell, D., Bond, W. and Engeland, J. (2001). Guidelines for the development of sustainability indicators. Environment Canada and Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.
3. Cobb, C. and Cobb, J. (1994), “A Proposed Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare”. New York: University Press of America.
4. Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). (1993). Environment Monographs. Number: 83. OECD Core for Indicators for Environmental Performance Reviews. A Synthesis Report by the Group on the State of the Environment.
5. UNEP, United Nations Environment Program. (2000). Geo 2000. Latin America and the Caribbean. Perspectives of the Environment. Mexico.
6. Solarin, SA (2019). Convergence in CO ₂ emissions, carbon footprint and ecological footprint: evidence from OECD countries. Environmental Science and Pollution Research. pp. 1-15. doi: 1007 / s11356-018-3993-8.