Frequently asked questions
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Question : What topics does UNSD include in its data collection programme on environment statistics?
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Answer : The complete UNSD/UNEP Questionnaire on Environment Statistics covers statistics on air, water, land and waste. Since 2004 the data collection has been restricted to the areas of water and waste and the related indicators are published on the UNSD Environmental Indicators page (https://unstats.un.org/unsd/envstats/qindicators). Statistics on other themes published on this page have been compiled from other international organizations. The themes and indicator tables were selected based on the current demands for international environmental statistics and the availability of internationally comparable data.
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Question : Which countries are included in UNSD's data collection programme on environment statistics?
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Answer : The UNSD/UNEP Questionnaire on Environment Statistics is sent to all countries except those that are members of the European Union (EU) and/or the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and which are covered through the Joint OECD/Eurostat Questionnaire on the State of the Environment. UNSD publishes the water and waste data received from the countries on its Environmental Indicators page (https://unstats.un.org/unsd/envstats/qindicators) along with data obtained from the Joint OECD/Eurostat Questionnaire for the EU and OECD member and partner countries.
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Question : When are the data that are collected through the UNSD/UNEP Questionnaire on Environment Statistics actually published on the UNSD website?
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Answer : The UNSD/UNEP Questionnaire on Environment Statistics is sent to national statistical offices and ministries of environment (or equivalent institutions) in countries every two years, usually in March. The data are normally published on the UNSD Environmental Indicators page in the form of indicator tables (https://unstats.un.org/unsd/envstats/qindicators) about 12 months later, due to delayed data submission and the time needed for the data validation process.
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Question : At what level of aggregation are data available, for example, national/subnational, urban/rural?
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Answer : UNSD collects and publishes environment statistics at the national level. A few indicators such as: Municipal waste collection and Municipal waste treatment are also collected and published for selected cities. Some data and indicators are available by urban/rural breakdown, such as Proportion of population in coastal zones or Proportion of population supplied by the water supply industry. Due to the lack of proper geographical and topical coverage country data cannot be aggregated to global/continental or other supranational totals.
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Question : Is it possible to obtain Excel files for UNSD's environmental indicators (https://unstats.un.org/unsd/envstats/qindicators) ?
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Answer : The downloadable Excel file for each environmental indicator table can be found above the indicator webpage, next to the indicator name.
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Question : Besides the environmental indicators that UNSD publishes on its website, are there any additional environmental data, such as detailed GHGs/air pollution/CO2 data?
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Answer : Besides the indicator tables compiled by UNSD, there are two additional links under each theme on the UNSD Environmental Indicators page: Links to other international data sources and Additional indicators and selected time series. Links to other international data sources provides additional databases, tables and charts, and maps from other international data sources. Additional indicators and selected time series link provides additional indicator tables for some themes and time series data and charts for the main environmental variables in the indicator tables. They are available as downloadable Excel files.
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Question : Why are there sometimes discrepancies for the same variable coming from different international sources?
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Answer : There are several reasons why this may happen, including the following: there can be different national data sources for the same variable; there can be different definitions and/or classifications for the same variable; there can be different measurement methods for the same variable; and there can be differences in the timing of data submission.
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Question : What is the difference between the CO2 emission statistics from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and those from the Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center (CDIAC)?
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Answer : In the indicator table on CO2 emissions on the UNSD website (https://unstats.un.org/unsd/environment/air_co2_emissions.htm) the data are sourced from the MDG database. For Annex 1 countries (industrialized countries including the 1992 OECD member countries and the EIT [Economies In Transition] countries), data originally come from UNFCCC and are based on national reporting. UNFCCC has developed standardised methods for calculating greenhouse gas emissions, including CO2 emissions, which are used by the Annex 1 countries when reporting their emissions to UNFCCC. For non-Annex 1 countries (mostly developing countries), data are estimates of CO2 emissions calculated by CDIAC based on UN energy statistics, information on cement production and gas flaring.
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Question : What role does UNSD play with regard to capacity building for national environment statistics programmes?
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Answer : UNSD provides technical assistance in environment statistics to countries through regional and sub-regional training workshops and projects.
