Classification of
physical flows
Roel Delahaye and Sjoerd Schenau
Statistics Netherlands
Content
• Introduction: objective
• Three subsystems
• Updates and improvements
• Boundary issues
• Link with other LG-issues
Objective:
One consistent classification
- Compatible for all subaccounts
- Compatible monetary and physical accounts
- International comparisons
Conceptual framework
PSUT
Physical supply
and use tables
by
type of material
(products, used
and unused raw
materials, ecosystem
inputs,
waste and waste
water flows within
the economy,
residuals)
and by
economic (production
branches,
final uses) and
environmental
Activities
PIOT: Physical input
output tables
Sub accounts
EW-MFAcc
Economy-wide material flow
accounts (excl. water)
Input of materials to
and
output of materials from the
domestic economy
by
type of material (raw
materials, eco-system inputs
products and residuals)
Applications
applications
Specific PSUT
Physical supply and use
tables for specific groups or
categories of material, like
energy, metals, other
minerals,
water, biotic materials,
air emissions, waste
applications
Three subsystems
Energy (Joules)
MFA (Kg)
Water (m3)
Three subsystems
- MFA including emissions accounts:
* in kilograms
* excluding bulk water flows
- Energy accounts:
* in Joules
* including non-material flows
- Water accounts:
* in cubic meters
Question 1: Are these three subsystems a starting
point for developing classifications?
Question 2a: Should overlapping cross-sections be
classified as much as possible according to unique
classifications?
Question 2a: What are the most important problem
areas in this respect?
Updates and improvements (I)
- Energy accounts:
* No specific classification in current SEEA
* Classification under development by Oslo group
Recommendation 1: The classification of energy flows
in the SEEA should be aligned as much as possible
with the classification of energy statistics and the
CPC.
- Water accounts:
Recommendation 2: Future work should involve
reconciliation the water flows classifications in the
SEEA with the classification in the SEEAW.
Updates and improvements (II)
- Material flow accounts:
Recommendation 3: Future work should involve
reconciliation of the SEEA classification of material
flows with the classifications of the Eurostat MFA
questionnaire.
- Waste accounts:
Recommendation 4: Future work should involve
reconciliation of the SEEA waste classification with
classifications of the European Waste Statistic
Regulation.
Boundary issues (I)
- Residuals versus products :
* Solid waste can be referred to as residuals with a
commercial value.
* Inconsistent with the SNA
Recommendation 5: Concerning the terminology in
the SEEA, it should be specified when solid waste
refers to residuals or products.
* Waste product classification of CPC does not
match waste residual classification.
Recommendation 6: The classifications of the waste
products in the CPC should match the waste residual
classification.
Boundary issues (II)
- Biological resources versus products:
* In EW-MFAcc the harvest of cultivated resources
are regarded flows from the environment to the
economy.
* According to the SNA/SEEA conventions the
harvest of cultivated resources must be regarded as
flows within the economy.
Recommendation 7: The classification of cultivated
biomass in the SEEA should be in line with the
outcome of the discussion on the relation between the
OECD guidance manual on EW-MFAcc and the SEEA
2003.
Reminder
Classificastion issues may depend to some
extent to the outcome of other LG papers and
discussions in working groups
– Links between OECD handbook on EW-MFAcc and
the SEEA.
– Standardisation energy flows agreed upon by the Oslo
group.
– Issue paper on environmental accounts indicators.
– Issue paper on asset classifications.