'THE GLOSSARY OF ENVIRONMENT STATISTICS' ISSUED; REFERENCE GUIDE TO ENVIRONMENTAL DATA
Press Release
ENV/DEV/407
STAT/435
'THE GLOSSARY OF ENVIRONMENT STATISTICS' ISSUED; REFERENCE GUIDE TO ENVIRONMENTAL DATA
19970407 NEW YORK, 7 April (DESIPA) -- The Glossary of Environment Statistics, issued today by the Statistics Division of the Department for Economic and Social Information and Policy Analysis (DESIPA), is a quick reference tool for terms and definitions relevant to environmental data production and use, designed to appeal to both data users and producers in environmental and related socio-economic fields. In creating the glossary, the Division benefited from the comments and contributions of a large number of international organizations and experts in the field.The glossary contains approximately 1,200 terms covering the concepts and methods of basic environment statistics, environmental indicators, and integrated environmental and economic accounting, which constitute the scope of the Statistics Division's work programme in the field of the environment. In addition, it incorporates key concepts in measuring and analysing the environment and sustainable development.
In selecting terms, the Statistics Division focused on the requirements of environmental statisticians, keeping in mind possible data uses in environmental management and policy analysis. It is expected that the glossary will be particularly useful to statistical offices that are embarking, for the first time, on the establishment of a national programme of environmental data collection.
As the glossary is intended as a quick reference tool, its scope and coverage were kept within certain limits, avoiding detailed descriptions of, for instance, environmental protection technologies or of ecological systems and processes. Within these limits, the glossary covers terms concerning air/climate, land, soil and water, and refers to related socio-economic concerns of natural resource use, waste management, public health, human settlements and natural disasters.
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To the extent possible, the definitions are self-contained, in order to minimize searching for further material on a particular subject. However, the glossary also contains cross-references that reveal important links to related terms described elsewhere.
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Note: The Glossary of Environment Statistics (Sales No. E.96.XVII.12, ISBN 92-1-161386-8) is available for $25 from United Nations Publications, Two UN Plaza, Room DC2-853, Deps. PRES, New York, NY 10017 USA; Tel: 800-253-9646 or 212-963-8302; Fax: 212-963-3489; E-mail: publications@un.org; or Palais des Nations, CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland; Tel: 41-22-917-2614; fax: 41-22-917-0027; E-mail: unpubli@unog.ch; Internet: http://www.un.org/Publications.