Indicators for Sustainable Energy Development. The PASHMINA Approach
Studies, November 2012, 49 pages
Commissioned by: European Commission, Framework Programme
Study by: Austrian Institute of Economic Research – Aarhus University – Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas – Charles University in Prague Environment Center – Enerdata – Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei – Kiel Institute for the World Economy – International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis – Istituto di Studi per l'Integrazione dei Sistemi – MCRIT – Société de Mathématiques Appliquées et de Sciences Humaines
In recent years the scientific discussion on how to best measure societal progress has gained increasing attention in the
political arena. The underlying question is whether the indicators currently used are able to provide adequate information
and are appropriate for guiding political decision making with respect to societal progress and welfare. Closely related to
the concept of sustainable development a wide range of measurement approaches evolved that focus on different aspects relevant
for societal wellbeing and progress. For the PASHMINA project we develop a set of sustainability indicators focusing on stocks
and flows using the EU Sustainability Development Indicators and the IEA-IAEA Sustainable Energy Development Indicators as
starting point. The focus of the PASHMINA indicator set is put on energy supply and use. The motivation for this focus is
twofold: first, energy plays a central role for all dimensions of sustainable development; second, energy is crucial when
focusing on the role of stocks, flows and services relevant for wellbeing.
Commissioned by: European Commission, Framework Programme
Study by: Austrian Institute of Economic Research – Aarhus University – Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas – Charles University in Prague Environment Center – Enerdata – Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei – Kiel Institute for the World Economy – International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis – Istituto di Studi per l'Integrazione dei Sistemi – MCRIT – Société de Mathématiques Appliquées et de Sciences Humaines
In recent years the scientific discussion on how to best measure societal progress has gained increasing attention in the
political arena. The underlying question is, whether the indicators currently used, are able to provide adequate information
and are appropriate for guiding political decision making with respect to societal progress and welfare as well as with respect
to the concept of sustainable development. Closely related to the concept of sustainable development a wide range of measurement
approaches evolved that focus on different aspects relevant for societal wellbeing and progress. Energy plays a central role
for all dimensions of sustainable development which is widely recognised in the different indicator sets. This report takes
the energy indicators developed in the PASHMINA project as starting point. In order to summarise the development of the indicators
for the EU total as well as EU 15 and the new member countries we calculate composite indices for sustainable energy development
for the five sectors energy supply, manufacturing, services, households and transport as well as an aggregate index. A cluster
analysis is performed to identify differences and similarities among countries with respect to selected energy indicators
in the five sectors.
