- Sustainable Development Indicator (SDI) Group
- SDI Inventory, Organized by Framework Element
- Working Draft, Version 3, October 8, 1996
Economic Processes
Economic Processes Definition: Those activities, actions, and operations that involve the production and sale of goods and services. This includes the extraction of raw materials and natural resources. This framework element serves as a broad placeholder for all economic processes. All subcategories currently emphasize the driving forces that directly act upon an endowment. The SDI Group will eventually expand the definition to include the underlying economic processes that control the driving forces.
Candidate SDI:
- Energy Consumption Per Capita (158 CEQ)
- Definition: Total energy consumption divided by total population organized by type of energy source (coal, oil, gas, nuclear, renewable, etc.).
- Issue: Production/Energy Efficiency
- Economic Processes Characteristic: Amount of Money Spent on Energy
- Energy Consumption Per GDP (441 CEQ)
- Definition: energy consumption per dollar of Gross Domestic Product
- Issue: Production/Energy Efficiency
- Economic Processes Characteristic: Amount of Money Spent on Energy
- Materials Consumption per Gross Domestic Product (165 CEQ)
- Definition: metric tons of materials consumed per million dollars of GNP
- Issue: Production/Production Efficiency
- Economic Processes Characteristic: Mass of Materials
- Materials Flow per Gross Domestic Product (430 SDI Group)
- Definition: Total metric tons of materials in use divided by total Gross Domestic Product
- Issue: Production/Production Efficiency
- Economic Processes Characteristic: Mass of Materials
- Materials Use per Capita (429 SDI Group)
- Definition: Total metric tons of materials in use divided by total population organized by type, including recycled
- Issue: Production/Production Efficiency
- Economic Processes Characteristic: Mass of Materials
- Water Consumption by Use (354 NOAA)
- Definition: Total water consumed organized by use (agriculture, industrial, municipal, etc.)
- Issue: Resource/Water Resources
- Economic Processes Characteristic: Amount of Water
- Water Consumption to Renewal Ratio (447 SDI Group)
- Definition: Total water consumed per year divided by the total water resource growth rate per year
- Issue: Resource/Water Resources
- Economic Processes Characteristic: Amount of Water
Investment Definition: The purchase or production of capital goods.
Candidate SDI:
- Forest Investment (94 USDA FS)
- Definition: Total money invested in Forest maintenance per year
- Issue: Infrastructure/Capital Investment
- Investment Characteristic: Amount of Money Spent
- Forest Investment Return (97 USDA FS)
- Definition: Total money invested per dollar extracted
- Issue: Infrastructure/Capital Investment
- Investment Characteristic: Amount of Money Spent
- Forest Research (95 USDA FS)
- Definition: Total research and development expenditures per year
- Issue: Infrastructure/Capital Investment
- Investment Characteristic: Amount of Money Spent
- Infrastructure Spending Per Capita (257 UN CSD)
- Definition: Infrastructure expenditure per capita (US$)
- Issue: Infrastructure/Public Infrastructure
- Investment Characteristic: Amount of Money Spent
- Investment Per Capita (126 SDI Group)
- Definition: investment per capita
- Issue: Infrastructure/Capital Investment
- Investment Characteristic: Amount of Money Spent
- Investment Percentage of GDP (264 UN CSD)
- Definition: Investment share of Gross Domestic Product (%), including research, technology development, invention, and innovation, as defined in the National Income Accounts. This includes both public and private investment.
- Issue: Infrastructure/Capital Investment
- Investment Characteristic: Amount of Money Spent
Extraction of NonRenewable Resources Definition: Removal of raw material from its original location, especially from the natural environment. This covers all mining, drilling, and similar activities.
Candidate SDI:
- Ground Surface Water Withdrawals (285 UN CSD)
- Definition: Annual withdrawals of ground and surface water as % of available water
- Issue: Resource/Water Resources
- Extraction of NonRenewable Resources Characteristic: Amount of Water Used
- Mineral Extraction Rate (402 SDI Group)
- Definition: Amount of minerals extracted per year
- Issue: Resource/Mineral Reserves
- Extraction of NonRenewable Resources Characteristic: Mass of Mineral Reserves
- Water Consumption Per Capita (286 UN CSD)
- Definition: Domestic consumption of water per capita (n)
- Issue: Resource/Water Resources
- Extraction of NonRenewable Resources Characteristic: Amount of Water Used
Harvesting of Biota Definition: The removal or food or fiber from an ecosystem. This includes the removal of food and fiber from agricultural lands.
Candidate SDI:
- Deforestation Rate (396 UN CSD)
- Definition: Area of forest harvested per year for lumber
- Issue: Land Use/Deforestation
- Harvesting of Biota Characteristic: Area of Forest Land
- Fish Catch to Growth ratio (428 SDI Group)
- Definition: Total fish landings (including by-catch) divided by the fish population growth rate
- Issue: Resource/Declining Fisheries
- Harvesting of Biota Characteristic: Amount of Fish
- Lumber Harvest Rate (315 SDI Group)
- Definition: Volume of lumber harvested per year (km3/annum)
- Issue: Land Use/Deforestation
- Harvesting of Biota Characteristic: Volume Lumber per Year
- Roundwood Production (316 UN CSD)
- Definition: Annual roundwood production (m3)
- Issue: Land Use/Deforestation
- Harvesting of Biota Characteristic: Volume of Lumber
- Timber Harvest to Growth Ratio (427 SDI Group)
- Definition: Total timber harvest divided by total timber growth rate per year
- Issue: Resource/Renewable Resources
- Harvesting of Biota Characteristic: Volume
- Wood Product Removal (70 USDA FS)
- Definition: Annual removal of wood products compared to the volume determined to be sustainable.
- Issue: Land Use/Deforestation
- Harvesting of Biota Characteristic: Volume
Introduction of Biota Definition: Deliberate placing of species into an ecosystem to increase the yeild of a harvest. This includes planting on agricultural lands, replanting trees, and stocking fish in streams and lakes. This also includes the introduction of exotics species (species not native to a particular ecosystem).
Candidate SDI:
- Exotic Species in US (443 PCSD)
- Definition: The total number of exotic species in the United States
- Issue: Biodiversity/Exotic Species
- Introduction of Biota Characteristic: Number of Exotic Species
- Invasive Exotic Species (23 SDI Group)
- Definition: The total number of invasive species and their distribution in the United States
- Issue: Biodiversity/Exotic Species
- Introduction of Biota Characteristic: Number of Exotic Species
- New Exotic Species Rate (426 SDI Group)
- Definition: Number of harmful exotic species introduced into the United States each year
- Issue: Biodiversity/Exotic Species
- Introduction of Biota Characteristic: Number of Exotic Species
Waste Production Definition: The production of unwanted materials as a by-product of economic processes.
Candidate SDI:
- Hazardous Waste Accidents (401 SDI Group)
- Definition: Number of accidents in hazardous waste handling facilities that released waste into the environment
- Issue: Waste/Waste Handling
- Waste Production Characteristic: Number of Accidents
- Hazardous Waste Generation (338 UN CSD)
- Definition: Generation of hazardous waste (t)
- Issue: Waste/Hazardous Waste Production
- Waste Production Characteristic: Mass of Waste
- Hazardous Waste Import Export (339 UN CSD)
- Definition: Imports and exports of hazardous wastes (t)
- Issue: Waste/Hazardous Waste Production
- Waste Production Characteristic: Mass of Waste
- Missing Waste (413 SDI Group)
- Definition: Amount of waste unaccounted for in disposal process
- Issue: Waste/Waste Handling
- Waste Production Characteristic: Mass of Waste
- Nuclear Waste Production (369 SDI Group)
- Definition: Volume of nuclear waste produced per year
- Issue: Waste/Nuclear Waste
- Waste Production Characteristic: Volume of Nuclear Waste
- Nutrients and Toxics (22 PCSD)
- Definition: tons of toxins per year
- Issue: Environment Quality/Contamination of Soil
- Waste Production Characteristic: Mass of Releases
- Toxic Exposures (3 PCSD)
- Definition: toxic emissions
- Issue: Environment Quality/Contamination of Biota
- Waste Production Characteristic: Mass of Releases
- Toxic Release Inventory (161 CEQ)
- Definition: number of Toxic Releases Inventory (TRI) releases, which include chemicals released into the air and water, on the land, and underground
- Issue: Environment Quality/Toxic Chemical Releases
- Waste Production Characteristic: Number of Releases
- Waste Buildup (403 SDI Group)
- Definition: Ratio of tons of waste collected to tons of waste produced
- Issue: Infrastructure/Poor Sanitation
- Waste Production Characteristic: Mass of waste
Discharges into Water Definition: The release of unwanted waste material into water systems. This includes point discharges, such as sewer pipes, and distributed discharges, such as fertilizer runoff.
Candidate SDI:
- Coastal Water Heavy Metals (172 NOAA)
- Definition: Heavy metal discharges to coastal waters
- Issue: Environment Quality/Contamination of Water
- Discharges into Water Characteristic: Mass of Releases
- Coastal Water Nutrient Releases (294 UN CSD)
- Definition: Releases of N and P to coastal waters (t)
- Issue: Environment Quality/Eutrophication
- Discharges into Water Characteristic: Mass of Releases
- Coastal Water Oil Discharge (173 NOAA)
- Definition: Oil & grease discharges to coastal waters
- Issue: Environment Quality/Toxic Chemical Releases
- Discharges into Water Characteristic: Mass of Releases
- Coastal Water Oil Discharges (293 UN CSD)
- Definition: Discharges of oil into coastal waters (t)
- Issue: Environment Quality/Toxic Chemical Releases
- Discharges into Water Characteristic: Mass of Releases
- Coastal Water Oil Spills (175 NOAA)
- Definition: Oil spills in coastal waters
- Issue: Environment Quality/Toxic Chemical Releases
- Discharges into Water Characteristic: Number of Releases
- Oil and Chemical Spills (147 CEQ)
- Definition: number of oil and chemical spills annually
- Issue: Environment Quality/Toxic Chemical Releases
- Discharges into Water Characteristic: Number of Releases
- Total Water Discharges (181 NOAA)
- Definition: Pollutant discharges from industrial, municipal, & power generating facilities
- Issue: Environment Quality/Toxic Chemical Releases
- Discharges into Water Characteristic: Mass of Releases
Emissions into Air Definition: The release of unwanted waste into the air. This includes combustion by-products from cars, factories, and power plants. This also includes the release of volitiles from manufacturing processes.
Candidate SDI:
- CloroFlorCarbon Production (135 SDI Group)
- Definition: CloroFlorCarbons production
- Issue: Climate/Stratospheric Ozone Depletion
- Emissions into Air Characteristic: Volume of CloroFlorCarbons
- Global Climate Change (24 PCSD)
- Definition: CO2 emissions
- Issue: Climate/Global Climate Change
- Emissions into Air Characteristic: Amount of Greenhouse Gases
- Greenhouse Gas Emissions (141 CEQ)
- Definition: emissions of greenhouse gases, which are CO2, CH3, NO2, CFC's, and ozone
- Issue: Climate/Global Climate Change
- Emissions into Air Characteristic: Amount of Greenhouse Gases
- Greenhouse Gas Emissions (327 UN CSD)
- Definition: Emission of greenhouse gases (t)
- Issue: Climate/Global Climate Change
- Emissions into Air Characteristic: Amount of Greenhouse Gases
- Greenhouse Gas Reduction (331 UN CSD)
- Definition: Reductions in the emissions of greenhouse gasses (% per year)
- Issue: Climate/Global Climate Change
- Emissions into Air Characteristic: Amount of Greenhouse Gases
- Lead Emissions (376 SDI Group)
- Definition: Amount of Lead emissions
- Issue: Environment Quality/Air Quality
- Emissions into Air Characteristic: Mass
- Ozone Depleting Substances (329 UN CSD)
- Definition: Production and consumption of ozone depleting substances
- Issue: Climate/Stratospheric Ozone Depletion
- Emissions into Air Characteristic: Volume of CloroFlorCarbons
- Particulate Emissions (375 SDI Group)
- Definition: Amount of particulate emissions
- Issue: Environment Quality/Air Quality
- Emissions into Air Characteristic: Mass
- SOX and NOX Emissions (328 UN CSD)
- Definition: Emissions of Sulfur Oxides (SOX) and and Nitrous Oxides (NOX) (t)
- Issue: Environment Quality/Acidification
- Emissions into Air Characteristic: Amount of Acids
- SOX and NOX Emissions (350 UN CSD)
- Definition: Reductions in the emissions of Sulfur Oxides (SOX) and and Nitrous Oxides (NOX) (% per year)
- Issue: Environment Quality/Acidification
- Emissions into Air Characteristic: Amount of Acids
- Volatile Organic Compound Emissions (374 SDI Group)
- Definition: Amount of Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) emissions
- Issue: Environment Quality/Air Quality
- Emissions into Air Characteristic: Mass
Releases into Soils Definition: The release of unwanted waste directly into or onto the soil. This includes industrial spills, fertilizer, etc.
Candidate SDI:
- Agricultural Pesticide Use (308 UN CSD)
- Definition: Use of agricultural pesticides (t/km3)
- Issue: Production/Pesticide Use
- Releases into Soils Characteristic: Mass of Pesticides
- Coastal Water Pesticides (174 NOAA)
- Definition: Agricultural pesticide use in coastal areas coastal waters
- Issue: Production/Pesticide Use
- Releases into Soils Characteristic: Mass of Pesticides
- Crop Pesticides (148 CEQ)
- Definition: millions of pounds of pesticides used on major crop fields
- Issue: Production/Pesticide Use
- Releases into Soils Characteristic: Mass of Pesticides
- Fertilizer Use (309 UN CSD)
- Definition: Use of fertilizers (t/km3)
- Issue: Environment Quality/Eutrophication
- Releases into Soils Characteristic: Amount of Nutrients
Income Definition: Money recieved by an individual, organization, corporation, or government in exchanges for goods and services. An individual would recieve salaries, tips, and wages; a corporation would recieve earnings and sales, and a government would recieve taxes.
Candidate SDI:
- Community Income Per Capita (29 PCSD)
- Definition: local per capita income and employment
- Issue: Poverty/Poverty
- Income Characteristic: Income
- Environmental Taxes Subsidies (281 UN CSD)
- Definition: (Environmental ) Taxes and subsidies as % of government revenue
- Issue: Government/Environmental Protection
- Income Characteristic: Amount of Taxes
- Forest Worker Wages (101 USDA FS)
- Definition: Average wage rates and injury rates in major employment categories within the forest sector.
- Issue: Economic Performance/Environmentally Dependent Industry
- Income Characteristic: Income
- House Price vs. Income (255 UN CSD)
- Definition: House price to income ratio
- Issue: Equity/Housing
- Income Characteristic: Price
- Income of Women (43 PCSD)
- Definition: disparity in incomes between men and women for similar occupations
- Issue: Equity/Gender Equity
- Income Characteristic: Income
- Income Trends (11 PCSD)
- Definition: wage level for different economic groups
- Issue: Poverty/Income Equity
- Income Characteristic: Income
- Male Female Wage Ratio (225 UN CSD)
- Definition: Ratio of average female wage to male wage (%)
- Issue: Equity/Gender Equity
- Income Characteristic: Income
- Median Wage Level (124 SDI Group)
- Definition: median wage level
- Issue: Economic Performance/Unemployment
- Income Characteristic: Income
- Urban Suburb Income (36 PCSD)
- Definition: disparity in per capita income between urban areas and their suburbs
- Issue: Poverty/Income Equity
- Income Characteristic: Income
Expenditures Definition: Money paid by an individual, organization, corporation, or government in exchanges for goods and services.
Candidate SDI:
- Agriculture Research Spending (313 UN CSD)
- Definition: Cost of extension services provided and investment in agricultural research (US$)
- Issue: Government/Sustainable Development Education
- Expenditures Characteristic: Amount of Money Spent
- Biotechnology Research Spending (324 UN CSD)
- Definition: R & D expenditures in the area of biotechnology (US$)
- Issue: Environment Quality/Environmental Technology
- Expenditures Characteristic: Amount of Money Spent
- Education Funding (131 SDI Group)
- Definition: Total funding for schools
- Issue: Education/Education Infrastructure
- Expenditures Characteristic: Amount of Money Spent
- Education Spending per Gross Domestic Product (237 UN CSD)
- Definition: Percent of Gross Domestic product spent on education
- Issue: Education/Education Infrastructure
- Expenditures Characteristic: Amount of Money Spent
- Environment Protection Expenditures (280 UN CSD)
- Definition: Environmental protection expenditure as % of Gross Domestic Product
- Issue: Government/Environmental Protection
- Expenditures Characteristic: Amount of Money Spent
- Environmental Technology Sales (399 SDI Group)
- Definition: Total amount of money spent of environmental technology
- Issue: Environment Quality/Environmental Technology
- Expenditures Characteristic: Amount of Money Spent
- Environmental US Aid (48 PCSD)
- Definition: dollars of US contribution to environmentally targeted development aid
- Issue: Government/International Cooperation
- Expenditures Characteristic: Amount of Money Spent
- Forest Ecosystem Research (119 USDA FS)
- Definition: dollars designated for research aimed at improving forest management and understanding of forest ecosystem characteristics and function
- Issue: Government/Sustainable Development Education
- Expenditures Characteristic: Amount of Money Spent
- Forest Management Spending (123 USDA FS)
- Definition: dollars designated for research and development aimed at improving forest management and delivery of forest goods and services, including ability to predict impacts on forests of possible climate change
- Issue: Climate/Global Climate Change
- Expenditures Characteristic: Amount of Money spent
- Forest Resource Accounting (120 USDA FS)
- Definition: Capacity to conduct and apply research and development aimed at improving forest management and delivery of forest goods and services, including development of methodologies to measure and integrate environmental and social costs and benefits into markets and public policies, and to reflect forest related resource depletion or replenishment in national accounting systems.
- Issue: Economic Performance/Economic Satellite Accounts
- Expenditures Characteristic: TBD
- Global Environment Research (51 PCSD)
- Definition: amount of money spent on research on global environmental problems
- Issue: Climate/Global Climate Change
- Expenditures Characteristic: Amount of Money Spent
- Gross Domestic Product (5 PCSD)
- Definition: Gross Domestic Product, GNP
- Issue: Economic Performance/Economic Productivity
- Expenditures Characteristic: Amount of Money Spent
- Gross Domestic Product Growth (259 UN CSD)
- Definition: Real Gross Domestic Product per capita growth rate (%)
- Issue: Economic Performance/Economic Productivity
- Expenditures Characteristic: Amount of Money Spent
- Gross Domestic Product per Capita (260 UN CSD)
- Definition: Gross Domestic Product per capita (US$)
- Issue: Economic Performance/Economic Productivity
- Expenditures Characteristic: Amount of Money Spent
- Gross Domestic Product Value Added (263 UN CSD)
- Definition: Share of manufacturing value added in Gross Domestic Product (%)
- Issue: Economic Performance/Economic Productivity
- Expenditures Characteristic: Amount of Money Spent
- Hazardous Waste Spending (341 UN CSD)
- Definition: Expenditure on hazardous waste treatment (US$)
- Issue: Waste/Waste Handling
- Expenditures Characteristic: Amount of Money Spent
- Health Care Spending (32 PCSD)
- Definition: amount of resources dedicated for health care, maternal care, child development, and education
- Issue: Health/Health Care Infrastructure
- Expenditures Characteristic: Amount of Money Spent
- Health Care Spending (130 SDI Group)
- Definition: health care expenditures
- Issue: Health/Health Care Infrastructure
- Expenditures Characteristic: Amount of Money Spent
- Health Care Spending (244 UN CSD)
- Definition: % Gross Domestic Product spent on health
- Issue: Health/Health Care Infrastructure
- Expenditures Characteristic: Amount of Money Spent
- Human Forest Impact Spending (122 USDA FS)
- Definition: millions of dollars devoted to research aimed at improving forest management and predicting impacts of human intervention on forests
- Issue: Biodiversity/Habitat Change
- Expenditures Characteristic: Amount of Money Spent
- Natural Resource Accounting (9 PCSD)
- Definition: modified Gross Domestic Product
- Issue: Economic Performance/Economic Satellite Accounts
- Expenditures Characteristic: TBD
- Net Resource Transfer (276 UN CSD)
- Definition: Ratio of net resource transfer/Gross Domestic Product (%)
- Issue: Government/Sustainable Development Spending
- Expenditures Characteristic: Amount of Money Spent
- New Technology Spending (96 USDA FS)
- Definition: Total dollars spent on new technology per year
- Issue: Infrastructure/Capital Investment
- Expenditures Characteristic: Amount of Money Spent
- ODA (277 UN CSD)
- Definition: Total ODA given or received as percentage of Gross Domestic Product (%)
- Issue: Government/Sustainable Development Spending
- Expenditures Characteristic: Amount of Money Spent
- Per Capita EDP (265 UN CSD)
- Definition: EDP per capita/environmentally adjusted value added (US$)
- Issue: Economic Performance/Economic Productivity
- Expenditures Characteristic: Amount of Money Spent
- Sustainable Development Spending (282 UN CSD)
- Definition: Amount of new or additional funding for sustainable development given/ received since 1992 (US$)
- Issue: Government/Sustainable Development Spending
- Expenditures Characteristic: Amount of Money Spent
- US Foreign Aid (47 PCSD)
- Definition: dollars of federal money dedicated to international aid or developing nations
- Issue: Government/Sustainable Development Spending
- Expenditures Characteristic: Amount of Money Spent
- Waste Collection Spending (334 UN CSD)
- Definition: Expenditure on waste collection and treatment (US$ per capita)
- Issue: Waste/Waste Handling
- Expenditures Characteristic: Amount of Money Spent
- Welfare Spending (367 SDI Group)
- Definition: Money spent by Federal, State, and local governments on welfare, except Medicare and related programs.
- Issue: Poverty/Welfare
- Expenditures Characteristic: Amount of Money Spent