Environmental accounts: emissions to water, origin and destination
What does the survey comprise
Purpose
Each year Statistics Netherlands compiles water emission accounts as part of the environmental accounts. These statistics are about the origin and destination of emissions to water of heavy metals and nutrients.
Description of domain
The origin of the emissions to water can be divided into Dutch economy (broken down by households, industries and residents abroad) and the rest of the world. The destination can be divided into absorption by producers, discharge by rivers into the sea and contribution to the environmental problem.
The water emission accounts make it possible to compare macroeconomic indicators (such as the value added by industry) with environmental data (e.g. emissions to surface water by industry) in a consistent way. Indicators can be derived for the emissions of heavy metals into water and the eutrophication of surface water (phosphorus and nitrogen). These indicators may be used to support and evaluate water policy.
Date/year survey started
Data are available from 1995.
Frequency
The water emission accounts are published biannually in October.
Publication strategy
The years 1995, 2000, 2005, 2009 and 2010 are derived directly from registrations. On the basis of these years, the intervening years are derived. In this way the latest insights from the above emission registration are included every two years. The results are presented on StatLine biannually. All years have been updated. The results are also included in the publication Environmental Accounts of the Netherlands.
How is the survey conducted?
Main sources
The water emission accounts are compiled on the basis of data from the Dutch Emission Inventory and the OSPAR data. These registrations cover the emissions that occur in the Dutch territory, the emissions from oil rigs and sea-going vessels in harbours and supply by rivers ending in the North Sea. Emissions from mobile sources follow from micro data on road traffic.
Structure of integration framework
Emissions to water are allocated to the economic activities that cause them. Using information from the Dutch Emission Inventory, most emissions to water can be allocated to economic actors. A number of emission sources from which the direct producer is not evident, is divided on the basis of allocation keys. The origin of the emissions to water can be divided into the Dutch economy (broken down by households, industries and residents abroad) and the rest of the world. The destination can be divided into absorption by producers, discharge by rivers into the sea and contribution to the environmental problem.
Quality of the results
Sequential comparability
The numbers are sequentially comparable, because all years are estimated again with each update.
Revisions
The figures of the water emission accounts are adjusted every two years. The main reason is that the source statistics, in particular the emission registration, are continuously revised. The calculation methods stay the same, so the figures are compiled in the same way and are consistent. Water emissions accounts are directly comparable with the national accounts. However, revisions of the national accounts have no direct impact on the compilation of the water emission accounts.
Quality strategy
Like the national accounts, the water emission accounts are a coherent and integrated system in which all variables connect in a consistent way. This contributes significantly to the quality, because the definition equations in the system make it possible to relate data from several statistics to each other. Total origin of water emissions must be equal to total destination. In addition, the figures for the individual metals and nutrients and the figures per industry are assessed for plausibility.