Box 13A Statistics on the use of natural resources

The statistics presented in this chapter for food and energy utilise the UN regional definition of Western and Eastern Europe.

Food

The responsibilities of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) include compiling global information on food and agriculture, forestry and fisheries activities. Data on crop production and trade are compiled on annual bases from questionnaires by the relevant statistical authorities in individual countries. Indices of agriculture and food production are calculated by FAO to assess the trends in disposable output of individual countries' agriculture sector relative to a given base period (FAO, 1992).

Water

Information on the availability and use of freshwater at the global level is not widely reported, but estimates exist in most countries. UNEP has attempted to estimate both supply and uses by individual countries (UNEP, 1992). Estimates of renewable water resources and water abstractions for European countries are also made available by UNECE and Eurostat.

Forests

FAO routinely compiles global data on the production and prices of trees and wood products. Since 1980, FAO and UNEP have conducted assessments of forests and rate of deforestation and reforestation based on published data and results of national surveys. More recent assessments also make use of available satellite data from AVHRR-based normalised differentiated vegetation index (NDVI) imagery and high resolution LANDSAT and SPOT imagery. In Europe, data on forests and forest products are produced by UNECE with FAO and the CEC.

Fossil energy

Global data on energy resources, energy production and consumption are regularly compiled and published by the World Energy Council (WEC) and the International Energy Agency (IEA). Energy statistics are also published regularly by the United Nations Statistical Office (UNSTATO) in the Energy Statistical Yearbook. Data on nuclear energy are produced by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Eurostat has compiled data on energy from various sources including the IEA and national statistics.

Materials

World reserves of major metals are published on a regular basis by the US Bureau of Mines. The World Bureau of Metal Statistics publishes production and consumption data for aluminium, cadmium, copper, lead, nickel, tin and zinc. Consumption of iron ore and crude steel is published by the United Nations Commission on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). Iron and steel consumption data are also published by the International Iron and Steel Institute. In Europe, metal production and consumption data are published by UNECE and Eurostat.