SEEA, Development without Environmental Exclusion

Lately news of the disaster many adorn the headlines of mass media. Both casualties and material losses arise from the disaster. This is certainly very impact on the socio-economic conditions of the community.

The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) classified the disaster into nine classes, including floods, landslides, droughts and fires. Based on BNPB records, during the period of 2011 to 2014 in Indonesia there have been 494 cases of landslide disaster, 23 cases of drought, 68 cases of forest fires, 509 cases of fire settlement, and 900 cases of flood disaster. Some of the disasters that occur due to human activities. Massive exploitation of nature has damaged the ecosystem of the environment. The number of disasters that have occurred is very large and has a direct impact on the community. Therefore, an instrument is needed to assist the government as regulator in formulating sustainable development policy.

Economic development planning of a region requires a variety of statistical data that can be used as material for the evaluation of economic development has been achieved and planning in the future. One of the most needed statistical data for the evaluation of macroeconomic planning is the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). However, there is a weakness in measuring the value of GDP generated that is less able to capture information of environmental damage arising from economic value added activities.

The objectives of economic development are essentially to increase people's income, expand employment, flatten the distribution of people's income, and increase exports abroad. On the other hand, the development must also attach importance to the future of the next generation. With environmentally-based development, the development has an impact on the lack of disaster and the preservation of natural resources for the future.

SEEA as a solution

The UN in 2014 introduced the concept of System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA) by incorporating the contribution of ecosystems to measures of economic standards such as GDP. Here the role of the ecosystem is very important because the ecosystem provides a variety of human natural needs. From the role of the ecosystem can be developed into an environmental analysis. In the SEEA model, many ecosystems are concerned, particularly with regard to energy and water resources management, consumption and production patterns, and their impact on the environment. Nothing wrong with the SEEA model, the economy of a region can be called the economy with green economy system. In SEEA mode, there are five main balance sheet tables that can be built: physical current balance, physical and monetary assets balance, economic balance sheet, functional environmental transactions, and demographic and employment tables.

On the physical current balance, there are tables of input and usage. Here environmental information is captured on the availability of natural input data by the environment and returns with that input to the environment. Thus on the physical current balance can be known release of residual or waste information.

Meanwhile, the physical and monetary assets balance focuses on measuring the core components of the environment ie minerals, energy sources, water, and soil. In the balance sheet table of physical and monetary assets can be known information on the value of depreciation and degradation of the existing environment. In this balance can also be shown the value of net present value (NPV) which has a sense of the value of an asset based on the future flow that is expected to be obtained from the use of the asset.

Having built up the current account and asset balance sheet, there are many important information that can be presented. Some examples are the payment of private obligations to the environment and government payments to economic units that support environmental protection. Important information is presented in the form of economic balance sheet.

One of the objectives of SEEA is to capture information on activities aimed at reducing environmental damage. Thus, the use of natural resources will become more efficient. One example of information captured is technology investments designed to prevent or reduce pollution. Here is the functional balance sheet role for environmental transactions. This support information supports one of the objectives of the SEEA and is inseparable from the corridor of the national account system.

The relationship between nature and man is also inseparable. Employment information, the number of workers, closely related to environmental activities is measured from an industry point of view. In addition, population estimates and household conditions related to environmental caring behavior greatly affect residential environmental conditions. All of this information is caught in the demographic information and employment support tables of the SEEA.

SEEA Application in Indonesia

Given the importance of SEEA, Indonesia through the Central Bureau of Statistics began conducting a pilot survey in 2015. In 2016, the SEEA was calculated by measuring the value of expenditure on environmental protection and production of environmental goods and services in DKI Jakarta, West Java and Banten Provinces. In addition, BPS has also conducted a test measurement of Sumatra Island's land balance.

Most of the SEEA is an extension of the national account system that has been calculated by BPS. However, the overall application of SEEA can not be done given the lack of data availability. Therefore, more support from many stakeholders from both ministries / agencies and the private sector is needed. Hopefully, with the realization of SEEA in Indonesia, Indonesia's development is more qualified by taking into account environmental factors.

By Dimas Indra Purwanto, SST

  Nerwilis BPS staff in Palu City.