Victorian Commissioner for Environmental Sustainability Dr Gillian Sparkes' keynote address on October 30, 2019 at the 2019 Energy Evaluation Asia Pacific Conference in Bangkok, Thailand

1. Dr.Gillian Sparkes
Commissioner for Environmental Sustainability
30 October 2019
Transformativeevaluation:
State of the Environment Reporting framed by the
UN SDGs

2. Where is Victoria?

3. Fastestgrowingofanystatein
Australia
As Victoria’s population and economycontinue
to grow, it is important to understand both the
state of our natural environmentand the
benefits that wederive from it.

4. Wearealigning Victoriawithinternationalenvironmentalreporting
frameworksandrewiring thesystemso thatthe SDGsframeenvironmental
monitoringandreportingin Victoria.

5. Victoriais takingthe lead
onapplying the SDGs forenvironmental
reporting

6. • SDGs provide an internationallyagreed frameworkthat can
help us tell a broader story about our progress to ecologically
sustainable development
• Theyhelp describe the benefits of a healthyenvironmentto our
economy and community
• Help us havemoreinformedconversations and debates about
multiple outcomes
• Provide standardised reporting
How do the SDGs help?
Image from StockholmResilienceCentre

7. Ecologicallysustainabledevelopment?
Indicators
havebeenthemissing link–
theSDGschangethat
ImplementingtheSDGsinanauthorizingenvironment

8. Wereporton thestateofVictoria’senvironment tohelp government,
business andthe communitytakepracticalaction

12. The 2018 #SoE tellsthree stories
1. Thecurrenthealthof Victoria’snaturalenvironment
2. Theadequacyofourscience
3. Futurefocus:whatweneed todo

13. Speaker: Dr.Gillian Sparkes,
Commissioner for Environmental Sustainability
March,2019
SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONSAND SDG TARGETS
FOR FUTURE REPORTING

14. 20 Recommendationsinclude…
ClimateChangeImpacts:Improvelocalised climate projectionparticularlyin agriculturalregions to
reducethe uncertaintiesassociatedwith rainfallprojections.
Biodiversity: Establishingthe positionof achief biodiversityscientist forVictoriaandresourcing
permanentenvironmentalprotectionmeasureson privateland.
Forests: Improvestatewideunderstandingofthe impactsofforestfragmentationonforest-
dependentspecies including anauthoritativelist ofVictorianforest-dependentspecies.
SpatialInformation:Improvedatacapabilityofall government environmentalprogramsincluding
andimprovethe coherenceandimpactofpubliclyfundedscientific research.
Energy:ImprovedataandmeasurementsthattrackthetransitionofVictoria’sgrid, transportand
industryinfrastructuretosupportalow-carbonfuture.

15. The Big Issues
Climate Change Impacts
Assessments highlight three key issues:
Theextent oftheproblem
Theurgencyrequiredtomitigateandadapt to itsinfluence
Theneedto improvelocalisedclimateprojections

16. Energy Recommendations
15. ThatDELWPestablishasetof indicators,andimplementmeasuresto collectappropriatedata, totrackthe impact
ofenergyemissionsreductionto meet interimtargetsset undertheClimateChangeAct 2017.Thereportingshould
alsotrackthetransitionofVictoria’sgrid,transportandindustryinfrastructuretosupporta low-carbonfuture.
UNSDGtargets for future reporting– 13.2,13.3
Challenges the recommendation addresses
Reducinggreenhousegas emissionsfrom energyisVictoria'sprincipalchallengetomeet itsgreenhousegasemissions
reductiongoals.

17. Energy Recommendations
16. ThatDELWPimplementmeasuresto collectdataand tracktheimpact of thetransitiontoa low-
emissionselectricitysystemon
UNSDGtargets for future reporting –7.2,13.3
(i)consumersentimentandbehaviour,
(ii)investmentindistributed,lowand zero-emissionselectricitygeneration,and
(iii)the associatedmarkets,governanceandbusinessmodels.
Challenges the recommendation addresses
VictorianconsumerswilldriveVictoria'stransitiontoitsnet-zeroemissionstarget.
Itiscriticalto collectdataandbuildanevidencebase to supportVictoriansandunderstandtheirneedsandchoicesanddevelopappropriatemarkets
andbusinessmodelstoservethem.

18. To applytheSDG targetstoour environmentalreporting
frameworkwedevelopeda seven-stageprocess
1.
Mapping
2.
Segmentation
3.
Testing
4.
Data Discovery
5.
Sense Checking
6.
Prioritising
7.
Reporting

19. PHASE 1:DesktopMapping
The firstphasewastomapexisting environmentalindicators,againstall 169SDG
targets.Wefoundstrongalignment -a reflectionofthe pragmatismof theSDGs.
OUTCOME:
ExistingSoEindicatorsmappedtoSDGtargets.

20. PHASE 2:Segmentation
Assessedall 169SDG targetsagainst3 keycriteria.Does thetargetdemonstrate–
benefitsof ecosystemservices, impactofsociety onecosystemservices andrelevance
toVictoria?
OUTCOME:
Identified SDGtargetspotentiallyaligned
withSoEreportingin Victoria.
SDG Targets
Out of Scope 118
Biophysical SoE indicators (definite) 21
Socio-economic SoE indicators (nominal) 30
Total 169

21. PHASE 3:“Stresstesting”withingovernmentwithpolicy experts
OUTCOME:
Verified efficacyofprocesstoPhase2.
30SDGtargetsgo tonextphase.

22. PHASE 4:One-on-one discussions
withstakeholders& potentialdatacustodians(governmentand
NGOs)
OUTCOME:
Availabledata(andgaps)identified for30SDG targets.
First time in thisprocessthatdataavailabilityis considered
Key questions:
• Whatdataexists?
• How is thecurrentdatabeing used?
• Wouldthey(how wouldthey)usethe proposeddata?

23. OUTCOME:
Supportforprocessanddecision to go tobroaderengagement to prioritise30SDG targets.
It wasagreed bytheCommissioner’s ReferenceGroup
thatthe ultimatepurposeoftheinitiativetoinclude SDGtargetsaspartof SoEreportingshould
beto:
• EnsureVictoriahasthedatais needs in ordertomakethe bestdecisions toprotectand
improvethe environment
• Influencedecision-makers
• Improveenvironmentaloutcomes
• Enhanceecologically sustainabledevelopment
PHASE 5:Sensechecking–consultingexternalenvironmental
NGOs andexperts

24. OUTCOME:
Prioritised30SDG targetsto includein
VictorianStateofthe Environmentreporting.
PHASE 6:Prioritising.Livepollingwith120thoughtleadersfrom
across theState

25. The workshopalso increased
awarenessand understanding
of the SDGs with leadersfrom across Victoria

27. PHASE 7:Reporting
OUTCOME:
2018Victorian SoE report aligned with SDGs. Victoria has commencedthe transition to the
SDGs as the frameworkfor state of environmentreporting – reflecting our need to report
on both the state of the environmentand the benefits that society derives from it.
Collatingdataagainst52(21+30 +1) SDGtargetsforthe firsttime bythe Commissioner for
EnvironmentalSustainability.The findingswerepresented in the2018VictorianStateofthe
EnvironmentReport,tabledin theVictorianParliament19March 2019.

28. “Putting the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals under the
microscope
to determine which are the most relevant
to environmental reporting in Victoria is a crucial step in achieving
meaningful, high quality and transparent reporting.”
Hon. Lily D’Ambrosio MP
Minister for Energy,Environmentand Climate change

29. THANK YOU
@CommissionerforEnvironmentalSustainability
@GillianSparkes
@CommissionerVic
@ces_victoria