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the environment itself. The economic overview could include not only a description of key Module
macroeconomic parameters, but also, for instance, the country’s approach to international trade or
degree of technological advancement. From the social point of view the analysis could include basic 2

demographic figures, information related to human well-being and poverty, or issues related to social
capital.
Abu Dhabi, UAE
Finally, the section should also describe the institutional framework for environmental and sustainable

development governance, including the underlying legal framework, key institutions and division of
responsibilities among different layers of government.

Human pressures on the environment

Pressures in the DPSIR terminology refer to human activities with direct influence on environmental
conditions. Pressures are typically correlated with driving forces and may refer to processes such as

emission of pollutants, conversion from natural to cultural landscapes, or the harvest of renewable
natural resources beyond their carrying capacity. Pressures are often combined, for instance land clearing
for roads in a pristine forest may be accompanied by increased forest harvest intensity, introduction of
non-native species or growing air pollution.

Usually, information on pressures tends to be more easily available because it comes from socioeconomic
databases (for more details see Module 5).

Assessing the state and trends of the environment
This section presents the actual condition and trends in the environment, resulting from the driving

forces and pressures. One of the first decisions to be made about the state of the environment
analysis is the way SoE issues should be categorized. Perhaps the most common approach is to follow
a hybrid structure based on environmental media and environmental problems. For instance, this could
include such aspects of environmental degradation, as levels of air pollution, water contamination and
solid waste, as well as changes in biodiversity. Module 5 provides detailed information and examples

on some of the more common categories used, but these should not be taken as prescriptive. You
should build in sufficient time for consultations with your experts and stakeholders to identify the
categories most suitable for your reporting area.

This stage also involves the identification of key indicators and relevant data sources, acquiring the data,
organizing the data on a suitable database, data analysis and interpretation. More detailed technical
aspects of data and indicators are discussed in Module 4. You need to remember that the IEA should
not be driven by data but by the issues and information needs identified by stakeholders.

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