Economic welfare is traditionally measured using the gross domestic product (GDP). There are, however, also other factors to be taken into account, such as social and environmental aspects. The Index for Sustainable Economic Welfare (ISEW) offers an alternative approach. This MIRA report traces the evolution of the ISEW for Flanders over the period 1990-2013 using an improved methodology.
To what extent is climate change already visible in Flanders and Belgium? What are the expectations for the future? The answers to these questions can be found in the MIRA Climate Report 2015, which was compiled in collaboration with experts from the University of Leuven, the Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO) and the Royal Meteorological Institute (KMI).
The Flemish government attempts to identify in good time all relevant contextual developments (horizon scanning). This enables us to accurately assess their impact on the environment(al policy). This study builds on the Megatrends report1 of the Flanders Environment Agency (VMM) and provides ways for the periodic monitoring of megatrends and other types of developments.
In the period 2007-2010, as commissioned by OVAM, VMM-MIRA and LNE, VITO and the Federal Planning Bureau developed the Flemish environmentally extended input-output model (EE-IO model). This model systematically links economic data to environmental and employment data, for the entire world economy.
How do megatrends influence the environment in Flanders?In the report 'Megatrends, far-reaching, but also out of reach? How do megatrends influence the environment in Flanders?' the Flanders Environment Report (MIRA) identifies six global megatrends, assuming that we cannot understand societal developments and their impact on the environment in Flanders without looking at such autonomous developments at the global level.