The production of environment statistics in the countries of the region is influenced by institutions’ progress in incorporating such statistics into their own production processes. As recognized in the Framework for the Development of Environment Statistics,1 environment statistics span many disciplines and pull data from a wide range of sources. Many institutions in addition to national statistical offices and environmental agencies or ministries play a key role in the production of environment statistics, the result of gradual development and systematization of methodological resources, tools and good practices.

In late 2023, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) conducted a survey on the status of environment statistics, indicators and accounts in Latin America and the Caribbean, which it circulated to representatives of national statistical offices and ministries of environment in the region. The general objectives of the survey were to collect updated information on the status of environment statistics, indicators and accounts and climate change in the region from the perspective of national statistical offices and ministries of environment; identify existing gaps and challenges to be addressed, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; identify the statistical and technical processes involved in environmental accounting, using the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA), the SEEA Central Framework and SEEA - Ecosystem Accounting, in the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean; and determine the status of progress on climate change statistics and indicators.