Sustainable Tourism Law

A LEGAL APPROACH TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT INDICATORS 751 assumptions. For example, the aggregation of indicators, that combines the various variables in a weighted average to give the resulting value of the composite indicator may be affected by the weighted average to use and therefore the values of these weights can have a large impact on the subsequent rankings, which often goes unnoticed; (ii) they face a possible misconception since the weight assigned to a variable can be directly interpreted as a measure of importance of the variable to the resulting value of the composite indicator (Becker et al., 2017); (iii) even though composite indicators may highlight interesting differences between countries in ways that contribute to improving knowledge on sustainable development, nevertheless, they can seldom be used as a basis for implementing specific policy measures; (iv) the aggregation of incommensurable value dimensions may create differences in underlying indicators rather than clarifying them as expected (Saisana et al., 2005; Saltelli, 2007; OECD, 2008); (v) a composite index may neglect or disguise serious environmental problems and thus turn more difficult to identify the best remedial action (vi) due to the issue of scale and time differences, the links between indicators must be considered, as tan increase in one indicator may necessarily lead to decreases in another; (vii) at the same time the indictors must clarify both the internal and the external constraints of the system (Giampietro et al., 2012). So, in order to overcome these limitations, composite indicators must ensure that diversity is represented in the expression of priorities, objectives and targets for sustainability are properly specified, and assessment of whether the actual development is towards sustainability (Garnåsjordet et al., 2012). An SDI set can help guide deliberation and assist policy-makers in accepting compromises over societal goals. On the other hand, a deliberation process seeking compromises will facilitate transparency in the decision-making process. There is no doubt that a clear SDI set may have a role to play as input in participatory processes where different types of knowledge relevant for different societal interests may enhance the knowledge basis for setting policy targets for sustainable development (Garnåsjordet et al., 2012). III. 1. Indicators Back in 1992, theUnitedNations Conference on Environment andDevelopment recognized the important role that indicators could play in helping countries make informed decisions concerning sustainable development. Later in 1995, the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) approved its Work Programme on Indicators of Sustainable Development. The first two sets of