EIA & Climate Change
IEMA recognises that Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA, under Directive 85/337/EEC, as amended) has a key role to play in assisting in the UK’s efforts to minimise greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to our changing climate. However, whilst guidance exists on how to consider climate change in SEA/SA; there is limited information on how to mitigation and adaptation should be taken into account in EIA practice. This lack of advice poses a challenge for IEMA members, and wider EIA practitioners, wishing to deliver good practice assessments.
IEMA has decided to meet this challenge head-on with this new webpage dedicated to information relevant to climate change and EIA. Below you will not only find the Institute’s over-arching Principles on Climate Change Mitigation & EIA, but also information about:
- How you can get involved – by producing case studies or helping to develop advice notes
- Other guidance relevant to aspects of climate change assessment in EIA
- Forthcoming events relevant to climate change and EIA, and
- Links to wider information on the consideration of climate change from SEA through to an operational EMS.
Climate Change & EIA Principles
Principles on: Climate Change Mitigation & EIA
Click below to download a copy of IEMA’s Climate Change Mitigation & EIA Principles. This concise 4 side document provides effective over-arching advice on: the need case for considering greenhouse gas emissions in EIA; direction on scoping, assessing and mitigating project emissions; and advice on effective reporting and follow-up.
Climate Change Mitigation and EIA.pdf
Principles on: Climate Change Adaptation & EIA
Click below to download a copy of IEMA’s Climate Change Mitigation & EIA Principles. This concise 4 side document provides effective over-arching advice on: the need case for considering climate change’s impacts on the environment and the proposed development; direction on scoping, assessing, significance and mitigating climate change adaptation impacts; and advice on effective reporting and follow-up.
Climate Change Adaptation and EIA.pdf
Climate Change & EIA in numbers:
- 88% of members surveyed believe that carbon emissions should be considered, where relevant, in EIA.
- 75% of members surveyed indicated that the inclusion of carbon (Greenhouse gas) emissions within the Environmental Statement, rather than as a separate report, was crucial and that this would become an increasingly important issue for EIA in the future.
- 82% of respondents indicated that climate change adaptation is not effectively considered in current impact assessment practice, planning processes or project consent processes (Met Office conference, October 2009)