Impact Assessment
Impact Assessment is the process of identifying the future consequences of a current or proposed action to better inform decisions, and facilitate management and mitigation activities, prior to approval.
Impact Assessment
The field of IA can be related to the assessment of impacts on or of the environment (including, for example, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA)), social (SIA), health (HIA), risk (RIA), human rights, etc.). The core aim of IA is to assess and evaluate the impacts of policies, projects, processes and products, to better inform decisions, and facilitate management and mitigation activities, prior to approval. In this manner, IA provides a critical tool for decision makers to make judgements based on sound scientific and legal advice regarding the impacts of a proposed project/plan/policy prior to making a decision on the merits of a proposal. Equal to its role for decision makers, IA is often the process which facilitates the provision of robust environmental and social information to inform and support the involvement of stakeholder and affected communities.
Impact Assessment articles
Web exclusive: Environmental Outcomes Reports consultation – more than meets the eye
Josh Fothergill, FIEMA, CEnv, explores some strategic questions we should all ask of the UK government’s Environmental Outcomes Reports consultation, which are not immediately apparent from reading the consultation itself.
Members of IEMA’s policy team outline the key issues facing sustainability professionals in 2023 and beyond
IEMA has published two new impact assessment guides: 'Effective Scoping of Human Health in Environmental Impact Assessment', and 'Determining Significance for Human Health in Environmental Impact Assessment'.
David Burrows delves into some of the issues with lifecycle assessment – and how brands are misusing results
Are environmental auditors taking due care around materiality? Richard Gotheridge and Nigel Leehane discuss
Tom Pashby discusses the potential environmental costs of radical urban designs
When a construction project is delayed, are the environmental impact assessment’s findings still valid? Ellen Smith reports
Fin Whitehouse discusses organisational culture, and how it could be the key to successful innovation within impact assessment
