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Impact Assessment

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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.

22nd March 2023

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Members of IEMA’s policy team outline the key issues facing sustainability professionals in 2023 and beyond

2nd February 2023

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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'.

2nd February 2023

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David Burrows delves into some of the issues with lifecycle assessment – and how brands are misusing results

24th November 2022

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Are environmental auditors taking due care around materiality? Richard Gotheridge and Nigel Leehane discuss

24th November 2022

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Tom Pashby discusses the potential environmental costs of radical urban designs

21st September 2022

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When a construction project is delayed, are the environmental impact assessment’s findings still valid? Ellen Smith reports

21st July 2022

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Fin Whitehouse discusses organisational culture, and how it could be the key to successful innovation within impact assessment

21st July 2022

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