Search Climate Insights Directory

This report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) advocates for the use of Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) in the mining sector to enhance sustainable development. It distinguishes SEA from project-level Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA), demonstrating through case studies in Namibia, Ghana, Romania, and Mozambique how SEA can influence national policies and regional planning to better manage cumulative impacts, resource use, and stakeholder interests.

This policy brief by Climate Policy Initiative/Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (CPI/PUC-Rio) analyzes the socio-environmental components of Technical, Economic and Environmental Feasibility Studies (EVTEA) and Environmental Assessment Studies (EIA) for federal land infrastructure concessions in the Legal Amazon. The analysis reveals significant gaps in the coverage of biotic environments, a lack of coordination between the two types of studies, and inconsistent compliance with sectoral manuals and terms of reference (TRs).

The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) wrote to federal ministers in May 2017 urging the integration of Health Impact Assessments (HIAs) into all federal Environmental Assessment (EA) processes. The organization argues that human health is fundamentally underpinned by the environment and that resource and energy development projects must explicitly evaluate health outcomes, particularly for vulnerable populations and Indigenous Peoples.

The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) and other health organizations advocate for the integration of comprehensive human health impact assessments into Canada's federal environmental assessment processes to better address the link between ecological health and human wellness.

A submission from health organizations and professionals to the Expert Panel reviewing federal environmental assessment (EA) processes in Canada, calling for the mandatory integration of Health Impact Assessments (HIAs) to better reflect the well-being of people and communities.

This training module provides integrated environmental assessment (IEA) tools designed to help Caribbean nations align the implementation of multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) with national and sectoral development priorities.

This research paper, prepared by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) for Environment Canada, outlines a conceptual framework for developing an Environment Outlook for Canada (EOC). It defines an environment outlook as a forward-looking integrated assessment that analyzes environmental change, causes, impacts, and policy responses to support proactive decision-making. The document details the potential scope, products, and governance structures for an EOC, emphasizing the need for a participatory process to ensure the resulting data is salient, credible, and legitimate.

This research paper, written by Dale S. Rothman of the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) for Environment Canada, serves as a conceptual document for the development of the Canadian Environmental Outlook (CEO). It defines the CEO as an integrated environmental assessment designed to provide a forward-looking analysis of the interactions between society and the environment to support strategic decision-making and policy formulation in Canada.

This report examines the governance of Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), focusing on the evolution of public access to information, participation in decision-making, and the establishment of accountability mechanisms. The authors argue that while MDBs have moved toward greater transparency due to external pressure, these processes remain largely ad hoc and inconsistent, lacking a systematic framework for citizen-based rights.

The GEO Resource Book is a training manual developed by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) to build capacity for forward-looking, integrated environmental assessment (IEA) and reporting at sub-global levels. It provides a modular framework based on the Global Environment Outlook (GEO) approach to help practitioners produce policy-relevant information on the interactions between the natural environment and human society.

This research paper presents the results of two multi-stakeholder participatory GIS (PGIS) workshops held in June and July 2014 in the Morogoro region of Tanzania. The workshops aimed to map small-scale dairy production systems, feed sources, and support infrastructure in the Kilosa and Mvomero districts to provide a baseline for the CLEANED-VCs environmental assessment framework. The study identifies various livestock keeping systems, environmental risks such as land encroachment and water scarcity, and explores scenarios for increasing milk yields through improved education, breeding, and fodder production.