Addressing climate change through environmental impact assessment: international perspectives from a survey of IAIA members

Environmental impact assessment (EIA) is one of the planning, decision-making and management tools for environmental protection, through which climate change could be potentially addressed. This paper presents a survey of international perspectives aiming to understand: What is the best way to address climate change through EIA? The survey results strongly suggested that specific climate change related regulation and guidelines are needed that will apply in each step of the EIA process. However, there is also need to synchronise EIA practice with other instruments such as strategic and sustainability assessments, as well as broader economic instruments and other political commitments to address climate change. Working towards putting in place EIA regulations and guidance specific to climate change appears to be an important first step in tackling this global environmental issue.