STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AS A TOOL TO CONTRIBUTE TO HIGH-LEVEL POLICY OBJECTIVES

2011 ◽  
Vol 13 (01) ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
ELSA JOÃO ◽  
ANNA MCLAUCHLAN
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Environmental Assessment ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Strategic Environmental Assessment ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Assessment Policy ◽  
Policy Goals ◽  
Environmental Objectives ◽  
Policy Objectives ◽  
High Level

Strategic environmental assessment (SEA) has often been identified as a key tool to contribute to sustainable development. This special issue of the Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management focuses on European SEA practice between 2003 and 2010 to critically evaluate SEA links to sustainable development and similar, difficult to define, high-level policy objectives: democratisation, good governance, agri-environmental objectives, and environmental justice. The papers centre upon the three main topics covered by the different research: SEA outcomes being directly related to policy goals; an analysis of the absence of SEA applied to "positive" policy objectives; and the realism of associating SEA with high-level policy objectives. In particular, this paper calls for greater critical engagement with this latter topic, identifying a need to examine why associations are made between SEA and policy goals.

GOVERNMENTALITY AND STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT: CHALLENGING THE SEA/GOOD GOVERNANCE NEXUS

2011 ◽  
Vol 13 (01) ◽  
pp. 67-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
CAROLINE SCOTT
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Assessment ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Strategic Environmental Assessment ◽  
Policy Objective ◽  
The Public ◽  
Development Framework ◽  
The World Bank ◽  
The Government ◽  
High Level

Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) has been associated with "good governance" by bodies at national and international levels including the World Bank, OECD, and UK and Scottish Governments. Typically involving components such as transparency, accountability, public participation and partnership working, this SEA/good governance nexus has been promoted in Scotland where the government sees SEA as central to its sustainable development aspirations. Using a governmentality lens to view SEA as a technique seeking to instil environmentally-focused governance, the paper examines the operation of the SEA/good governance nexus in the SEA process of one Scottish case study, a road corridor development framework undertaken between 2006 and 2008. The paper exposes instances of resistance to both the democratising elements of good governance and to SEA itself as the public and statutory Consultation Authorities find their efforts to constructively engage with the SEA process thwarted. This reveals that, in the case studied, the SEA/good governance nexus, as a high-level policy objective, is more aspiration than reality.

REALISING STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT IN ANTARCTICA

2011 ◽  
Vol 13 (03) ◽  
pp. 483-514 ◽  
Author(s):  
RICARDO M. ROURA ◽  
ALAN D. HEMMINGS
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Policy ◽  
Environmental Assessment ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Environmental Issues ◽  
Strategic Environmental Assessment ◽  
National Interests ◽  
Policy Objectives ◽  
High Level ◽  
The Antarctic

This paper discusses high-level environmental policy objectives under the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS), and their relation to Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA). It reviews the need for SEA in Antarctica; discusses existing ATS strategic processes and the impediments to achieving the high-level environmental policy objectives agreed within the ATS, and suggests ways to improve strategic consideration of environmental issues. Whilst the concept of a strategic approach is already accepted in principle within the ATS, there remain difficulties in realising this. These include, inter alia, limitations in the established processes addressing environmental issues (particularly cumulative impacts), and ongoing tensions between the nominally agreed international objectives and national interests (including issues around unresolved territorial sovereignty claims) in practice. The article contends that given growing pressures on the Antarctic environment, high-level environmental policy objectives cannot be achieved through accumulated reactive ad hoc measures, or by industry self-regulation, but requires a systematic approach to strategic environmental considerations.

EXAMINING QUALITY OF ENVIRONMENTAL OBJECTIVES, TARGETS AND INDICATORS IN ENVIRONMENTAL REPORTS PREPARED FOR STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT

2008 ◽  
Vol 10 (04) ◽  
pp. 381-401 ◽  
Author(s):  
ALISON DONNELLY ◽  
TERRY PRENDERGAST ◽  
MARIE HANUSCH
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Environmental Assessment ◽  
Environmental Indicators ◽  
Strategic Environmental Assessment ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Environmental Objectives ◽  
Minimum Requirements ◽  
Development Plans ◽  
Land Use Development

Due to the pivotal role of environmental objectives, targets and indicators in Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) to assess environmental impact and monitor environmental condition resulting from a proposed plan it is crucial to ensure high quality in their development. Here we present a quality assurance checklist for practitioners to ensure compliance with (i) the minimum requirements of the SEA Directive and (ii) guidelines established by the Irish government for SEA of land use development plans. Furthermore, we propose additional recommended tasks based on expertise and experience gained in carrying out SEA to ensure high quality. Some of the questions posed in the checklist include, for example, "Are the environmental indicators capable of demonstrating the likely significant environmental impact(s) of the implementation of the proposed plan or programme?", "Have limits and thresholds been established for each environmental target?" and "Is responsibility for implementing the monitoring programme clearly defined?". We applied the completed checklist to 10 environmental reports from Ireland, Wales, England, Malta and Germany and proposed a grading system for comparative purposes. The results showed varying quality among the ERs from Ireland, UK and Malta. In addition, we found that the checklist did not directly apply to the German ERs because of the different approach taken to SEA whereby environmental targets and indicators were used in a more implicit manner than elsewhere. However, as environmental objectives and the monitoring programmes were similar for all ERs we concluded that different approaches still resulted in a manageable and focused monitoring system.

QUALITY AND OUTCOMES: A CRITICAL REVIEW OF STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT IN BRAZIL

2014 ◽  
Vol 16 (02) ◽  
pp. 1450011 ◽  
Author(s):  
VÍTOR MARGATO ◽  
LUIS E. SÁNCHEZ
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Environmental Assessment ◽  
Good Practice ◽  
Strategic Environmental Assessment ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Technical Quality ◽  
Main Challenge ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Environmentally Sound ◽  
High Level

In a context of unregulated practice, strategic environmental assessment (SEA) contribution to environmentally sound decision-making may be difficult to gauge. Recent Brazilian experience, where there is no legal requirement for SEA, was studied by reviewing cases selected by considering distinctive drivers for undertaking an assessment, varied locations and different consultancies hired to prepare the report. A quality review checklist was used to evaluate the contents of SEA reports according to: (i) adherence to good practice; (ii) technical quality and adequacy to decision-making processes; (iii) achievement of sound and enduring environmental benefits. Interviews aimed at gauging their actual influence. SEAs reached a relatively high level of technical quality and procedural effectiveness, but very low substantive effectiveness. Influence on decision-making varied from null to limited consideration of information in developing programs. The main challenge for SEA in unregulated contexts is to demonstrate its value to decision-makers and citizens' organisations.

scholarly journals Strategic Environmental Assessment and Sustainable Development

2018 ◽  
Vol 133 ◽  
pp. 012029 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mingjing Tian ◽  
Qingjun Gao ◽  
Nan Wang ◽  
Xigen Yang ◽  
Xin Xu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Environmental Assessment ◽  
Strategic Environmental Assessment
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