Abstract
[Truncated abstract] Environmental impact assessment (EIA) is an important tool used worldwide for planning, decision-making and management of new development proposals with the goal of ensuring sustainable development. Climate change is a cumulative effect of human development activity, that is being increasingly experienced from local to global levels. This thesis simultaneously explores EIA and climate change in order to understand how EIA might best address the challenges of climate change drawing upon both theory and practice. Two research questions are posed: 1) How does EIA currently address climate change issues? and 2) How might EIA more effectively address climate change issues? Answers to these questions were sought through: a literature review drawn mainly from the EIA field with climate change issues and other cumulative effects as the principal focus; a questionnaire survey of international EIA practitioners seeking their experiences and perspectives on the EIA and climate change relationship; and two in-depth case studies of Western Australia and Cambodia. The main methods employed were document analysis, survey design and distribution in hard copy and online formats followed by statistical and textual analysis responses, and interviews with key players for the EIA jurisdictions of the case studies. The EIA process was divided into six steps for analysis: screening, scoping, environmental impact statement (EIS), evaluation and approval decision-making, implementation and follow-up, and public participation. The literature review indicates that EIA currently addresses climate change issues in various ways but overall, it is a relatively emerging area of practice. Climate change is mainly addressed in EIA on an ad hoc basis with considerable dependence placed upon stakeholder judgements and public input determined on a case-by-case basis. Few examples of clearly formalised practice were evident...
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Qualification | Doctor of Philosophy |
| Publication status | Unpublished - 2014 |
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