1.3. Objectives
The overall objective of this study is to assess the
integration of CC mitigation and adaptation in the environmental assessment
procedure in Niger and European Union.
Specifically, the study aims to:
y' Analyse the relationships between CC and
environmental assessments tools;
y' Analyse the integration of CC issues in
environmental assessment tools in Niger and European
Union ;
y' Compare the Environment Impact Assessment
procedure in European Union (EU) and Niger;
y' Propose recommendations to the Ministry of
Environment and Sustainable Development of Niger.
1.4. Approach
In order to achieve the above objectives, the following approach
is used:
y' A literature review about CC, the
environmental assessment tools and the relationships between them. This
includes the relevance of the integration of CC in Environmental Impact
Assessments (EIA) and Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) and how this
topic is currently addressed worldwide. The views of researchers and that of
international and national credible institutions from books, articles and
internet is used as research sources;
y' An analysis of the current situation in
terms of integration of CC issues in environmental assessment guidelines and
directives taking the examples of the European Union EIA Directive, the
European Union SEA Directive and the Niger Ordinance on Institutionalisation of
EIA is considered;
2 Refers to the Framework Law on Environmental Management No.
98-56 of December 29th, 1998 and Ordinance No. 97-001 of January 10th, 1997 on
Institutionalization of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).
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y' A comparison of the European Union EIA Directive and the
Niger legislation on EIA is based on the review of literature on theory and
concept of mainstreaming CC in Environmental Impact Assessment.
y' An analysis of the EU SEA directive to get inputs for a new
bill on SEA to Niger that does not have any legislation regarding that
environmental assessment tool;
y' From the analysis and the comparison derived
recommendations for the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development of
Niger to integrate CC dimensions in environmental assessment tools.
The following documents are used to carry out the analysis and
the comparison of environmental assessment tools:
y' Niger Ordinance 97-001 on Institutionalisation of
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of January 10th, 1997;
y' Decree N°2000-397/PRN/ME/LCD of 20th October 2000 on
EIA administrative procedure in Niger y' Directive 2001/42/EC of the European
Parliament and of the Council of 27 June 2001 on the assessment of certain
plans and programs on the Environment;
y' Directive 2014/52/EU of the European Parliament and of the
Council of 16 April 2014 amending Directive 2011/92/EU on the assessment of the
effects of certain public and private projects on the environment.
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2. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CLIMATE CHANGE AND ENVIRONMENTAL
ASSESSMENT TOOLS IN PLANNING PROCESSES
2.1. Description of Relevant Concepts 2.1.1. Climate
Change
Climate Change is defined by the United Nations Framework
Convention on CC (UNFCCC, 1992, article 1)3 as `'a change of climate
which is attributed directly or indirectly to human activity that alters the
composition of the global atmosphere and which is in addition to natural
climate variability observed over comparable time periods». In this
definition, the UNFCCC makes a distinction between CC attributable to human
activities altering the atmospheric composition and climate variability
attributable to natural causes.
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