Addressing climate change through environmental assessment tools in planning processes: international practices and perspectives for Niger

2.2.2. Climate Change in Environmental Impact Assessment

Mainstreaming CC into national policies, plans, and development projects is a very important way to reduce vulnerability to climate impacts and variability, increase the adaptive capacity of communities and national activities facing climate impacts, and to ensure sustainable development (UNDP, 2012). One of the most compelling reasons to integrate CC in EIA is that every project is designed with some assumption about the climate in which it will function and the design criteria must be based on probable future climate that is CC over the life of the project. For example, most of the huge projects like buildings, highways, harbor facilities, mining, etc. have relatively long life time of decades and partly even hundreds of years and for such kinds of projects the EIA is required. Thus, it is important to take into account the influence of CC on the project and how the project will affect the surrounding environment under future conditions while undertaking EIA of projects. Effective integration of CC considerations requires that project-relevant short-medium and longterm CC impacts are identified using appropriate climate projection models and CC `'scenarios» (CARICOM et al., 2004).

Another reason for mainstreaming CC in EIA procedure is that it constitutes a useful mechanism to implement substantive provisions of legally binding international environmental agreements as EIA is accepted as a universal approach to inform and influence decision-making on crucial socio-environmental matters among which climate change plays a paramount role (Sánchez and Croal 2012). Besides, the

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mainstreaming CC in EIA is one of the commitments of the Parties at the UNFCCC whereby they are invited to undertake measures to mitigate or adapt CC in PPP implementation,' (Article 4.1f)⁵.

As stated by Agrawala et al., (2010), despite the tremendous need of mainstreaming CC in EIA, few countries notably Australia, Canada, Guyana, Jamaica, Kiribati, the Netherlands, Trinidad and Tobago, have actually moved towards operational guidelines and/or adjustment of regulatory frameworks to incorporate adaptation to CC within EIA procedures. Among them, Canada and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) have established detailed operational guidance on incorporating consideration of CC impacts and adaptation within EIA procedures. For example the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (CEEA) provides general guidance to incorporate adaptation and mitigation to CC. Figure 1 below summarises the recommended procedures for addressing CC impacts developed by the CEAA. Each of the steps proposed can mark entry points in the generic steps of a traditional EIA procedure.

Figure 1: Guidance on Incorporating CC considerations in EIA

Step 1-Preliminary Scope for Impacts Assessments Considerations
· Focus on general considerations and readily accessible information; · Are they likely impacts considerations associated with the project that should be addressed in greater detail; · Document a rationale as to why or why not; · If there are no likely impacts considerations that should be addressed in greater detail, no further analysis is required; · Proceed to Step 2 if further analysis is required;		Step 2- Identify impacts considerations
· Identify project sensitivity to possible changing climatic parameters ; · Conduct more detailed collection of regional CC and project specific information; · Clarify changing climatic parameters (magnitude, distribution and rate of changes);
Step3-Assess impacts Considerations
· Assess range of possible changes to climatic parameters; · Determine the range and extent of possible impacts on the project; · Assess the potential risks to the public or environment · Based upon the risks to the public or environment resulting from the effects of climate on the project, determine whether impact management is required; · If no further action is required, document impact analysis. No impact management required; · Proceed to step 4 if further action is required;
Step 4-Impacts Management Plans
If the project is likely to pose risks to the public or environment resulting from the effects of CC: · Clarify mitigation measures to reduce project vulnerability; · Clarify adaptive management plan to reduce risks associated with CC; · Incorporate ongoing information gathering and risk assessment; · Distinguish between public and private sector risks and responsibilities
Step 5- Monitoring, follow up and Adaptive Management

5 https://unfccc.int/resource/docs/convkp/conveng.pdf.

If the project is likely to pose risks to the public or environment resulting from the effects of CC:

· Monitor status of project and effectiveness of mitigation measures;

· Implement remedial action as necessary;

· Incorporate `' lessons learned' 'into normal procedures

· Address evolving project and CC knowledge, technology, policy and legislation.

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Source: Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (2003).

In addition, the integration of CC adaptation considerations should be undertaken within the existing environmental impact assessment framework, with little modification to existing procedures (CARICOM et al., 2004). Less modification required to existing environmental impact assessment procedures to address CC adaptation considerations are given in the figure 2 below.

Regarding the CC mitigation of projects impacts, it is difficult to determine with certainty that a given source of GHG has a measurable cause-and-effect relationship on local, regional, or global climate. As such, the incremental contribution of a project to national or global GHG emissions cannot be linked to specific changes in global climate (Ohsawa and Duinker, 2014).

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Figure 2: Modifications of the Environmental Assessment Procedure to Address CC Adaptation Considerations

Source: CARRICOM et al., 2004

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