Transforming the capacity of impact assessment to address persistent global problems

ABSTRACT

Impact assessment (IA) formally emerged fifty years ago, it evolved, matured but the predominant philosophy did not change much, especially in light of the speed of change the world experiences and the magnitude and persistency of current environmental and social problems. Inspired in the sustainable transitions theory, and the adaptive theory, I reflect in this letter on the need to shift the philosophy underlying current IA rules and practice, to renovate or even reinvent the instrument to become more collaborative, constructive and systemic, driven by learning and co-creation of knowledge. This might mean a paradigm shift, towards a more engaging and persuasive IA, a leverage to enable changing practices in an increasingly complex world, and a positive instrument to help transitions for sustainability and the achievement of sustainable development goals.

KEYWORDS:

• Impact assessment
• transitions for sustainability
• global changes
• complexity
• SDGs

Notes

1. The scope of IA used here follows Morrison-Saunders et al. (2014) quoted in Bond et al. (2018) – an umbrella term for an a process (including, amongst others, environmental impact assessment (EIA), strategic environmental essessment (SEA), health impact assessment (HIA), social impact assessment (SIA) and sustainability assessment (SA)) that is applied at all levels of decision-making and across many sectors.