INECE Managing Director Ken Markowitz delivered remarks today at the World Bank during the Special Symposium on Climate Change and Impact Assessment. The Symposium, hosted by International Association for Impact Assessment, engaged experts on discussions of the effects of climate change on the impact of projects and the ways that impact assessment can be used for understanding risk and responding to climate change.

Speaking on a panel on “National Governments: Climate Change and EIA – Beyond North America,” Mr. Markowitz explored the risks of failing to adequately assure compliance with EIA requirements. A number of countries have developed guidance for incorporating climate change considerations in environmental assessment at the project level. Mr. Markowitz cautioned that “without compliance with EIA requirements and enforcement of EIA terms, the impact and value of these  costly assessments will be greatly minimized.” He recognized that this is as applicable to climate change, in terms of both project and programmatic considerations, as well as the development of worst case scenarios, as it is to traditional EIA topics like land-use planning and transportation.

Background information on climate change and impact assessment are available at on the IAIA web site.

This article is cross-posted at http://www.inece.org/.