Mitigating climate change through impact assessments: critical reflections from Canadian policy reform

Karine Péloffy, Nick Zrinyi and Rosa Galvez

Chapter 10 in Handbook of Environmental Impact Assessment, 2022, pp 178-197 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: This chapter critically reflects on recent developments in federal-level impact assessments in Canada. A new climate decision-making 'factor' was adopted in 2019 within the new Impact Assessment Act following years of legal turmoil and controversies around environmental assessments and approvals of fossil fuel export pipelines. This new factor is presented in the context of weak and superficial climate assessments that have facilitated the growth of the Canadian oil & gas industry and contributed to a failure to meet greenhouse gas emission reduction commitments. The chapter examines the broader dynamics between the political economy of oil extraction and federal environmental and climate policies before presenting the new climate factor recently enshrined in law and showcasing the challenges for its implementation. The authors conclude by proposing avenues for rigorous climate tests at multiple scales that can assist strategic public decision making in navigating the urgent and unprecedented transition to a climate-safe future.

Keywords: Economics and Finance; Environment; Politics and Public Policy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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