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Characterizing Environmental Harm: Developments in an Approach to Strategic Risk Assessment and Risk Management

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  • Simon J. T. Pollard
  • Ray V. Kemp
  • Mark Crawford
  • Raquel Duarte‐Davidson
  • James G. Irwin
  • Roger Yearsley

Abstract

Environmental policymakers and regulators are often in the position of having to prioritize their actions across a diverse range of environmental pressures to secure environmental protection and improvements. Information on environmental issues to inform this type of strategic analysis can be disparate; it may be too voluminous or even absent. Data on a range of issues are rarely presented in a common format that allows easy analysis and comparison. Nevertheless, judgments are required on the significance of various environmental pressures and on the inherent uncertainties to inform strategic assessments such as “state of the environment” reports. How can decisionmakers go about this type of strategic and comparative risk analysis? In an attempt to provide practical tools for the analysis of environmental risks at a strategic level, the Environment Agency of England and Wales has conducted a program of developmental research on strategic risk assessment since 1996. The tools developed under this program use the concept of “environmental harm” as a common metric, viewed from technical, social, and economic perspectives, to analyze impacts from a range of environmental pressures. Critical to an informed debate on the relative importance of these perspectives is an understanding and analysis of the various characteristics of harm (spatial and temporal extent, reversibility, latency, etc.) and of the social response to actual or potential environmental harm from a range of hazards. Recent developments in our approach, described herein, allow a presentation of the analysis in a structured fashion so as to better inform risk‐management decisions.

Suggested Citation

  • Simon J. T. Pollard & Ray V. Kemp & Mark Crawford & Raquel Duarte‐Davidson & James G. Irwin & Roger Yearsley, 2004. "Characterizing Environmental Harm: Developments in an Approach to Strategic Risk Assessment and Risk Management," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 24(6), pages 1551-1560, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:riskan:v:24:y:2004:i:6:p:1551-1560
    DOI: 10.1111/j.0272-4332.2004.00549.x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Jun Long & Baruch Fischhoff, 2000. "Setting Risk Priorities: A Formal Model," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 20(3), pages 339-352, June.
    2. P.C.R. Gray & P. M. Wiedemann, 1999. "Risk management and sustainable development: mutual lessons from approaches to the use of indicators," Journal of Risk Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 2(3), pages 201-218, July.
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    Cited by:

    1. Sophie A. Rocks & Iljana Schubert & Emma Soane & Edgar Black & Rachel Muckle & Judith Petts & George Prpich & Simon J. Pollard, 2017. "Engaging with Comparative Risk Appraisals: Public Views on Policy Priorities for Environmental Risk Governance," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 37(9), pages 1683-1692, September.
    2. Rocks, Sophie A. & Schubert, Iljana & Soane, Emma & Black, Edgar & Muckle, Rachel & Petts, Judith & Prpich, George & Pollard, Simon J., 2017. "Engaging with comparative risk appraisals: public views on policy priorities for environmental risk governance," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 71580, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.

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