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Effectiveness Of Policy Level Environmental And Sustainability Assessment: Challenges And Lessons From Recent Practice

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  • RICHARD P. EALES

    (Collingwood Environmental Planning Limited, 1E The Chandlery, 50 Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7QY, United Kingdom)

  • WILLIAM R. SHEATE

    (Collingwood Environmental Planning Limited, 1E The Chandlery, 50 Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7QY, United Kingdom)

Abstract

This paper explores the challenges and lessons from recent practice and experience of applying tools such as Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) and Sustainability Appraisal at the policy level in the UK and Europe. It investigates whether or not these tools have been effective and helped to deliver more sustainable development at the high level of national policy development. The analysis is illustrated by case examples from the UK, such as Eco-towns and Energy Planning. The paper concludes that the current performance by the UK Government in implementing the SEA Directive for national level strategic actions is far from exemplary. At the root of the problem is the poor consideration and evaluation of reasonable alternatives, the fundamentally weak conception of sustainability adopted and the apparent perception that having to undertake an assessment and comply with the SEA Directive is a hurdle, rather than a useful mechanism for helping to deliver better and more sustainable evidence-based policy making.

Suggested Citation

  • Richard P. Eales & William R. Sheate, 2011. "Effectiveness Of Policy Level Environmental And Sustainability Assessment: Challenges And Lessons From Recent Practice," Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management (JEAPM), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 13(01), pages 39-65.
    • Handle: RePEc:wsi:jeapmx:v:13:y:2011:i:01:n:s146433321100378x
    DOI: 10.1142/S146433321100378X
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. World Commission on Environment and Development,, 1987. "Our Common Future," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780192820808.
    2. Eric Neumayer, 2013. "Weak versus Strong Sustainability," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 14993.
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    Cited by:

    1. Claire A Dunlop, 2014. "The Possible Experts: How Epistemic Communities Negotiate Barriers to Knowledge Use in Ecosystems Services Policy," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 32(2), pages 208-228, April.
    2. Roberta Mele & Giuliano Poli, 2017. "The Effectiveness of Geographical Data in Multi-Criteria Evaluation of Landscape Services †," Data, MDPI, vol. 2(1), pages 1-11, February.
    3. Duncan Russel & John Turnpenny & Andrew Jordan, 2018. "Mainstreaming the environment through appraisal: Integrative governance or logics of disintegration?," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 36(8), pages 1355-1370, December.
    4. Fabio Zagonari, 2018. "Coherence, Causality, and Effectiveness of the EU Environmental Policy System: Results of Complementary Statistical and Econometric Analyses," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 70(1), pages 1-29, May.
    5. Kanokporn Swangjang, 2022. "Linkage of Sustainability to Environmental Impact Assessment Using the Concept of Ecosystem Services: Lessons from Thailand," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-18, May.

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