IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/envman/v37y2006i2d10.1007_s00267-004-0240-5.html

The Impotence of Cumulative Effects Assessment in Canada: Ailments and Ideas for Redeployment

Author

Listed:
  • Peter N. Duinker

    (Dalhousie University, School for Resource and Environmental Studies)

  • Lorne A. Greig

    (ESSA Technologies Ltd)

Abstract

ABSTRACT Cumulative effects assessment (CEA) in Canada is in dire straits. Despite a huge amount of talk and a flurry of developmental activity associated with CEA concepts, it has not lived up to its glowing promise of helping to achieve sustainability of diverse valued ecosystem components. This article aims to articulate that failure, to examine it in terms of six major problems with CEA, and to propose solutions. The six problem areas include (1) application of CEA in project-level environmental impact assessments (EIAs), (2) an EIA focus on project approval instead of environmental sustainability, (3) a general lack of understanding of ecologic impact thresholds, (4) separation of cumulative effects from project-specific impacts, (5) weak interpretations of cumulative effects by practitioners and analysts, and (6) inappropriate handling of potential future developments. We advocate improvements not only within the purview of project-specific EIAs, but also mainly in the domain of region-scale CEAs and regional environmental effects frameworks (or perhaps land use planning). Only then will the CEA begin to approach the promise of securing sustainability of valued ecosystem components.

Suggested Citation

  • Peter N. Duinker & Lorne A. Greig, 2006. "The Impotence of Cumulative Effects Assessment in Canada: Ailments and Ideas for Redeployment," Environmental Management, Springer, vol. 37(2), pages 153-161, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:envman:v:37:y:2006:i:2:d:10.1007_s00267-004-0240-5
    DOI: 10.1007/s00267-004-0240-5
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00267-004-0240-5
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s00267-004-0240-5?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:envman:v:37:y:2006:i:2:d:10.1007_s00267-004-0240-5. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.