Welcome
Environmental impact assessment is an official process used by governments at many levels to evaluate proposed developments. This guide provides links to official sources of government information as well as selected links to non-governmental organizations with interest in this process which are found under the Websites tab.
Books
Recommended Books:
Suggested Subject Headings:
Fulltext eBook Collections:
Databases
Key Databases:
Government Information
Canada - Federal:
- Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency is a federal body accountable to the Minister of the Environment. The Agency works to provide Canadians with high-quality environmental assessments that contribute to informed decision making, in support of sustainable development.
- Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment is comprised of the environment ministers from the federal, provincial and territorial governments
- Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) Environmental Assessment information about CIDA projects that have environmental evaluation information.
- Environment Canada
- CEPA Environmental Registry has information about how the federal government administers the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999
- Environmental Emergencies
- Greenhouse gas emissions
- Library of Parliament reports on environment and sustainable development
Note: The Library also has a large collection of Canadian government documents on microfiche. The principal collection is Microlog, which comprises federal, provincial and territorial, and some municipal documents. These are not listed in the library catalogue so you should also search the Web-based Canadian Research Index to locate all library holdings relating to environmental impact assessment.
Canada - Provincial:
NOTE: Most provincial environmental assessment agency websites include a link to relevant legislation and regulatory decisions.
Alberta
- Environmental Assessment/Evaluation (Dept. of the Environment)
- Canada-Alberta Agreement on Environmental Assessment Cooperation
British Columbia
Manitoba
New Brunswick
Newfoundland and Labrador
Northwest Territories
- Environmental Assessment and Monitoring (Environment and Natural Resources) and Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board
Nova Scotia
Nunavut
Ontario
Prince Edward Island
Quebec
- Environmental Assessments (Ministère du Développement durable, de l’Environnement et des Parcs)
- Bureau d'audiences publiques sur l'environnement (BAPE)
Saskatchewan
Yukon
Foreign:
Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom
- Australia. Dept. of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts Search under "environmental assessment"
- New Zealand Ministry for the Environment Environmental Governance
- United Kingdom Planning, building and the environment
United States
- U.S. Argonne National Laboratory Environmental Science Division
- U.S. Dept. of Energy
- U.S. Dept. of the Interior Office of Environmental Policy and Compliance
- Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- Climate Change site
- Environmental Justice Compliance and Enforcement including assessment tool (Searchable by State. Includes National Environmental Policy Act.)
- Environmental Quality: the Annual Report of the U.S. Council on Environmental Quality (1993, 1994/95 and 1996)
- U.S. Geological Survey Environmental Assessment
- Oak Ridge National Laboratories "Integrated Assessment Briefs" An example of government research integrating areas of environmental research.
International:
For links to major international conventions and agreements relating to the environment see the Biodiversity subject guide.
- AIRNow links to international sources for air quality information
- Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP)
- Assessment results and publications online
-
European Union
- Europa: Environment policy area
- European Commission Environment and Environmental Assessment
- International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) search by "environmental assessment" for reports
- Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Environment Directorate with links to Environmental Country Reviews
- OECD environmental policies and instruments
- United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Environment policy includes links to Environmental Performance Reviews Programme
- United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Integrated assessment and policymaking
Laws & Legislation
Canada - Federal:
- Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (legislation and regulations)
- Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA, 1999) and related guides to the Act
- Acts, regulations, and agreements (Environment Canada)
- Canadian Environment.com A searchable site that covers federal and provincial environmental legislation, regulation and compliance
International:
- ASIL guide to electronic resources for international law: environment
- ECOLEX: a gateway to environmental law
- United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context (ESPOO Convention, 1991)
Maps & GIS
Maps:
NOTE: Use the Library's Online Maps custom Google search engine to locate other environmental maps
- Arctic environmental atlas (UNEP)
- Atlas of our changing environment (UNEP) is a group of publications that use a combination of ground photographs, current and historical satellite images, and narrative based on extensive scientific evidence to illustrate how humans have altered their surroundings and continue to make observable and measurable changes to the global environment.
- TOXMAP environmental health e-maps (United States National Library of Medicine)
- AIRNow (U.S.) air quality mapping
Websites
Listed here are non-governmental websites that have resources relating to environmental impact assessment. Click on the 'Government information' tab for websites from official sources.
- Canadian Environmental Law Association is a non-profit, public interest organization established in 1970 to use existing laws to protect the environment and to advocate environmental law reforms.
- Ontario Association for Impact Assessment is a forum for advancing innovation, development, and communication of best practice in impact assessment through the exchange of ideas and experiences among its members, and with other organizations with compatible interests.
- Earth Trends from World Resources Institute includes "Environmental Governance and Institutions" with links to country profiles, data and maps
- International Association for Impact Assessment
- Publications including Principles of Environmental Impact Assessment Best Practice (1999, PDF document)
- Publications including Principles of Environmental Impact Assessment Best Practice (1999, PDF document)
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