home > conference - November 24-25, 2003

Enterprise Development Impact Assessment Information Service (EDIAIS)

NEW DIRECTIONS IN IMPACT ASSESSMENT FOR DEVELOPMENT: METHODS AND PRACTICE

Hisako Nomura, IDPM, University of Manchester

A feasibility analysis of mitigation measures for trade effects on the environment as part of the Sustainability Impact Assessment (SIA) on trade liberalisation

Link to full paper

ABSTRACT

Impact assessment studies of trade liberalisation were mainly conducted on economic impacts in the past. In recent years, environmental and social impact assessments have been recommended to review trade agreements, and such reviews are government regulated in some countries such as U.S., E.U, and Canada. As part of the impact assessment, the feasibility analysis of mitigation measures for negative environmental and social impacts of trade effects is recommended, however it is still understudied. The benefits of such a feasibility analysis are that it can provide more information on alternative policies whilst the impact assessment process facilitates opportunities for consensus-building efforts among the decision making body, stakeholders, and the public. The aim of this paper is to examine how a feasibility analysis takes part of impact assessment and how such a feasibility analysis facilitates to get the mitigation measure right. For this study, the environmental payment scheme as a mitigation measure of agricultural trade liberalisation effects on the environment in Japan was used as a case study and the feasibility analysis was conducted.

to top of page

 

The Adobe Acrobat Reader can be downloaded by clicking here