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This article addresses the challenge of integrating climate change considerations into the impact assessment (IA) process, focusing on the new Canadian Impact Assessment Act (the IAA). It aims to assess whether the IAA is consistent with Canadas climate commitments under the Paris Agreement. This article starts with a discussion of Canadas international climate commitments. It then discusses how Canadas previous federal IA regimes incorporated climate change considerations into the assessments. This analysis is complemented with case studies of the IA of two oil sands projects, each of which failed to efficiently assess the impacts of the projects in terms of their greenhouse gas emissions. Finally, this article turns to the IAA and its new climate provisions. The core argument is that although the IAA improves on earlier regimes by explicitly including climate change considerations in the assessment process, its provisions per se are not sufficient to fill the existing gaps and make climate assessment more effective. The development of a comprehensive regulatory framework is paramount to assist reviewers and decision-makers to meaningfully determine the extent to which the designated project will hinder or contribute to Canadas ability to meet its climate change commitments.
Cet article aborde le defi dintegrer les considerations relatives aux changements climatiques dans le processus devaluation dimpact (AI), en se concentrant sur la nouvelle Loi canadienne sur revaluation dimpact (lAAI). Il vise a evaluer si lAAI est conforme aux engagements climatiques du Canada en vertu de lAccord de Paris. Cet article commence par une discussion sur les engagements internationaux du Canada en matiere de climat. Il explique ensuite comment les anciens regimes fédéraux dAI du Canada ont integre les considerations relatives aux changements climatiques dans les evaluations. Cette analyse est completee par des etudes de cas de lanalyse dimpact de deux projets de sables bitumineux, dont chacun na pas reussi a evaluer efficacement les impacts des projets en termes demissions de gaz ¿i effet de serre. Enfin, cet article se tourne vers lAAI et ses nouvelles dispositions climatiques. Largument principal est que, bien que lAAI ameliore les regimes anterieurs en incluant explicitement les considerations relatives au changement climatique dans le processus devaluation, ses dispositions en ellesmemes ne sont pas suffisantes pour combler les lacunes existantes et rendre levaluation du climat plus...