Bibliometric analysis of global environmental assessment research in a 20-year period

Based on the samples of 113,468 publications on environmental assessment (EA) from the past 20 years, we used a bibliometric analysis to study the literature in terms of trends of growth, subject categories and journals, international collaboration, geographic distribution of publications, and scientific research issues. By applying thresholds to network centralities, a core group of countries can be distinguished as part of the international collaboration network. A frequently used keywords analysis found that the priority in assessment would gradually change from project environmental impact assessment (EIA) to strategic environmental assessment (SEA). Decision-theoretic approaches (i.e., environmental indicator selection, life cycle assessment, etc.), along with new technologies and methods (i.e., the geographic information system and modeling) have been widely applied in the EA research field over the past 20 years. Hot spots such as “biodiversity” and “climate change” have been emphasized in current EA research, a trend that will likely continue in the future. The h-index has been used to evaluate the research quality among countries all over the world, while the improvement of developing countries' EA systems is becoming a popular research topic. Our study reveals patterns in scientific outputs and academic collaborations and serves as an alternative and innovative way of revealing global research trends in the EA research field.     

Four years of sustainability impact assessments accompanying the implementation of improved cooking stoves in Tanzania

Development projects and innovations are often implemented based on scientific recommendations and do not incorporate local knowledge and demand for interventions. In this paper, we demonstrate the successful engagement of local stakeholders in the implementation and evaluation process of improved cooking stoves; a technology that improves food security in two climatically contrasting regions in Tanzania.The Framework for Participatory Impact Assessment tool was used to conduct impact assessments on firewood-based improved cooking stoves to evaluate their contribution to food security at local stakeholder level. Between 2014 and 2017, four annual impact assessments were conducted with local stakeholders in four villages in the semi-arid Dodoma and the sub-humid Morogoro regions to assess the impact of improved cooking stoves on locally defined nine food security criteria. The Framework for Participatory Impact Assessment was used to (i) ex-ante identify the expected impact, and (ii) to ex-post assess the experienced impact of improved cooking stoves on the nine food security criteria. The impact assessments showed that the perceived contribution of improved cooking stoves towards the food security criteria was positive throughout all assessments. In particular, improved cooking stoves addressed relevant food security criteria such as social relations, food availability, and market participation. The Framework for Participatory Impact Assessment tool supported continuous knowledge exchange between scientists and local stakeholders, thus improving communication and co-learning; while identifying merits and demerits of the improved cooking stoves that could be addressed during the project lifetime.     

Research trends in life cycle assessment research: A 20-year bibliometric analysis (1999–2018)

The life cycle assessment (LCA) is an important environmental management tool that has been developed since the 1960s and it is a widely accepted field of research in the scientific community. This paper focuses on the changes of research trends of this field in the recent two decades (1999–2018) from the perspective of bibliometrics. First, we use the Web of Science (WoS) database to collect relevant literature, which is a widely used database in the field of bibliometrics. Then, this paper analyzes in detail the amount of publications, citations, cooperation models and their evolution trends, and identifies the most productive countries, institutions and authors in this field. Finally, by studying the author-keyword co-occurrence networks of the LCA papers in different periods, the research hotspots and their changes in this field are explored. We hope that the research of this paper will contribute to the faster and better development of the LCA field.     

环境中土壤微塑料研究热点及趋势可视化研究

为探究微塑料的研究现状、热点及趋势,以Web of Science核心合集数据库及中国知网(CNKI)数据库为数据来源,利用CiteSpace等软件绘制作者及机构共现网络图谱、区域分布特征图谱、关键词共现网络图谱和参考文献共被引图谱等,对环境微塑料尤其是土壤微塑料的研究现状及热点进行可视化分析。结果表明:微塑料研究自2016年开始逐步加强,其中土壤微塑料的研究热度在2021—2022年迅速上升;对于土壤微塑料,丰度分布、污染机制和健康风险等是当前研究的热点;完善土壤微塑料检测方法体系,探寻合适的土壤微塑料污染治理和管控方法及对策,对于维护生态安全和保障人体健康具有重要意义。     

Can Chinese-style environmental collaboration improve the air quality? A quasi-natural experimental study across Chinese cities

Environmental management has evolved from a vertical command and control management model to a more collaborative one. A series of public administration studies take the field of environmental policy as an important background for understanding collaborative governance, yet the theoretical and empirical study of environmental collaborative governance is relatively under-developed. This article begins to fill the research lacuna through the investigation of air pollution collaborative governance practice in Jing-Jin-Ji and surrounding areas. Based on the panel data of 58 regional cities from January 2016 to March 2019, a difference in difference quasi-natural experiment design is employed to explore the effect of environmental collaboration under Chinese authoritarian regime. The analysis shows that environmental collaboration has a positive impact on air quality and exhibits different effects on primary and secondary pollutants. Specifically, it has a greater influence on the emission reduction of NO₂ compared to SO₂ and CO, the positive effects of environmental collaboration on PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ pollutants are significant, and there is no statistically positive impact on O₃ control. The time trend effect of environmental collaboration varies among pollutants, it presents positive effects on air quality improvement and secondary pollutant control (e.g., PM_2.5, PM₁₀) after the fourth month, the mitigation effect of environmental collaboration on primary pollutants represented by NO₂ is more significant and constant in the sixth month. However, the time trend effect of environmental collaboration has gradually weakened. This paper concludes with discussions on the direction and implications of improving the performance and sustainability of environmental collaboration in China.     

EIA training courses organized by the centre for environmental management and planning,University of Aberdeen: An analysis of experience

In 1980, the World Health Organization (Regional Office for Europe) invited The Centre for Environmental Management and Planning (CEMP) to organize a two-week training course on Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to provide a comprehensive introduction to EIA with emphasis on methods and techniques for impact identification, prediction and assessment. Not suprisingly the topic of environmental health impact assessment was to be a major focus. Since 1980, the course has been held each year at the University of Aberdeen. An analysis of participation in the course during its first five years yields several impressions about the success of this training effort and the ways in which it might be improved.     

Confronting reality in strategic environmental assessment in Slovenia — Costs and benefits

We enlarge on the viewpoint published in the Environmental Impact Assessment Review in 2012 — A viewpoint on the approval context of strategic environmental assessments. Additional alerts concerning the procedural ineffectiveness of the strategic environmental assessment (SEA) process from the cost–benefit point of view are advanced. The major contribution to the long lasting, costly SEA processes, comes from ultraistic treatment of Natura 2000.The case study deals with a plan for constructing a traffic bypass around Škofljica, a town near Ljubljana. Based on their conclusions the authors propose that the following elements of the SEA procedure should be improved and optimised:

• –CBA for SEA should become a regular component when measuring its effectiveness.
• –Concretisation of expected SEA inputs to the plan should clarify its role at the earliest stage of the process.
• –SEA should contribute interactively to the optimisation of alternatives; cost–benefit analysis of the SEA process could support this process.
• –Nature protection interest should be confronted and balanced with wider development interests as formulated in the plan and should not be applied in absolute terms (e.g. Natura 2000).

     

Regionalization of land use impact models for life cycle assessment: Recommendations for their use on the global scale and their applicability to Brazil

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is the main technique for evaluate the environmental impacts of product life cycles. A major challenge in the field of LCA is spatial and temporal differentiation in Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) methods, especially impacts resulting from land occupation and land transformation. Land use characterization modeling has advanced considerably over the last two decades and many approaches have recently included crucial aspects such as geographic differentiation. Nevertheless, characterization models have so far not been systematically reviewed and evaluated to determine their applicability to South America. Given that Brazil is the largest country in South America, this paper analyzes the main international characterization models currently available in the literature, with a view to recommending regionalized models applicable on a global scale for land use life cycle impact assessments, and discusses their feasibility for regionalized assessment in Brazil. The analytical methodology involves classification based on the following criteria: midpoint/endpoint approach, scope of application, area of data collection, biogeographical differentiation, definition of recovery time and reference situation; followed by an evaluation of thirteen scientific robustness and environmental relevance subcriteria. The results of the scope of application are distributed among 25% of the models developed for the European context, and 50% have a global scope. There is no consensus in the literature about the definition of parameters such biogeographical differentiation and reference situation, and our review indicates that 35% of the models use ecoregion division while 40% use the concept of potential natural vegetation. Four characterization models show high scores in terms of scientific robustness and environmental relevance. These models are recommended for application in land use life cycle impact assessments, and also to serve as references for the development or adaptation of regional methodological procedures for Brazil.     

基于CiteSpace的温室气体监测发展动态可视化分析

采用文献计量方法，利用CiteSpace软件对Web of Science核心合集中2004—2020年以"Greenhouse Gases Monitoring"为主题词检索到的2 514篇文献进行可视化分析，从时间分布、国际合作、研究机构合作、研究领域、共被引分析和关键词分析等方面，揭示该领域的发展动态、研究实力分布、热点前沿等。结果表明：2004—2020年温室气体监测研究领域的发文数量总体呈现上升趋势，在全球应对气候变化的重大事件时间节点发文数量增幅较大；该领域发文量较多的国家和机构皆以发达国家为主，发展中国家中中国居首位，国家、机构合作关系紧密；温室气体监测研究涉及的学科领域较广，环境科学与生态学、环境科学、工程为排名前3位的学科领域，2010年后研究逐步拓展到建筑学、影像学、计算机科学、经济学等领域；该领域的研究知识基础主要聚焦温室气体浓度监测、来源去向、影响因素及变化趋势分析，温室气体监测技术方法研究及应用，以及森林、农业土壤碳汇研究等方面；通过不同时段关键词分析发现CO₂、CH₄和N₂O一直是温室气体监测研究的重点对象，关注视角逐渐转向多因素、多领域、多技术、多方法、多策略研究。基于分析结果和中国实际，提出今后一段时期中国温室气体监测领域的研究重点和工作方向。     

Beyond distribution and participation: A scoping review to advance a comprehensive environmental justice framework for impact assessment

Concepts of justice are implicit to impact assessment (IA) procedures and policies. A closer examination of the academic literature on environmental justice reveals plural meanings and practices. We present data from a scoping review of the academic literature on IA guided by a trivalent definition of environmental justice encompassing distribution of environmental harms, recognition of diverse ways of knowing, and representation of plural perspectives through democratic procedures. We use this trivalent framework to assess how justice is defined in English language IA journal articles from 2000 to 2019. Findings show an emphasis on distributive and procedural dimensions of justice, with significantly less attention given to issues of recognition and framing. Broad definitions of environmental justice can assist IA scholars in attending to justice-seeking claims across various IA practices and settings, including implications for how IA addresses the concerns of marginalized groups.     

Social Impact Management Plans: Innovation in corporate and public policy

Social Impact Assessment (SIA) has traditionally been practiced as a predictive study for the regulatory approval of major projects, however, in recent years the drivers and domain of focus for SIA have shifted. This paper details the emergence of Social Impact Management Plans (SIMPs) and undertakes an analysis of innovations in corporate and public policy that have put in place ongoing processes – assessment, management and monitoring – to better identify the nature and scope of the social impacts that might occur during implementation and to proactively respond to change across the lifecycle of developments. Four leading practice examples are analyzed. The International Finance Corporation (IFC) Performance Standards require the preparation of Environmental and Social Management Plans for all projects financed by the IFC identified as having significant environmental and social risks. Anglo American, a major resources company, has introduced a Socio-Economic Assessment Toolbox, which requires mine sites to undertake regular assessments and link these assessments with their internal management systems, monitoring activities and a Social Management Plan. In South Africa, Social and Labour Plans are submitted with an application for a mining or production right. In Queensland, Australia, Social Impact Management Plans were developed as part of an Environmental Impact Statement, which included assessment of social impacts. Collectively these initiatives, and others, are a practical realization of theoretical conceptions of SIA that include management and monitoring as core components of SIA. The paper concludes with an analysis of the implications for the practice of impact assessment including a summary of key criteria for the design and implementation of effective SIMPs.     

A review of uncertainty research in impact assessment

This paper examines uncertainty research in Impact Assessment (IA) and the focus of attention of the IA scholarly literature. We do so by first exploring ‘outside’ the IA literature, identifying three main themes of uncertainty research, and then apply these themes to examine the focus of scholarly research on uncertainty ‘inside’ IA. Based on a search of the database Scopus, we identified 134 journal papers published between 1970 and 2013 that address uncertainty in IA, 75% of which were published since 2005. We found that 90% of IA research addressing uncertainty focused on uncertainty in the practice of IA, including uncertainty in impact predictions, models and managing environmental impacts. Notwithstanding early guidance on uncertainty treatment in IA from the 1980s, we found no common, underlying conceptual framework that was guiding research on uncertainty in IA practice. Considerably less attention, only 9% of papers, focused on uncertainty communication, disclosure and decision-making under uncertain conditions, the majority of which focused on the need to disclose uncertainties as opposed to providing guidance on how to do so and effectively use that information to inform decisions. Finally, research focused on theory building for explaining human behavior with respect to uncertainty avoidance constituted only 1% of the IA published literature. We suggest the need for further conceptual framework development for researchers focused on identifying and addressing uncertainty in IA practice; the need for guidance on how best to communicate uncertainties in practice, versus criticizing practitioners for not doing so; research that explores how best to interpret and use disclosures about uncertainty when making decisions about project approvals, and the implications of doing so; and academic theory building and exploring the utility of existing theories to better understand and explain uncertainty avoidance behavior in IA.     

The Strategic Environment Assessment bibliographic network: A quantitative literature review analysis

Academic literature has been continuously growing at such a pace that it can be difficult to follow the progression of scientific achievements; hence, the need to dispose of quantitative knowledge support systems to analyze the literature of a subject. In this article we utilize network analysis tools to build a literature review of scientific documents published in the multidisciplinary field of Strategic Environment Assessment (SEA). The proposed approach helps researchers to build unbiased and comprehensive literature reviews. We collect information on 7662 SEA publications and build the SEA Bibliographic Network (SEABN) employing the basic idea that two publications are interconnected if one cites the other. We apply network analysis at macroscopic (network architecture), mesoscopic (sub graph) and microscopic levels (node) in order to i) verify what network structure characterizes the SEA literature, ii) identify the authors, disciplines and journals that are contributing to the international discussion on SEA, and iii) scrutinize the most cited and important publications in the field. Results show that the SEA is a multidisciplinary subject; the SEABN belongs to the class of real small world networks with a dominance of publications in Environmental studies over a total of 12 scientific sectors. Christopher Wood, Olivia Bina, Matthew Cashmore, and Andrew Jordan are found to be the leading authors while Environmental Impact Assessment Review is by far the scientific journal with the highest number of publications in SEA studies.     

Determining Vulnerability Importance in Environmental Impact Assessment: The case of Colombia

The concept of vulnerability has been used to describe the susceptibility of physical, biotic, and social systems to harm or hazard. In this sense, it is a tool that reduces the uncertainties of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) since it does not depend exclusively on the value assessments of the evaluator, but rather is based on the environmental state indicators of the site where the projects or activities are being carried out. The concept of vulnerability thus reduces the possibility that evaluators will subjectively interpret results, and be influenced by outside interests and pressures during projects. However, up until now, EIA has been hindered by a lack of effective methods. This research study analyzes the concept of vulnerability, defines Vulnerability Importance and proposes its inclusion in qualitative EIA methodology. The method used to quantify Vulnerability Importance is based on a set of environmental factors and indicators that provide a comprehensive overview of the environmental state. The results obtained in Colombia highlight the usefulness and objectivity of this method since there is a direct relation between this value and the environmental state of the departments analyzed.     

Environmental impact of Information Communication Technology: A review of econometric assessment methods,influential mechanism,and influential direction

In recent decades, the rapid development of the global society and economy has brought serious environmental problems, such as air pollution, greenhouse effect, and ecosystem degradation, all of which have attracted wide attention. Simultaneously, the use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) has been on the rise since the 1980s, which stimulates the growth of the economy and has a certain degree of impact on the ecological environment. Accordingly, the scientific community's interest in assessing this impact has grown considerably, and econometric methods are widely used as evaluation tools. However, the research results are often different in different regions, periods, environmental proxies, and ICT. Some studies indicate that the development of ICT is beneficial to environmental improvement, while others state that it is not. Therefore, a comprehensive analysis of the methods, mechanisms, and relative policy suggestions of this topic is desiderated. To address this gap, this paper carries out a systematic literature review of the usage of econometric methods in the assessment of the environmental impact of ICT. Among the 472 articles retrieved from scientific literature databases, 46 met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed in detail. This study aims to provide scholars with a mental picture of the current state of scientific research, identify the factors that influence the direction of ICT's impact on the environment, and enable future researchers to use more reliable and accurate estimation methods. The methods used in selected articles were divided into two main groups (i.e., time series models and panel data models), and panel data models were further subdivided into five categories. The detailed flow of these methods is summarized, and new advanced pre-test methods and estimators are highlighted. Furthermore, the analysis also indicates that among all the countries and regions involved in the selected articles, there is a non-strict inverted U-shaped curve between the level of socio-economic development and the direction of the impact of ICT on the environment. Finally, current research challenges are discussed, and potential directions for future research on this topic are also projected.     

Four conceptual issues to consider in integrating social and environmental factors in risk and impact assessments

In the last twenty years, both the increase in academic production and the expansion of professional involvement in Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Social Impact Assessment (SIA) have evidenced growing scientific and business interest in risk and impact analysis. However, this growth has not brought with it parallel progress in addressing the main shortcomings of EIA/SIA, i.e. insufficient integration of environmental and social factors into development project analyses and, in cases where the social aspects are considered, technical-methodological failings in their analysis and assessment. It is clear that these weaknesses carry with them substantial threats to the sustainability (social, environmental and economic) of projects which impact on the environment, and consequently to the local contexts where they are carried out and to the delicate balance of the global ecosystem. This paper argues that, in a sociological context of complexity and dynamism, four conceptual elements should underpin approaches to socio-environmental risk and impact assessment in development projects: a theoretical base in actor–network theory; an ethical grounding in values which are internationally recognized (though not always fulfilled in practice); a (new) epistemological-scientific base; and a methodological foundation in social participation.     

An integrated assessment model for cross-country pipelines

The cross-country petroleum pipelines are environmentally sensitive because they traverse through varied terrain covering crop fields, forests, rivers, populated areas, desert, hills and offshore. Any malfunction of these pipelines may cause devastating effect on the environment. Hence, the pipeline operators plan and design pipelines projects with sufficient consideration of environment and social aspects along with the technological alternatives. Traditionally, in project appraisal, optimum technical alternative is selected using financial analysis. Impact assessments (IA) are then carried out to justify the selection and subsequent statutory approval. However, the IAs often suggest alternative sites and/or alternate technology and implementation methodology, resulting in revision of entire technical and financial analysis. This study addresses the above issues by developing an integrated framework for project feasibility analysis with the application of analytic hierarchy process (AHP), a multiple attribute decision-making technique. The model considers technical analysis (TA), socioeconomic IA (SEIA) and environmental IA (EIA) in an integrated framework to select the best project from a few alternative feasible projects. Subsequent financial analysis then justifies the selection. The entire methodology has been explained here through a case application on cross-country petroleum pipeline project in India.     

Scientific barriers

Whatever the appeal of extreme integrism or holism, science is necessarily more utilist and partial. We can only address our environmental problems scientifically if we identify the most pressing and attack them first. To do so, we must break with the monistic ideals and traditions of both theoretical and mechanistic ecology to pursue particular solutions instead of global models. Statistical analysis of empirically identified patterns has proven effective in providing such solutions, perhaps because empirical patterns are less valueladen than theoretical or mechanistic alternatives or because such patterns are closer to experience and easier to understand. Unfortunately, such simple analyses are often less valued by leading ecologists who seek intellectual content rather than predictive power and practicality. To overcome this barrier to actionable information, the body of scientists must reaffirm their commitment to environmental action through their work as journal referees, grant reviewers, scientific critics and teachers.     

Testing an ex-ante framework for the evaluation of impact assessment laws: Lessons from Canada and Brazil

Scholars have been increasingly investigating legislative changes in Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). However, most of the existing evaluation frameworks have been applied to ex-post scenarios, after EIA laws and respective policies and regulations had been implemented for some time. This article has a twofold objective: first, to propose an ex-ante framework for the evaluation of proposed EIA laws and, second, to test the application of the framework to bills C-69 and PL-3729, which target federal-level EIA reform in Canada and Brazil, respectively. The proposed framework is meant to indicate the extent to which proposed legislative changes meet 50 good practice criteria, thus providing a more balanced and transparent account of the issues that should be addressed effectively in the legislative process and in future regulations and guidelines. Results indicate very contrasting scope and potential effects of proposed legislative changes in the two countries. Brazil's bill is essentially intended to integrate existing regulations into a law that would make EIA faster, simpler and less frequent. Canada's bill, recently approved by Parliament, includes a new Impact Assessment Act that is expected to deliver more comprehensive and credible assessments. The ex-ante framework, by exposing how close or distant proposed EIA regimes are from good practices, can be particularly helpful in lawmaking and regulatory design. The article finally discusses limitations and highlights future avenues of research.     

Terrestrial vertebrate fauna surveys for the preparation of environmental impact assessments; how can we do it better? A Western Australian example

The Western Australian Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) in 2002 released Position Statement, No. 3, Terrestrial Biological Surveys as an Element of Biodiversity Protection outlining how terrestrial fauna survey data are to be used and interpreted in the preparation of environmental impact assessments (EIA). In 2004, the EPA released its Guidance for the Assessment of Environmental Factors, Terrestrial Fauna Surveys for Environmental Impact Assessment in Western Australia, No. 56. This paper briefly assesses the adequacy of recent terrestrial fauna surveys undertaken to support publicly released EIAs and indicates that the EPA is not always adhering to its own position and guidance statements. This paper argues that the current fauna survey guidelines are in need of improvement. The approach and requirements of some other Australian states are briefly assessed to identify similarities and where improvements can be made to the Western Australian (WA) guidelines. This paper concludes with suggestions on how the process and the guidelines in WA can be revised to more adequately assess the impact of developments on terrestrial vertebrate biodiversity and ecosystem function. These suggestions may have relevance for other areas where fauna surveys are undertaken to support EIAs.