Check out the latest enews, sent 20 April
Join us this September in Cape Town, South Africa, for “Celsius 1.5: Impact Assessment and Climate Change.” This international symposium will explore the intersection between climate change and IA, along with best practices in resilient and low-carbon cities and Africa’s transition to a low-carbon economy.
Check out the event website and first announcement for more information. A pre-symposium training course and technical tour will be offered 26 September (stay tuned for details), and experts will take the stage for two days of symposium presentations 27-28 September 2022.
Are you an expert in one of the symposium topics? A limited number of abstracts will be invited to present in Cape Town. Submit your abstract by 7 June 2022. Please note that all costs associated with attending the symposium will be the responsibility of the presenter.
IAIA22 final program available
IAIA22, “Confidence in Impact Assessment: Policies, partnerships and public involvement,” will take place 4-7 May 2022 in Vancouver, BC, Canada (with a related virtual component). Registration is now closed, and the final program is available online. Updated COVID information is available on the IAIA22 health and safety page.
2021 annual report released
IAIA’s 2021 annual report, “Resilience,” has just been released. Have a quick read about the great work being done by Innovation Grant recipients, a snapshot of our finances and investments, messages from the President and Executive Director, highlights of social media and publications, and more.
Virtual AGM to be held 21 April
The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the IAIA membership will be held virtually on Thursday, 21 April 2022, at 13:00 UTC/GMT. All IAIA members are encouraged to attend to learn more about the operation of the organization and ask questions. Members received an email with access instructions and can log in to IAIAConnect to check out the agenda and more.
Online training courses available
IAIA's online training courses consist of several live, virtual sessions over a two- to three-week period. Register now for these upcoming courses:
• Resettlement and livelihood restoration (starts 13 June)
• Biodiversity-friendly infrastructure (starts 5 July)
• Effective engagement in impact assessment (starts 23 August)
Foundations of Impact Assessment course offered
IAIA’s 12-week Professional Development Program (PDP) “Foundations of Impact Assessment” online course will be held from 6 June through 26 August 2022. Participants start and complete the course within this period according to the schedule they arrange with their trainer. Registration is open now through 23 May 2022. Register now! Seats are limited.
IAIA23: Call for training course proposals
Save the date for IAIA23 in beautiful Kuching, Malaysia: 8-11 May 2023. IAIA invites proposals for training courses to be offered in conjunction with IAIA23. Training course proposals are due 22 June 2022. See these tips for submitting a successful proposal, and stay tuned for the conference first announcement and website.
Board transparency
The IAIA Board of Directors, in an effort to increase transparency in its governance, is now posting draft agendas ahead of it meetings. To view the draft agenda for its upcoming meeting in Vancouver, log in as a member and see the "Board Meeting Agendas and Minutes" section on the Members-Only page.
Meet IAIA Corporate Member Ecofish Research
Ecofish Research is an environmental management firm with over 150 scientists and support staff with offices throughout British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, and Nova Scotia (Canada). They are committed to top-quality work that efficiently and comprehensively addresses the needs of their clients, and their success is based on a steadfast commitment to four guiding principles: scientific excellence, professional environmental ethics, business discipline, and social responsibility. Ecofish offers a broad range of environmental assessment, monitoring, mitigation, offsetting, and design services — delivered using a proven, multidisciplinary, science-based approach that appeals to clients in industry, government, and First Nations.
Innovation Grant output: Gaia Consult, Inc. releases COVID-19 analysis
Grace Eunyoung Lee and Allegra Varriiale of Gaia Consult, Inc. undertook a comparative analysis of how COVID-19 is changing the public consultation practices in the ESIA procedure. See the complete report, “Has the COVID-19 Changed Public Consultation Practices in the ESIA Process?: The Case Study of the Philippines and Italy,” under "COVID-19 Pandemic" on IAIA’s Hot Topics page. IAIA Innovation Grants are a competitive source of funds provided by the IAIA Board to encourage members, Sections, Branches, and Affiliates to undertake innovative projects to advance the strategic direction of IAIA.
New! On-demand webinar on biodiversity
“New approaches to longstanding challenges: Emerging technologies and analyses for biodiversity impact assessment” presents case studies featuring technologies and emerging analyses for biodiversity monitoring and impact quantification. Participants in this IAIA webinar recording discuss how these tools can solve biodiversity-related challenges.
Why there’s hope yet for the climate
After this month's alarming report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, there was some positive news at last – for the first time nations appear to be on track to keep heating to below 2C. Analysis of the net-zero pledges made by countries last year at COP26 suggests that the world will limit warming to 1.9C if (and that’s a big “if”) states make good on their promises.
The UN Biodiversity Conference: The road to a bold new agreement for nature
Government leaders from around the world will convene in Kunming, China, later this year for the UN Biodiversity Conference (also known as COP-15). They are set to agree upon new goals for nature through the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. A successful agreement would include effective conservation and management of more of our land, inland waters and oceans. The draft framework currently includes a target to conserve and protect significant areas of land and sea globally. Such targets are only meaningful when they are backed by capacity and resources to implement.
Air pollution now directly affects 99% of the world
Data revealed that 99% of the world breathes air polluted at levels above WHO’s air quality standards. “After surviving a pandemic, it is unacceptable to still have 7 million preventable deaths and countless preventable lost years of good health due to air pollution,” said Dr. Maria Neira, head of WHO’s department of environment, climate change, and health. “Yet too many investments are still being sunk into a polluted environment rather than in clean, healthy air.”
IAIA22: Confidence in Impact Assessment: Policies, partnerships and public involvement. 4-7 May 2022. Vancouver, Canada, and online.
OAIA: Back to Basics: Creating Value through Environmental Assessment. 19-20 October 2022. In person with options for virtual participation. North York, Ontario, Canada.
NZAIA: Wellbeing, Sustainability and Impact Assessment: towards more integrated policy-making. 30 November - 1 December 2022. Wellington, New Zealand.
