Practitioner survey of the state of health integration in environmental assessment: The case of northern Canada

Human health frames in EIA – the case of Swedish road planning

“…Some interviewees argue that health should not be considered solely in relation to physical health, but should also be related to social and economic determinants. These differences in perceptions are also reflected in the findings from northern Canada by Noble and Bronson (2006) (Government Bill 2002/03:35;2007/08:110). The Environmental Quality Objectives describe the quality and status that should be achieved in respect of the Swedish environment and that are outlined as being ecologically sustainable.…”

“…A study by Noble and Bronson (2006) in northern Canada found consensus among interviewees that health should be considered in EIA, but lack of consensus regarding 'what kind of health'. In a study covering 10 EU countries, the USA and Canada, Hilding-Rydevik et al (2005) found a significant minority view that health in EIA should be understood as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, while others were of the opinion that EIA already covers enough in relation to health issues.…”

Space for action: How practitioners influence environmental assessment

“…However, it is as recently as 2014 that the updated EIA directive has referred explicitly to 'population and human health' (directive 2014/52/EU). Health, then, has gradually emerged as a significant issue for EA, characterised by strengthening institutionalisation, accompanied by strong calls for practitioners to change their understanding of the issue of human health, in order to improve health inclusive EA (Hilding-Rydevik et al, 2005, Noble and Bronson, 2006, Socialstyrelsen, 2001, Steinemann, 2000, WHO, 1987. It is further argued by these authors that there is a need for cooperation between EA practitioners and health professionals, with the underlying assumption that the latter have a more appropriate understanding of health.…”

Incorporating health into environmental assessments in Canada

“…Reports in Canada and worldwide have indicated that health is inconsistently incorporated into EA largely as a consequence of the restriction of health concerns to a small number of direct physical health effects, with limited attention given to indirect effects and social impacts on health (Davies and Sadler, 1997;Bond, 2004;Kwiatkowski, 2004;Bronson, 2005, Noble andBronson, 2006;McCaig, 2006;Bhatia and Wernham, 2008). This is illustrated in a compilation of case studies looking at the inclusion of health in EAs for proposed mining developments in northern Canada (Noble and Bronson, 2005).…”

“…A survey of government EA practitioners, EA consultants, and federal and regional health practitioners in northern Canada identified a number of barriers limiting the integration of health into EAs (Noble and Bronson, 2006). These included: differences in practitioners' understanding of how well health is integrated into EA, with some EA practitioners and proponents rating it as sufficient, whereas First Nations participants and some health practitioners suggest it is insufficient; limited coordination and communication between health practitioners and those who work in EA; lack of supporting EA methods and frameworks to deal with the complexity of health impacts from environmental effects; limited access to health data; and a lack of financial and time resources (Noble and Bronson, 2006).…”