Defining and identifying cumulative environmental, health, and community impacts

Abstract

Cumulative change to the environment is not a new concept. From governments to concerned citizens, there is a broad appreciation of the singular and cumulative impacts of economic development. These impacts influence the intangible and abstract elements of the natural world such as biodiversity and ecosystem health as well as those components of the environment that directly affect human health and the ability of communities to meet the socioeconomic needs and aspirations of their citizens. Despite a long history of practice in Canada and even more extensive experience within other jurisdictions, there has been considerable criticism of the processes for addressing cumulative impacts. Much of the criticism of current practice is directed at regulatory structures, such as environmental assessment legislation, that are designed to accommodate single proponents and assess individual projects on a site-by-site basis. Cumulative impacts result from multiple projects that span diverse resource sectors and the impacts can occur regionally over long time periods. There is progress in the development of better methods, policy, and legislation for addressing impacts, but this is occurring against a backdrop of increasing industrial activity. Broad-scale application and testing of new approaches is urgently needed because the cumulative impacts from development are threatening Canada’s communities and natural heritage. In this chapter, I explore the fundamental concepts underlying cumulative effects assessment and the range of potential approaches capable of addressing impacts. First, I describe cumulative effects and then differentiate them from cumulative impacts. I continue with a discussion of the rate of development of natural resources in Canada and the relationship between development and the emerging crisis of cumulative impacts. The chapter ends with a review of current methods and approaches for assessing the magnitude and extent of these impacts. This includes current EA legislation and more progressive ideas focused on holistic cumulative effects assessment and management frameworks.