Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management

Environmental assessment (EA) systems in the countries-in-transition (CITs) in Central and Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia have been significantly reformed over the last decade. Considerable research efforts have focused on the degree to which EA in this region conforms to best international practice, functions well and results in environmental and democratic improvements. This article examines the evolution of such research and proposes to expand its agenda and methodology to include a policy-systems approach that would more accurately take account of the complexity of EA systems, especially in the constantly changing and institutionally volatile environment of the CITs.

This paper argues that small island states and territories provide a case for the application of health impact assessments. Their characteristic ecological fragility, vulnerability, relatively small size and limited resources give cause for environmental impact concerns. The tendency, therefore, is for decision-makers and developers to focus upon the economic benefits of proposed development projects while mitigating their environmental impacts, paying little attention to health impacts. The paper defines health status and health determinants and provides a toolkit of guidelines for carrying out health impact assessment in small islands. It discusses the approaches and lessons from the UK and Canada by which assessors in small islands can develop health impact assessment processes within their own contexts. The paper identifies the positive and negative health impacts that assessors should consider in assessing the impacts from tourism. The conclusions point to policy implications and the need for decision-makers to incorporate health impact assessment into their respective island's planning and regulatory frameworks.

China is one of the thirteen countries in the world that lacks water. Rapid economic growth and urbanisation over the past two decades have exerted enormous pressure on China's water resources. The shortage of water resources and serious water pollution have become important factors restraining the sustainable development in the cities. Wastewater reuse has been proven to prevent water pollution and ameliorate the pressure on the water environment. Moreover, wastewater reuse can make up for the lack of funds in wastewater treatment. So, wastewater reuse is a viable choice to realise the sustainable utilisation of water resource in China. There still remain many uncertainties in wastewater reuse. It is strongly recommended that a wastewater reuse policy be pushed forward considering the necessity and the implications to society, the economy and the environment. Strategic environmental assessment (SEA) is seen as an important tool for integrating the environmental factors into decision-making. This paper illustrates a case study for SEA — aimed at Tianjin Wastewater Reuse Policy (TWRP). The process of SEA at the policy level and the related problems are presented within this case study. It provides a good framework for carrying out SEA of waste reuse at the national level. The study will support the Chinese Government in developing a national strategy on urban wastewater reuse through an investigation of the existing situations, evaluation of policy options in different areas, and offering recommendations.

In recent decades several researchers have investigated the relationship between corporate environmental performance and environmental disclosures. A number of these studies have also investigated the positive/negative content of the disclosures, particularly following the occurrence of negative environmental events or media coverage. Limited research has investigated the usefulness of regulated public external disclosures of corporate environmental performance information as a driver of annual report environmental disclosure behaviour. The mandatory Australian National Pollutant Inventory now provides interested parties with access to information on corporate pollution emissions. This represents a change to the corporate operating environment and represents a potential threat to corporate legitimacy. This paper reports the results of research investigating the release of corporate pollution emission information on the National Pollutant Inventory and changes in corporate environmental disclosures in annual reports.

Sustainable communities are seen as offering the opportunity to manage growth in plan-led and environmentally friendly patterns of settlement. This paper examines the settlement model put forward for the development of sustainable communities in the United Kingdom and shows that while in Scotland, the growth management strategy is clearly plan-led, the degree to which the design solution can be seen to be environmentally friendly is questionable. The paper suggests this is because in its current form, the model is not able to show whether the design solution advanced is ecologically sound. Whether, in particular, the solution is ecologically sound and because of this, not only efficient in greening economic development, but in also making it financially viable for plan-led experiments of this kind to produce environmentally friendly patterns of settlement.