Environmental Impact Guidance
Impact Assessment
"Where regulations or alternative measures are introduced, this should be done..with decisions informed by a full regulatory impact assessment, which includes details of not only the obvious costs and benefits of the proposal but also the wider economic, social and environmental impacts. New regulations should only be introduced when other alternatives have first been considered and rejected, and where the benefits justify the costs" The Prime Minister, 1998
Impact assessments now aim to capture all the costs and benefits of different policy options, including environmental impacts. The IA template (that the Minister signs-off) now requires policy makers to describe any significant environmental, social or economic impacts.
This is designed to lead to better policy making, by helping the policy maker and decision makers in two ways:-
1. To identify which policy option (including having no policy) is better for the country as a whole, all things considered; and
2. To identify harms or conflicts with other government policies so that these can be avoided, or reduced where possible.
Environmental costs and benefits coming out of policy are as real as financial costs to business. The difference is a matter of who bears the costs (or receive the benefits). Financial costs may fall on particular businesses, environmental costs may fall on society in particular localities or on society as a whole. This becomes clearer once we understand that environmental impacts can be costed, valued in monetary terms. Across government there is extensive economic expertise that does exactly that, mostly in a policy context. One of the aims of this guidance is to give you access to the people with that expertise.
This guidance does not help you consider the social impact of any environmental impact (for example, whether lower air quality in cities impact disproportionately on lower income groups). You might consider this in the 'social impacts' side of your impact assessment.
Click here to reach a Checklist of questions of environmental impacts.
Page last modified: 19 June 2007
Page Published: 16 November 2004