DECISION-MAKING FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT:
HOW ASSESSMENT CAN HELP
Governments have recognized for over 20 years the importance of developing sustainably so that future generations can
also meet their own needs. However, unsustainable development is still happening in the UNECE region. Governments and
civil society can infuence decision-making in favor of sustainable development by raising awareness and imposing
constraints and incentives.
Impact assessments are tools used to identify existing constraints and to impose additional procedural and design
constraints. Procedural constraints require certain actions, such as the distribution of information and the participation of
the public. These may cause delays and additional costs, but they can also bring planning benefts. Design constraints may
be imposed by measures to prevent or reduce adverse impacts.
Regulatory impact assessment provides information on the likely economic, social, and environmental impacts of diferent
regulatory options to achieve particular policy objectives. This allows decision-makers to see the advantages, disadvantag-
es, and risks of each option.
Similarly, environmental impact assessment is a tool used to identify and assess the environmental and socio-economic
impacts of planned projects. It provides opportunities for comment by the authorities and the public and allows for meas-
ures to be introduced to prevent, reduce or mitigate impacts. Environmental impact assessment is now provided in the
legislation of all but a few States. It is sometimes combined with cost-beneft analyses to provide an economic dimension.
WHY CLIMATE POLICY SCENARIOS ARE IMPORTANT,
HOW TO USE THEM, AND WHAT HAS BEEN LEARNED
In a perfect world, policymakers would use various policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but the most important
policy would be to put a price on carbon emissions that refects their actual cost to society. However, the real world is full
of uncertainty, which makes it difcult to estimate the true cost of carbon emissions due to factors like climate science,
economic impact, and discount rates. As a result, researchers, businesses, and policymakers are turning to scenario analy-
sis to better understand how to address climate change. Scenarios help policymakers adapt to changing circumstances by
taking into account things like new technology and the economy's response to climate policies. However, policymakers
need to understand the strengths and weaknesses of diferent modelling approaches to use scenarios efectively.