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Essay / The extent to which strategic environmental assessment...
1. IntroductionClimate change, the “bad problem,” continually imposes a significant threat to nature as a whole according to recent projections (IPCC 2013; Bondeau et al. 2013). This anticipated danger is inevitable to some extent, even if the source of the problem (“greenhouse gas” emissions) is currently ruled out (IPCC 2014a). A combination of mitigation (GHG reduction or capture) and adaptation efforts has been suggested in both the short and long term to achieve the complementary benefit (i.e. cost) and reduce risk (IPCC 2014a; 2014b). Energy use in transportation, residences and businesses, and the industrial sector is the largest contributor to global GHG emissions (EPA 2013). These three sectors are actively influenced by land use planning and comprehensive environmental planning through strategic environmental assessment (SEA) and environmental impact assessment (EIA). Indeed, the land use pattern in any area determines the emissions characteristics of the two aforementioned sectors which are largely governed by the SEA in Europe (key contributor to global emissions) and industrial emissions are governed by the EIA; the two most essential tools of spatial planning to achieve the general environmental objective (Hurlimann and March 2012; Wende et al. 2012). Furthermore, climate risk can be significantly reduced by integrating adaptation solutions (i.e. drainage, air circulation) into the land use/spatial plan. Indeed, the SEA and the EIA are recognized as means of implementing climate protection within the framework of spatial planning and can therefore be considered as the appropriate tool for "protection against change climate” (Blanco et al. 2009). The Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) procedure is well-founded to methodically address ...... middle of document ......ss in Planning, 75(3), pp.109-154.Runge, K. , Wachter, T. and Rottgardt, EM (2011). Climate adaptation, protection against climate change and environmental assessment – Practical needs and potential for integration. UVP Report, 24(4), pp.165-169. Sadler, B. (1996). Environmental assessment in a changing world: evaluating practices to improve performance. Hull, Quebec: Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency and International Association for Impact Assessment. Therivel, R. (2004). Strategic environmental assessment in action. 1st ed. London, United Kingdom and Washington, United States: Earthscan.UNFCC. (1992). United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. [online]. Available at: http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/convkp/conveng.pdf. Wende, W. et al. (2012). Climate change mitigation and adaptation in strategic environmental assessment. Review of Environmental Impact Assessment, 32(1), pp..88–93.