How do you prioritize environmental justice and human rights in your impact assessment?

1 Define your scope

The first step is to define the scope of your impact assessment, which includes the geographical, temporal, and thematic boundaries of your analysis. You need to consider not only the direct and immediate impacts of your activities, but also the indirect and cumulative impacts that may arise from your supply chain, your customers, or your competitors. You also need to account for the long-term and intergenerational effects of your actions, such as climate change, biodiversity loss, or human displacement.

2 Engage with stakeholders

The second step is to engage with the stakeholders who are affected by or interested in your impact assessment, such as local communities, civil society organizations, government agencies, or investors. You need to consult with them throughout the process, from scoping to monitoring, and ensure that their views, concerns, and expectations are heard and addressed. You also need to respect their rights, cultures, and values, and avoid imposing your own assumptions or biases on them.

3 Assess the impacts

The third step is to assess the impacts of your activities on the environment and society, using qualitative and quantitative methods, such as surveys, interviews, observations, or models. You need to identify the positive and negative impacts, as well as the opportunities and risks, that may result from your actions. You also need to evaluate the significance and magnitude of the impacts, as well as the likelihood and uncertainty of their occurrence.

4 Prioritize the impacts

The fourth step is to prioritize the impacts that require the most attention or action, based on their significance, magnitude, likelihood, and uncertainty. You need to apply the principles of environmental justice and human rights, such as equity, fairness, inclusion, participation, and accountability, to guide your decision-making. You also need to consider the trade-offs and synergies between different impacts, as well as the distributional and procedural aspects of your actions.

5 Mitigate the impacts

The fifth step is to mitigate the impacts that are negative, significant, or likely, by taking measures to avoid, reduce, or compensate for them. You need to design and implement mitigation strategies that are effective, feasible, and acceptable to the stakeholders. You also need to monitor and evaluate the outcomes and impacts of your mitigation actions, and adjust them as needed.

6 Communicate the impacts

The sixth step is to communicate the impacts of your activities to the stakeholders and the public, using clear, transparent, and accessible formats, such as reports, dashboards, or stories. You need to disclose the methods, data, and assumptions that you used in your impact assessment, as well as the results, conclusions, and recommendations that you derived from it. You also need to solicit and respond to feedback, and demonstrate how you have incorporated it into your actions.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?