Climate change in SEA: learning from English local spatial planning experience

Abstract

This research employed an analytical framework with eight climate change review criteria to investigate the extent to which strategic environmental assessments (SEAs) address climate change. The framework was applied to 36 English local development framework core strategy sustainability appraisals (SAs), which comply with EU SEA Directive (Directive 2001/42/EC) requirements. The analysis showed most English core strategy SAs addressing climate change in some way, with certain of the criteria more consistently addressed than others. A closer examination uncovered good practices, opportunities for learning, and practical ways of addressing climate change within an SEA and local spatial plan context. The examination also suggested that an additional climate change criterion pertaining to equity was warranted. A further finding concerned the importance of public participation, not just in the SA process in general, but in relation to treatment of climate change issues in particular. The analytical framework appears to have potential for wide application and for comparisons of practice between different datasets and timeframes.