Guidance on Integrating Climate Change and Biodiversity into Environmental Impact Assessment.

The need for action on climate change and biodiversity loss is recognised across Europe and around the world. To make progress towards combating and adapting to climate change, and halting the loss of biodiversity and the degradation of ecosystems, it is vital to fully integrate these issues in the plans, programmes and projects implemented across the EU. Environmental Assessment can contribute to this integration of climate change in an early stage and thus reduce vulnerability and increase the resilience of natural and human systems. The report provides guidelines and recommendations to integrate climate change and biodiversity in Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). Since climate change and biodiversity loss — like so many other environmental issues we face — are closely related, they are covered in the same guide.