Comprehensive environmental assessment: a meta-assessment approach.
With growing calls for changes in the field of risk assessment, improved systematic approaches for addressing environmental issues with greater transparency and stakeholder engagement are needed to ensure sustainable trade-offs. Here we describe the comprehensive environmental assessment (CEA) approach as a holistic way to manage complex information and to structure input from diverse stakeholder perspectives to support environmental decision-making for the near- and long-term. We further note how CEA builds upon and incorporates other available tools and approaches, describe its current application at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and point out how it could be extended in evaluating a major issue such as the sustainability of biofuels.
National Center for Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, US Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27711, United States. powers.christina@epa.gov
Christina M
CM
Powers
Genya
G
Dana
Patricia
P
Gillespie
Maureen R
MR
Gwinn
Christine Ogilvie
CO
Hendren
Thomas C
TC
Long
Amy
A
Wang
J Michael
JM
Davis
D056804:Biofuels / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity; D003657:Decision Making; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D058735:Environmental Policy; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity; D006801:Humans; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity; D012106:Research; D012308:Risk Management / Q000379:methods*; D014481:United States; D014484:United States Environmental Protection Agency
D056804:Biofuels; D004785:Environmental Pollutants