30th Annual Meeting of the International Association for Impact Assessment
2010 | Geneva, Switzerland
"We invite international experts, IA practitioners, sector leaders, and policy makers from industry, government, consultancies, donor agencies, and academia to collaborate on what needs to be done and how to attain this vision."
- Hussein Abaza, IAIA10 Program Chair | Chief, UNEP Economics and Trade Unit
In order to prepare our global societies to face a transition toward green economies, it is important to conduct assessments that will demonstrate the types of green investments that best fit local, national, and regional environments. Impact assessments have the power to influence and shape green policy development, which will in turn play a major role in addressing the global crises.
Global economic growth over the past 50 years has been accompanied by accelerated environmental decline. From 1981 to 2005, global GDP has more than doubled. In contrast, 60% of the world’s ecosystems are now considered degraded or are being exploited in an unsustainable manner.
Meanwhile, the global economy is in a multi-dimensional crisis. The financial crisis has been driving much of the developed world into recession, affecting businesses and jobs around the world. The fuel crisis, reflected in wildly fluctuating prices, is threatening the reliability and security of energy supply, and climate change is aggravating these challenges and the achievement of Millennium Development Goals.