Critical perspectives on Environmental Impact Assessment: bridging theory, practice, and policy

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) sits at the heart of environmental engineering, serving as a vital mechanism by which potential impacts of projects and policies are anticipated, mitigated, and managed. Although EIA has expanded significantly in scope and complexity over recent decades, it remains the subject of ongoing debate concerning its efficacy in balancing development and sustainability imperatives. Unresolved questions persist—including the appropriateness of existing assessment frameworks, the integration of new environmental metrics, the reliability of predictive tools, and the enforcement of recommendations made during the EIA process. Recent scholarly work has investigated innovative EIA methods, expanded the range of tools such as life cycle assessment, carbon footprinting, and decision-support systems, and explored the interplay between EIA and international sustainability targets such as the SDGs. Nevertheless, the literature reveals substantial differences in how EIA is conceptualized, implemented, and regulated globally, and significant gaps remain regarding its long‑term influence on policy and environmental outcomes.This Research Topic aims to interrogate, evaluate, and advance the evolving debates surrounding Environmental Impact Assessment from an engineering and policy perspective. Its goal is to collect cutting-edge research that critically examines the theoretical foundations, practical applications, and future directions of EIA. Contributors are encouraged to address ongoing controversies, propose innovative frameworks or tools, analyze implementation barriers, and investigate the interaction between EIA methodologies, emerging technologies, and sustainability policies.Topics may include, but are not limited to:• Debates on the effectiveness of EIA in informing policy and decision‑making• Comparative analysis of EIA frameworks, methods, and theoretical foundations• Integration of tools such as life cycle assessment, exergy analysis, industrial ecology, and carbon footprinting in EIA• Development and implementation of decision‑support systems for EIA• Innovations in sustainability analysis and environmental management connected to EIA• Case studies illustrating successes and failures in EIA processes and outcomes• Regulatory, institutional, and governance dimensions of EIA• New guidelines, standards, and best practices shaping the future of EIA• EIA’s role in advancing SDGs 7, 9, 11, 12, and 13• The interface between engineering innovation and EIA methodologiesArticles may include original research, reviews, methodological papers, perspectives, and policy analyses. Topic editors: Catherine Mulligan, Athanasios Angelis-Dimakis, Toru Matsumoto Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/81118/critical-perspectives-on-environmental-impact-assessment-bridging-theory-practice-and-policy