Assessing the Future

This module addresses the future outlook regarding the environment. The future is difficult to assess because much of it depends on human decisions and choices, as well as the possible efforts by people to change their environmental destiny if, when they look at it, it seems bleak. By the end of this module you should: have a good understanding of how present environmental policy formulation can be linked to the future; know why forward-looking policy (i.e. into the future) environmental assessment studies are conducted; realize the importance of emerging issues in understanding forward looking environmental assessment studies; have learnt about the range of driving forces that are likely to influence environmental changes and decisions that may be taken to address such changes; have learnt about the underlying assumptions underpinning each of the four scenarios used in the AEO report; have developed some skills in scenario development for environmental assessment; and have learnt different modelling approaches.