Abstract:
The challenges of assessing and managing the cumulative impacts of human
activities on the environment remain major obstacles to sustainable development.
This challenge is highlighted by the worldwide expansion of marine renewable
energy developments (MREDs) in areas already subject to multiple activities and
where climate change is rapidly changing the environment. Cumulative effects
assessments (CEAs) in theory provide decision makers with adequate
information about how the environment will respond to the incremental effects of
licensed activities and are a legal requirement in many nations. In practise,
however, such assessments are beset by uncertainties that, in context of MREDs,
resulting in substantial delays during the licensing process that limit progress
towards meeting carbon emission reduction targets. At a broader level, poor CEA
practice risks developments and activities being permitted that contribute to
environmental degradation with negative implications for connected human
societies. This thesis investigates the origins of CEA to understand why improved
practice remains challenging and to identify key CEA considerations that need to
be addressed to improve CEA. Shortcomings in current practice were evaluated
to refine the key CEA considerations. A conceptual analysis of the underpinnings
of CEA was completed that resulted in a tiered conception of CEA being proposed
to support regional coherence between CEAs, and the elaboration of principles
and a CEA pathway to support consistent CEA practice. The CEA pathway was
tested by defining and collating evidence to populate the steps of the pathway,
which was then applied to a case-study to investigate the potential for novel
approaches to support improved CEA. Insights and directions for future research
were discussed to contribute to the evidence base required to improve CEA and
to advocate for a change in CEA, from being a sub-discipline of project- and plan-
level assessments, to becoming the overarching purpose of such assessments.
