Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca
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NSERC Policy on Environmental Assessment
Introduction
"Humanity has the ability to make development sustainable – to ensure that it meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs ... a continually evolving concept based on the integration of social, economic, and environmental concerns."
– Our Common Future, World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987.
…Environmental assessment provides an effective means of integrating environmental factors into planning and decision-making processes in a manner that promotes economic development that conserves and enhances environmental quality.
…The Government of Canada seeks to achieve sustainable development by conserving and enhancing environmental quality and by encouraging and promoting economic development that conserves and enhances environmental quality.
…The Government of Canada is committed to exercising leadership within Canada and internationally in anticipating and preventing the degradation of environmental quality and at the same time ensuring that economic development is compatible with the high value Canadians place on environmental quality.
– Extract from the Preamble of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act.
As a federal agency, NSERC must adhere to federal environmental legislation and policies, and make sure the research it supports is carried out in a manner that respects the environment.
NSERC also actively promotes sustainable development, that is, development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It does this by supporting research leading to new knowledge needed in the development of new policies and regulations for environmental protection, and to innovative and environmentally-friendly products, processes and services. The results of NSERC-supported research improves Canadians' quality of life and helps Canada to fulfil its international commitments in the area of the environment.
Policy Statement
NSERC will ensure that the research it supports promotes sustainable development and is conducted in a way that respects and protects the environment. To do this, NSERC will work with its grants and award holders and other partners to minimize or eliminate the negative environmental effects of proposed research, and when possible, to improve environmental quality.
Council has adopted the following policy objectives:
- NSERC will take into account environmental concerns in its planning and decision-making, in a way that promotes sustainable development.
- NSERC will ensure that the research it supports adheres to federal environmental legislation and policies.
- NSERC's policy on environmental assessment is guided by the principles of sustainable development as articulated in the
Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (hereafter referred to as the Act).
This means:
- NSERC will ensure that all proposals are examined for potential environmental effects.
- When an environmental assessment is required, NSERC will make sure that it is conducted at the proposal stage and before irrevocable decisions are made.
- For any proposal that has potentially negative impacts on the environment, NSERC will follow up to ensure that appropriate monitoring and mitigation measures are put into place to minimize or eliminate these impacts.
- Researchers must disclose the potential environmental effects of research activities in their proposals and inform NSERC and their institution of any changes in the work, as they pertain to the environment, during the course of the award.
- NSERC will not release funds until it is satisfied with the results of the environmental assessment and with the proposed mitigation measures.
- NSERC will undertake strategic environmental assessments of its plans, programs and policies in accordance with The Cabinet Directive on the Environmental Assessment of Policy, Plan and Program Proposals, as required.
- NSERC will ensure that organizations created to receive and manage NSERC funds (for example, the Networks of Centres of Excellence) will have a process to identify proposals having potentially negative environmental effects and to assess them.
