Health Equity and Socio-Ecological Considerations in Impact Assessments of Extractive Industries.

Extractive industries contribute to income, employment, and education within Canada; however, they also pose distinct and variable risks to health equity for Indigenous peoples, whose communities are often located near chosen sites for extractive industry projects. Impact assessments, completed during the planning phase of projects, include mandatory considerations of the health impacts of the project. In both papers (linked below), the authors explore health equity and impact assessments, underscoring the critical function of a public health focus in impact assessments.

In the first article, “Advancing socio-ecological considerations in impact assessment of extractive industries”, the authors interviewed Canadian and international experts about impact assessments and regulation. They explore the need for a system-level framework to promote socio-ecological determinants of health during impact assessments, particularly within the complex policy and regulatory environment in the Canadian context.

In 2019, the Canadian government introduced a new framework to review extractive industry projects. In the second article, “Scoping population health equity in impact assessments: A realist synthesis-informed review of key literature 2010–2019”, the authors respond to this new regulation by reviewing literature from the previous ten years, identifying best practices and key leverage points for advancing health equity during the planning phase of industry projects.

Find out more about this work:

Full Publication of Advancing socio-ecological considerations in impact assessment of extractive industries: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2024.103677

Full Publication of Scoping population health equity in impact assessments: A realist synthesis-informed review of key literature 2010–2019: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exis.2024.101413