Ministry of Climate Plans to Simplify Climate Impact Assessments

TALLINN - The Ministry of Climate has initiated a study aimed at simplifying environmental impact assessments.

The study aims to identify activities with a significant enough climate impact to require further review during the environmental assessment process. Its results will help create a clearer and fairer framework for assessing how economic activities affect the achievement of climate goals.

"We want to find a balance between ensuring environmental protection and reducing unnecessary bureaucracy for businesses," explained Kristi Klaas, Deputy Secretary General for the Green Reform. "A significant climate impact needs to be clearly defined so that assessors and permit authorities can focus on major sources of emissions, while we can avoid placing an undue burden on activities with a low impact."

Defining the concept of 'significant climate impact' will help accelerate the environmental permitting process while ensuring continued progress toward climate neutrality. The study will analyze various sectors and develop a methodology for determining when an impact is considered significant.

"All climate policy is moving toward better integrating environmental and economic goals, and this study brings us one step closer to that objective," Klaas emphasized. "A smaller environmental impact has long been a competitive advantage, and we want to apply this same principle to the environmental permit application process."

The study will analyze greenhouse gas emissions across various sectors and propose a threshold for what constitutes a significant climate impact.

"Environmental impact assessment is based on laws and guidelines that have historically offered little guidance on accounting for climate impact. This has created ambiguity for businesses, assessors, and government agencies alike," commented Valdur Lahtvee, a senior expert at the Stockholm Environment Institute's Tallinn Centre, which is leading the analysis. "Our goal is to develop recommendations that provide greater clarity for all parties, taking into account international best practices and Estonia's specific circumstances. However, any simplification of the process must not come at the expense of environmental quality."

The proposed thresholds and sectors resulting from the study will be discussed and tested with representatives from key stakeholder groups. These include companies participating in the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), professional associations, the Estonian Association of Environmental Impact Assessors, and the Estonian Council of Environmental NGOs.

The study's findings will be used to amend legislation in order to simplify the environmental impact assessment system. These legislative amendments are planned for the coming years.