January 23, 2025

Territory, Risk and Public Policies

Maria Teresa Fidélis da Silva

Climate change poses significant challenges, affecting communities, ecosystems, and crucial infrastructures like dams. Despite their importance in water management and energy production, dams are highly susceptible to climate change impacts due to their long lifespan. This research emphasizes the need for incorporating climate change analysis into the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of new dams, including evaluating mitigation and adaptation strategies.

This research reviews international guidelines and scientific literature from the past twenty years, revealing a general acknowledgment of the EIAs' potential to address climate change risks. However, systematic studies on the actual inclusion of these risks in dam EIAs are rare.

An analysis of EIA legislation, guidelines, and dam regulations in the context of three different countries - Canada, Oman, and Portugal - demonstrates that in these countries, climate change concerns are inadequately detailed in critical steps of the EIA process and adaptation measures are overlooked.

The research develops an analytical model for assessing the integration of mitigation and adaptation strategies in the EIA and project development stages of three case studies.
The findings suggest a need for explicit inclusion of climate change in EIAs and dam regulations to ensure that these matters are taken into consideration in the licensing process of new dams. The proposed model serves as a tool for EIA practitioners and regulators, guiding the incorporation of climate change considerations in the EIA process of dams in coordination with its development stages.

Overall, this thesis aims to fill a research gap by exploring current practices, legislative frameworks, and practical guidelines, contributing to the advancement of climate-proofing of dams' projects.

Keywords: Climate change, risks, dams, environmental impact assessment, climateproofing, mitigation, adaptation, resilience