Methods and Ways Forward for Assessing Cumulative Impacts

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Background Chemical and non-chemical stressors are not evenly distributed in an environment, nor do they operate in isolation. Similarly, people are not exposed to one stressor at a time, but rather are subject to multiple types of stressors from the natural, built, and social environments simultaneously. Cumulative impacts research that focuses on the totality of exposures (both beneficial and adverse) from such stressors on human health and well-being is needed in order to address overlapping environmental, social, and economic impacts. Cumulative impact assessment (CI assessment) is a tool that can be used to assess such cumulative exposures.  This webinar series highlights efforts to advance this practice in the absence of standardized guidance. 
 

About the Webinar Series This webinar series is being co-organized by HEI’s Community Health and Environmental Research Initiatives program and Energy research program as part of a special project aimed at providing a roadmap that can inform CI assessment using example contexts from oil and gas communities in the United States. This series of webinars inform the conceptualization of the project and  aims to bring together voices from academia, government, industry, and communities across the field of impact assessment.

Overview of the Webinar This webinar explored research related to cumulative impacts and cumulative impact assessment, and highlighted the state-of-the-science in the field. The objective was to illustrate how the combined effects of chemical and non-chemical stressors have been characterized in research and policy contexts, what methodologies currently exist or are being explored to conduct cumulative impacts research, what research is needed to support cumulative impact assessment, and potential paths forward to support meaningful cumulative impact assessment that supports health-protective policy.

The speakers discussed the following questions:
1.    In what context was your assessment or research related to cumulative impacts or risks conducted and to support what types of decisions?
2.    What methodologies have been or could be used to conduct cumulative impacts assessment? What stressors are typically characterized and prioritized (or should be characterized)? How are non-chemical stressors being incorporated into cumulative impacts research? 
3.    How has community engagement factored into cumulative impacts research and projects? What has been learned from these efforts?
4.    What data and information are missing, incomplete, or not publicly available that would be useful in advancing this work?
5.    In the context of the current policy and regulatory landscape regarding cumulative impacts in the U.S., what do you see as the way forward in terms of methods for assessing cumulative impacts?