List of contributorsPART I CONCEPTUAL FOUNDATIONS AND EVOLVING ROLES1 Introduction to the Handbook of Environmental Impact AssessmentAlberto Fonseca2 NEPA in the United States: death by extremism or redesign of a more useful tool?Michael R. GreenbergStuart Shapiro3 Impact assessment in the post-COVID-19 world: the growing role of health impact assessmentMirko S. WinklerAdithya PradyumnaFrancesco VilianiAstrid M. Knoblauch4 Integrated impact assessment: coming out of the shadows?Richard K. MorganPART II STAGES AND METHODS5 Influence of EIA on project planning and design: exploring the gap between best and actual practiceClaire Gronow6 The theory and practice of scoping: delivering proportionate EIA reportsUrmila Jha-ThakurFatemeh KhosraviDavid Hoare7 The benefits and perils of digital and automated technologies: impact assessment methods in the fourth industrial revolutionAlberto Fonseca8 A new agenda for significance determination in EIA: promoting community-based determination processes to counterbalance technocratic approachesSara Bjørn AaenIvar LyhneHelle Nedergaard Nielsen9 Artificial intelligence solutions for environmental and social impact assessmentsAtiyah CurmallyBlaise W. SandwidiAditi Jagtiani10 Mitigating climate change through impact assessments: critical reflections from Canadian policy reformKarine PeloffyNick ZrinyiRosa Galvez11 Follow-up: post-decision learning in EIAJohn GlassonPART III IMPROVING GOVERNANCE AND DECISION-MAKING12 Uncertainty in EIASanne Vammen Larsen13 Trade-offs in impact assessment design and implementationRobert B. GibsonAlberto Fonseca14 Heuristics and bias in assessing the social impacts of energy projectsDouglas L. Bessette15 Rightful resistance and activism through EIAs in ChileRajiv MaherDiego Galvez Pino16 Indigenous Peoples and impact assessmentPhilippe HannaCdssio Ingles de SousaTumanako Fa'aui17 Trends in EIA effectiveness researchJohn J. LoomisMauricio DziedzicPART IV GLOBAL PRACTICE18 EIA best practice in AfricaLuke SandhamFrancois RetiefReece Alberts19 EIA in Finland: the influence of international norms on the founding and evolution of national impact assessment systemsTimo KoivurovaKatri-Maaria KylldnenKrittika Singh20 EIA in Canada: strengthening follow-up, monitoring and evaluationPatricia FitzpatrickJ. Byron Williams21 EIA in Japan: the benefits of early public participationTetsuya Kamijo22 Environmental impact assessment in Brazil: a review of its rise (and fall?)Luis E. SanchezCarta Grigoletto Duarte23 EIA in China: evolution and challengesHe XuYiting YangHuanzhi WangXueyan GuoPART V LOOKING FORWARD24 The importance of leadership in impact assessmentRoss MarshallMaria Partidario25 Epilogue (The future of impact prediction: what to expect from EIA in the next 50 years?)Alberto FonsecaIndex