Transformative effectiveness: How EIA can transform stakeholders’ frames of reference

The principal aim of environmental impact assessment (EIA) is to foster sustainable development. Sustainability can be conceived along a ‘weak’ and ‘strong’ continuum, in which the latter holds that substitution natural capital severely limited, evidence suggests weak sustainability prevails decision-making supported by EIA. Therefore, based on assumption strong required goal protect biodiversity mitigate future climate change, this paper establish concept transformative effectiveness better evaluate how EIA transformation stakeholders’ frames references towards sustainability. systems US, EU, Brazil were analyzed identify implicit explicit drivers change goal. A literature review within was used for identifying necessary changes need come from both policy actor networks wider social-ecological-technological system operates. From this, new dimension transactive characterized help extent practice transforming as • Transformative evaluating introduced. Strong purpose principles identified. purposes Brazil, European Union, US detailed. How learning transform values. Transformation at micro- macro- meta-scales discussed.