This PhD thesis explores the junction between plan- and project-level environmental assessment (EA) and the largely voluntary United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) defined at global and international governance levels. It recognizes EA as a process for creating enlightened decision-support to integrate early environmental considerations into plan development and project implementation. And it recognizes the SDGs as a normative framework urging for future development that is more strategic and adheres to sustainable development in its most comprehensive form.

The outset of the thesis builds upon the hypothesis that EA and SDGs have a mutualistic potential when effectively integrated, but that empirical understandings of how SDGs and EA influence each other in conducted practice are scarce.

The study is divided into a three-part exploration,

1. the ways in which practitioners navigate in their practice to integrate the SDGs,
2. the methodological approaches for operationalizing SDGs in EA, and
3. the influence that the SDGs have on EA practice.

Through the development of a theoretical framework, called ‘spaces for practice’, the thesis explores how practitioner motivations are translated into conducted practice. The framework is used to provide insight into mainly consultant, but also developer, perspectives and abilities to change their EA to adopt the SDGs and to identify the challenges and opportunities to do so.

Furthermore, the thesis uses 180 EA reports, eight integration examples, and one case study to explore the operationalization of SDGs through approaches to localizing, assessing and communicating SDGs within EA.

Lastly, the overall influence of their integration is determined, showing remaining potential for more radical integration that changes the fundaments of EA and brings even greater attention to the sustainability focus within EA.

Please email Emilia Ravn Boess to get a copy of the thesis: emiliarb@plan.aau.dk .