ABSTRACT The future of impact assessment has to contend with global megatrends, including the Fourth Industrial Revolution, that are set to change the face of the planet, and with the neoliberal economy, and the implications this has for trade-offs in decision-making under the umbrella of ‘sustainable development’. Together these challenges have implications for human health and well-being, and biodiversity. In this letter, we set out these challenges, before moving onto the solutions that are needed to rise to them. These include: formalising technology assessment processes and/or the inclusion of emerging technologies within the scope of legislated IA processes; a move towards legislated substantive outcomes, rather than enforcement of procedure only; and ensuring that the framing of IA goals are based on societal definitions of sustainability.

中文翻译：

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二十一世纪的影响评估–迎接挑战

摘要影响评估的未来必须与包括第四次工业革命在内的全球大趋势相抗衡，这些趋势将改变地球的面貌，并与新自由主义经济及其在决策中权衡取舍所产生的影响“可持续发展”的保护伞。这些挑战共同影响着人类的健康和福祉以及生物多样性。在这封信中，我们先提出了这些挑战，然后再提出解决这些挑战所需的解决方案。这些措施包括：规范技术评估程序和/或将新技术纳入立法的IA程序范围内；向立法的实质性结果迈进，而不是仅仅执行程序；并确保IA的目标框架基于可持续性的社会定义。