Policy brief presents environmental, socio-economic, and health impact assessment for gene drive organisms

ISAAA Inc., in partnership with the Outreach Network for Gene Drive Research, launched a new policy brief that discusses the environmental, socio-economic, and health impact assessment (ESHIA) for gene drive organisms.

The policy brief, titled Environmental, Socio-economic, and Health Impact Assessment (ESHIA) for Gene Drive Organisms, is the second of a series that aims to present proposed policy options and impacts that address issues relating to gene drive technology. The following questions were answered in the second policy brief:

• What is environmental, socio-economic, and health impact assessment (ESHIA)?

• How is an ESHIA different from an environmental risk assessment (ERA)?

• How is an ESHIA undertaken?

According to the policy brief, ESHIA is helpful because it offers an analysis that helps assess the advantages and disadvantages of action and inaction, which is important to inform decisions. ESHIA and ERA complement each other, and their findings should be considered in decision-making. The brief also recommends public engagement to enable public participation and information sharing with numerous stakeholder groups across a wide array of relevant topics.

To learn more about ESHIA for gene drive organisms, download and read the policy brief from the ISAAA Inc. website.