Module 2: Planning: Selecting topic for an environmental audit

In the previous module, we learnt briefly about the concepts of sustainable development and environmental policy and the main environmental governance tools to achieve environmental objectives. 

The following sections of the course will focus on identifying environmental problems and choosing topics for auditing. 

The aim of environmental audits is to analyse major environmental problems, identify their root causes and describe what the situation might lead to if left unresolved. Successfully focusing an audit helps an auditor approach relevant issues with the appropriate resources. An understanding of the processes that take place in nature and the relationships between ecosystems is necessary in order to grasp the relevance and scale of environmental problems.

Before that, the basics of performance audits and the main stages of the audit cycle will be introduced.