Introduction to Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
Chapter 5
Fall 2022
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT
• Introduction
• Overview on EIA Process
• Environmental impact statements: the documentation
• The purposes of EIA
• The nature of sustainable development
Introduction to Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
• Over the last 4 decades there has been a remarkable growth of interest in
environmental issues – in sustainability and the better management of
development in harmony with the environment.
• Associated with this growth of interest has been the introduction of various
new legislation emanating from national and international sources, that
seeks to influence the relationship between Development and Environment.
Introduction Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
Refers to the need ‘to identify and predict the impact on the
environment and on man’s health and well-being of legislative
proposals, policies, programm, projects and operational procedures, and
to interpret and communicate information about the impacts’, to the
narrow and early UK DoE (1989) operational definition.
Introduction Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
The term ‘environmental assessment’ describes a technique and a
process by which information environmental effects of a project is
collected, both by the enveloper and from other sources, and taken into
account by the planning authority in forming their judgements on
whether the development should go ahead.
3. Types of EIA
There are two types of EIA models which are:
• Statutory model which makes the assessment of impact compulsory
under an enacted law, or a delegated legislation,
• Administrative model under which an administration exercises its
discretion to find out whether an impact study is necessary most of
countries now have the statutory model of EIA
EIA: a process EIA is a process, a systematic process that examines the environmental
consequences of development actions. The steps are briefly described
below, pending a much fuller discussion in coming chapters.
Figure shows important steps in the EIA process
EIA: a process
Project screening narrows the application of EIA to those projects that may
have significant environmental impacts. Screening may
be partly determined by the EIA regulations operating in a country at the time
of assessment.
Scoping seeks to identify at an early stage, from all of a project’s possible
impacts and from all the alternatives that could be addressed, those
that are the crucial, significant issues.
EIA: a process
The consideration of alternatives seeks to ensure that the proponent has
considered other feasible approaches, including alternative project locations,
scales, processes, layouts, operating conditions and the ‘no action 'option.
The description of the project/development action includes a clarification of
the purpose and rationale of the project, and an understanding of its various
characteristics – including stages of development, location and processes
EIA: a process
The description of the environmental baseline includes the establishment of both the present
and future state of the environment,
in the absence of the project, taking into account changes resulting from natural events and
from other human activities.
The identification of the main impacts brings together the previous steps with the aim of
ensuring that all potentially significant environmental impacts (adverse and beneficial) are
identified and taken into account in the process.
EIA: a process
The prediction of impacts aims to identify the magnitude and other
dimensions of identified change in the environment with a project/ action, by
comparison with the situation without that project/action.
The evaluation and assessment of significance assesses the relative
significance of the pre - dicted impacts to allow a focus on the main adverse
impacts.
EIA: a process
Mitigation involves the introduction of meas - ures to avoid, reduce, remedy
or compensate for any significant adverse impacts. In addi - tion
enhancement involves the development of beneficial impacts where possible.
Public consultation and participation aim to ensure the quality,
comprehensiveness and effectiveness of the EIA, and that the public’s views
are adequately taken into consideration in the decision-making process
EIA: a process
EIS presentation is a vital step in the process. If done badly, much good work in the
EIA may be negated.
Review involves a systematic appraisal of the quality of the EIS, as a contribution to
the decision-making process.
Decision-making on the project involves a consideration by the relevant authority of
the EIS (including consultation responses) together with other material
considerations.
EIA: a process
Post-decision monitoring involves the recording of outcomes associated with
development impacts, after a decision to proceed. It can contribute to effective
project management.
Auditing follows from monitoring. It can involve comparing actual outcomes with
predicted outcomes and can be used to assess the quality of predictions and the
effective ness of mitigation. It provides a vital step in the EIA learning process.
4. Environmental impact statements(EIS ): the documentation
The EIS documents the information about and estimates of impacts derived
from the various steps in the process.
EIS revealing many significant unavoidable adverse impacts would provide
valuable information that could contribute to the abandonment or
substantial modification of a proposed development action.
EIS for a project-example of contents
4. The purposes of EIA 4.1 An aid to decision-making
it provides a systematic examination of the environmental implications of a proposed action, and sometimes alternatives, before a decision is taken.
4.2. An aid to the formulation of development actions
It can provide a framework for considering location and design issues and environmental issues in parallel.
4.3 A vehicle for stakeholder consultation and participation.
EIA can be a very useful vehicle for engaging with communities and stakeholders, helping those potentially affected by a proposed development to be much better informed and to be more fully involved in the planning and development process.
4. The purposes of EIA 4.3 A vehicle for stakeholder consultation and participation.
EIA can be a very useful vehicle for engaging with communities and stakeholders, helping those potentially affected by a proposed development to be much better informed and to be more fully involved in the planning and development process.
4.4. An instrument for sustainable development.
Existing environmentally harmful developments have to be managed as best as they can.
5. The nature of sustainable development Economic development and social development must be placed in their environmental contexts.
The economic goal of increased gross national product (GNP), using more inputs to produce more goods and services, contains the seeds of its own destruction.
Increased output brings with it not only goods and services, but also more waste products. Increased inputs demand more resources.
The nature of sustainable development The below figure shows the economic development process in its environmental context (adapted from Boulding 1966)
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