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Introduction to Environmental Impact Assessment

Introduction to Environmental Impact Assessment. Objectives. By the end of this module you should be able to: outline the origins and development of EIA; describe the EIA process, listing the different stages and types of activity involved;

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Introduction to Environmental Impact Assessment

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  1. Introduction to Environmental Impact Assessment

  2. Objectives • By the end of this module you should be able to: • outline the origins and development of EIA; • describe the EIA process, listing the different stages and types of activity involved; • list the characteristics of projects which may give rise to significant impacts; • critically evaluate impact identification and prediction techniques for use within the EIA process; • describe methods for evaluation and decision-making based on EIA; and • understand how to carry out an environmental impact assessment and prepare an environmental statement.

  3. EIA and Sustainable Development Social Environmental Economic

  4. What is Environmental Impact Assessment?

  5. Definition • “An assessment of the impact of a planned activity on the environment”. • UN Economic Commission for Europe, 1991 • “… the whole process by which environmental information is collected, publicised and taken into account in reaching a decision on a relevant planning application”. • DETR, 1999

  6. Benefits of EIA • What are the benefits of an effective EIA process?

  7. more environmentally sustainable design better compliance with standards reduced social costs savings in capital and operating costs increased project acceptance reduced time and costs for approvals more informed decision-making better monitoring and management of impacts Benefits of EIA include:

  8. Making EIA work • What values and principles must EIA have in order to make it work? • Write your answers down individually then discuss with your neighbour. (5 minutes)

  9. EIA – UNEP core values • Sustainability • to result in environmental safeguards • Integrity • to conform to agreed standards • Utility • to provide balanced, credible information for decision-making

  10. Participation Transparency Certainty Accountability Credibility Cost-effectiveness Flexibility Practicality EIA – UNEP guiding principles

  11. Evolution of EIA: • Late 1960s /early 1970s • initial development • 1970s to 1980s • trend to integration • mid to late 1980s • cumulative effects and policy integration • mid 1990s • towards sustainability

  12. http://www.casa.ucl.ac.uk/muki/images/eia2.jpg

  13. Recent Developments • Major reforms to well established systems • Implementation of the EC Directives (85/337 & 97/11) • World Bank and other agencies introduce policies • Convention on EIA in Transboundary Context 1991 • Conventions on Climate Change and Biological Diversity • Strategic Environmental Assessment (2001/42/EC) • Sustainability Assessment

  14. http://www.unece.org/env/eia/guidance/transp.html www.only-maps.com/ europe-map.jpg

  15. Who should be involved in EIA? • With your neighbour:Write down as many groups of people and organisations as you can think of that are or should be involved with the EIA process.(5 minutes)

  16. Key actors in UK legislative framework (redrawn from Glasson et al., 1999) Developers public sector(e.g. DfT) private sector(e.g. multinational corporations) Affected parties Statutory bodies(e.g. EA, EN, CA) non-statutory bodies (NGO’s) environmental international/national (e.g. Greenpeace, FOE, CPRE) economicNational (unions), local groups Regulatorssupra-national (e.g. EC) national (e.g. ODPM,DEFRA) local(e.g. LPA) Facilitators consultants (environmental, planning etc) advisors, advocates

  17. Planning and development life cycle Demonstration of need Area search Assessment of alternatives Site selection Consent procedure (incl. EIA) Site acquisition Construction Operation stages Decommissioning & restoration

  18. The formal EIA process (Directive 97/11/EEC) Project initiated Annex I Annex II Applicationof indicativecriteria EIA required EIA not required Proponent prepares EIS Public review Competent authority evaluates EIS Competent authority makes decision

  19. Prediction of impacts Evaluation and assessmentof impacts Identification of mitigating measures 2 Project screening Scoping Description of projectDescription of environment Identification of key impacts 1 Presentation of findings in an EIS 3 4 Review of the EIS Decision-making 5 Post-decision monitoring Auditing of predictions and mitigation measures 6 The EIA process cycle Public consultation

  20. Steps in the EIA Screening Is an Environmental Impact Assessment necessary? Scoping What should be included in the study? Impact ID & prediction What aspects of the project will cause impacts on the environment? Impact mitigation How can the design be changed to reduce the predicted impacts? Reporting What are the key issues to be taken into account by decision makers? Decision making Do the benefits of the project (social and economic)outweigh the environmental costs? Monitoring & evaluation Were the environmental impacts correctly predicted?

  21. Time for a break!

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