Environmental Impact Assessment (Overview of Purpose, Process and Methods)

Environmental Impact Assessment Overview of Purpose, Process and Methods... Number of people x Number of units of resources used per person x Environmental degradation and pollut

Environmental Impact Assessment

(Overview of Purpose, Process and Methods)

What is the purpose of EIA ?

EIA : A systems perspective on

sustainable development

IPAT, Impact = population x

I

Ecological footprint

Number of people

x

Number of units of resources used per person

x

Environmental degradation

and pollution

per unit of resource used

Environmental impact

of population

Impact (Il) = population x affluence x technology (PAT)

(adapted from Sadler and Jacobs

(1989) and Sadler (1995)

Environmental Impact of Less Developed Countries (top) and More Developed Countries (bottom)

People Overpopulation

Number of Environmental Number units impact per Environmental eor esources used unit of impact of population

r person resource used

Consumption Overpopulation

Meaning of EIA

EIA - a tool or a process |!

EIA is a management tool

(Following questions need to be asked about any major projects)

The EIA decision support system

-(Adapted from Petts and

c € )n

Communication

| Action definition

e Consideration of need and alternatives

Is an assessment

needed?

¢ Scoping the coverage

Implementation

e Construction and commissioning

Monitoring compliance

and impacts

Performance

auditing

Communication and ~~

participation ¬>

rs >>

r — — >

EIA report

preparation IN

\ - e Site-specific `

scoping ì

e Assessing the \

existing \

ory =)

Review and environment \

ac >

mitigation « Impact prediction \

e Evaluation of significance E

e Draft report | ¬ Seige ` °

` ^ ee, of m& S

oe Fe, Oo

Ae eh 5

Decision

e« Review of report

Review and * Formal

mitigation consultation

¢ Planning decision

se Decisions on

relevent permits

<q - = Se b y

4

7

————— df

Communication and participation va

‹ developer -. project and how to reduce adverse

environmental impacts

The = —_—sneeds to know how the impacts will affect the viability of the project, and what liabilities are incurred

- compe†en† au†hority -.- results to decide on a response to the permit application

Other government authorities =) >

know the implications of the projects

they may wish to promote

- requlator -

environmental impacts and weather they are acceptable

- regiondl planner -

impacts will interfere with adjacent

developments and land uses

= local community © will need to know how the project's impacts will affect their quality of life

.- poli†icians -

affected and in what way, and what issues should be of concern

What methods are used in EIA process ?

Screening :

Preliminary Assessment:

Organization:

Scoping:

The EIA study:

(Identification) ?

(Prediction) ?

(Evaluation) ? (Mitigation) ?

(Documentation)?

Principlel1:

impacts and for sound environmental management

decision makers