Environmental Impact

Assessment
 Dr Kabera Telesphore
 If you have any suggestions about this course
 Any other questions on study

Please do not hesitate to contact me!

 Contact me: [email protected]

 Environmental Impact
Assessment
SYLLABUS
 ChapterⅠ Introduction
 ChapterⅡ Process And Method

 ChapterⅢ Overview of EIA Cases

 ChapterⅣ Special topic of EIA

 Recommended text books
 Title: Introduction to Environmental Impact
Assessment
 Author: Glasson, John Therivel, Riki Chadwick, Andrew
 Publication: London, New York Taylor & Francis Routledge, 2005.

 Wood, C. (2002). Environmental Impact Assessment: a

Comparative Review (2nd Edition). Harlow: Prentice Hall
 Therivel, R. and Partidário, M.R. (1996). The Practice
of Strategic Environmental Assessment. London: Earthscan

Some website:
http://www.netlibrary.com/
http://www.elsevier.com/locate/eiar

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/eia/home.htm
http://www.nepa.gov/nepa/nepanet.htm
 US EPA
 Risk Models and Tools
 http://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/cfm/nceariskmodels.cfm?ActType=DatabaseAndTools&detype
=model&excCol=archive
 EPA hazardous pollutant risk assessments
 http://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/cfm/bmds.cfm
 The Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT) has developed several exposure
assessment methods, databases, and predictive models to help in evaluating: what
happens to chemicals when they are used and released to the environment; and how
workers, the general public, consumers and the aquatic ecosystems may be exposed to
chemicals.
 http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/exposure/index.htm
 Exposure Assessment
 http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/exposure/docs/exposurep.htm
 http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/exposure/docs/wpem.htm
 Transportation
 http://www.fra.dot.gov/rdv/environmental_impact_assesment/hornmodel.htm
 LIPASTO http://lipasto.vtt.fi/indexe.htm (for traffic exhaust emissions and energy
consumption in Finland)
 Environmental IMPACT™ software http://www.oceta.on.ca/profiles/beak/impact.html
 Japan
 http://www.ecoasia.org/APEIS/pages/sub-project/iea.html
 Europe
 AIR-EIA (air pollution and environmental impact assessment: the mutlimedia information
source)
 http://www.ess.co.at/AIR-EIA/architecture.html
 Contaminated Land Exposure Assessment Model (CLEA)
 http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/landliability/clea2002.htm
 http://www.york.ac.uk/inst/sei/rapidc2/monmod.html
 US EPA
Risk Models and Tools
http://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/cfm/
EPA hazardous pollutant risk assessments
http://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/cfm/bmds.cfm
The Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT)
http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/exposure/index.htm
Exposure Assessment
http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/exposure/docs/exposurep.htm
http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/exposure/docs/wpem.htm
Transportation
http://www.fra.dot.gov/rdv/environmental_impact_assesment/
LIPASTO
http://lipasto.vtt.fi/indexe.htm
Environmental IMPACT™ software
http://www.oceta.on.ca/profiles/beak/impact.html
Japan
http://www.ecoasia.org/APEIS/pages/sub-project/iea.html
Europe
AIR-EIA (air pollution and environmental impact assessment
http://www.ess.co.at/AIR-EIA/architecture.html
Contaminated Land Exposure Assessment Model (CLEA)
http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/landliability/clea2002.htm
http://www.york.ac.uk/inst/sei/rapidc2/monmod.html
Chapter I Introduction
Course Learning Objectives

At the end of this course you should be able to:

 Define and state the purpose of environmental impact assessment
(EIA)
 Specify the benefits of EIA

Identify challenges relating to the application of EIA
 Identify the potential role and applications of EIA in environmental
protection
 Lesson Learning Goals

At the end of this lesson you should be able to:

 In your own words, define and state the conception of Environment

 Define and state the purpose of environmental impact assessment
(EIA)
 Specify the benefits of EIA
 Discuss the role of EIA in supporting sustainable environmental
management decision making
 What is an EIA ?

What can we benefit from EIA ?

Why is it important ?

How to do ?
An simple example:
 Basic learning of EIA:

Process of decision-making

Focus is
 Natural environment and
 People’ opinions
1.1 Environment

 What is “The Environment”?

Humans have always inhabited two worlds.

- Natural World - Social World
1.1 Environment
 What is “The Environment”?

Environment can be defined as:

(1) the circumstance or conditions that surround an organism or

group of organisms

(2) the complex of social or cultural conditions that affect an

individual or community.
 What is an impact?
The impact of an activity is
a deviation (a change) from
the baseline situation that is The baseline
situation is the
caused by the activity. existing
environmental
situation or
! condition in the
absence of the
To measure an impact, you
activity.
must know what the
baseline situation is. The baseline
situation is a key
concept in EIA.
An environmental impact

(Wathern, 1988)
1.1 Environment
 Global Environmental Issues
How many global environment issues do you know?
 Climate Change and Global Warming
 Biodiversity
 Acid Rain
 Marine Pollution
 Ozone Layer Depletion
 GE Food
 Population Explosion
 …
 1.1 Environment
 How Human Activity Influences The Environment

Land use,
Economics,
resource Valuation of
Pollutant Physical, culture,
Human consumption, environmental
transport and chemical, and values, etc.
population and emissions changes
transformation biological
and economic (industry, (impacts,
in air, water, changes in the
activity buildings, costs, risks,
and soils environment
transportation and damages)
, agriculture)

Political
process
Technology
development

Public policy measures

(laws, regulations, and standars)

Figure 1.1 A framework for environmental impact assessments.

Solid lines show the path of primary or initial impacts; dashed lines show the major feedbacks and responses to these impacts.
(From: Edward S. Rubin, and Cliff I. Davidson, 2001. Introduction to Engineering & Environment. P 4)
Why does environment matter?

Historical Background

Population Growth
Natural Resource Pressures
Urbanization
Industrialization
 London smog incidents ：

 1952 年 12 月 5-8 日， Winter , fog and without wind.

 Using coal to make warm, so dust and moisture were
full of air.
 People felt difficult to breathe and the eyes
pain.
 4000 people were died in only four days and 8000
people died during the following two months.
 This was the largest incident by coal in the world
in 20 century.
 Los Angeles photochemical smog ：
 From 1940s, there were yellow smog emerged
at Los Angeles because of many cars.
 The smog hurt the eye, throat and lungs.
 It made many plants die and 400 people died
in 1955.
 This was the first air pollution incident
induced by the off-gas from car.
 Japanese Minamata disease incident ：
 From 1949, one of the chemical fertilizer (for
nitrogen) company used mercury as catalyzer. And
the waste water were discharged without treatment.
 In 1954,there was an unknown illness to cats and
people. Most of them became crazy and cried until
died.
 After ten years, scientists found that it was
mercury which caused the disease. Mercury was
changed to methylated mercury (CH3HCl) after
eaten by fishes. And CH3HCl hurt the brain and the
balance system. There were more than 100,000
people who ate the polluted fishes in Japan.
1.2 Environment Impact Assessment
 Genesis
 In 1950s, to enhance the environmental protection
management, environmental protection laws has been
established in many countries .

 The attitude to environmental protection:

Remedy / Fix / Repair  Forecast / Prevent

 International Symposium on Environmental Quality

Assessment, 1964, Canada ----- “EIA” been introduced
Origins and history of EIA
 1960s witnessed the emergence of
environmentalism (e.g. publication of
Silent Spring by Rachel Carson in
1962)
 First formal system of EIA

established in the US following the

National Environmental Policy
Act (NEPA) of 1969
 National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA),
1969, U.S
“include in every recommendation or report on proposals for legislation and
other major Federal actions significantly affecting the quality of the human
environment, a detailed statement by the responsible official on --
(i) the environmental impact of the proposed action,
(ii) any adverse environmental effects which cannot be avoided should the
proposal be implemented,
(iii) alternatives to the proposed action,
(iv) the relationship between local short-term uses of man's environment and
the maintenance and enhancement of long-term productivity, and
(v) any irreversible and irretrievable commitments of resources which would
be involved in the proposed action should it be implemented”
( Sec.102(C) )
Origins and history of EIA
 NEPA sought to ensure that environmental
concerns were considered in the decision-
making of Federal Government agencies

 Section 102(2)(c) required agencies to

prepare a detailed statement on the
environmental impact of “proposals for
legislation and other major Federal actions
significantly affecting the quality of the
human environment”
Origins and history of EIA
 The statement – referred to as an
Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS) - should include details on
• any adverse environmental effects
which cannot be avoided should
the proposal be implemented
• alternatives to the proposed
action
Origins and history of EIA
 Since 1969 a host of other countries have
adopted EIA legislation
 In 1977 the European Commission began
drafting a directive on EIA and finally
published a proposal in 1980
 Directive 85/337/EEC on the assessment
of the effects of certain public and private
projects on the environment – the ‘EIA
Directive’ was adopted in July 1985
1.2 Environment Impact Assessment
 The Definition of EIA
 A process through which environmental impacts (biophysical, social and
economic) potentially resulting from a proposed project, are identified and
assessed (early in the project planning phase).
 EIA is a formal study process used to predict the environmental
consequences of any proposed actions.
 EIA ensures that the potential problems are foreseen and addressed at an
early stage in action planning and design.
 EIA is intended to indentify the environmental, social and economic
impacts of a proposed development prior to decision making.
 1.2 Environment Impact Assessment

 The Objectives of EIA

To help decision-makers make well-informed

decisions related to proposed projects/activities.

 Predict environmental impact of actions;

 Find ways and means to reduce adverse impacts;
 Shape the actions to suit local environment;
 Present the predictions and options to the decision-makers;
 What is EIA?
EIA is a process of
 gathering environmental information
 describing a development
 predicting and describing the environmental effects of the development
 defining ways of avoiding, reducing or compensating for these effects
 consulting the general public and specific bodies
 taking all of this information into account
 ensuring that the measures committed to or conditioned are implemented
 A process which attempts to identify and predict the impacts
of proposals, policies, programs, projects and operational
procedures on the biophysical environment and on human
health and well-being
 It also interprets and communicates information about those
impacts and investigates and proposes means for their
management
 A planning and decision-making tool to protect the natural
environment and, thereby, protect human societies
 Why do EIA ?
 Promotes better planning and leads to more responsible
decision making; ensures that renewable and non-renewable
resources are used wisely
 Evaluates the rationale behind proposed projects and
activities; are there alternatives to a proposed project or
activity?
 Assists in pursuing sustainable development by evaluating
alternatives means of undertaking proposed projects and
activities
 Why do EIA ?
 Assessment outputs facilitate informed decision making;
anticipated environmental impacts can be weighed against
economic benefits and other social gains in deciding
whether to approve or reject proposals
 Helps to identify and understand environmental impacts
early in the project cycle; predicted impacts can be
mitigated before they occur
 Provides opportunity for input from interested parties;
increases likelihood of public acceptance
 Why is EIA Needed ?
 The natural environment is the foundation of the world
economy and our social well-being
 Past development practices have severely degraded the
natural environment and wasted scarce resources
 Increasing development pressures (e.g., industrialization,
urbanization, and resource use) will inevitably accelerate
environmental degradation unless sustainable
environmental management practices are adopted
 Benefits of EIA?
 Can identify impacts in advance of actions
 Can identify measures to mitigate predicted impacts
 Preventative approach (proactive) – is more cost effective
than finding a cure after the fact
 The Benefits of EIA:
 Reduced cost and time of project implementation
 Cost-saving modifications in project design
 Increased project acceptance
 Avoiding impacts and violations of laws and
regulations
 Improved project performance
 Avoiding waste treatment/clean up expenses
 The Benefits of EIA:
The benefits to local communities from taking part in environmental
impact assessments include:
 A healthier local environment (forests, water sources, agricultural
potential, recreational potential, aesthetic values, and clean living in
urban areas)
 Improved human health
 Maintenance of biodiversity
 Decreased resource use
 Fewer conflicts over natural resource use
 Increased community skills, knowledge and pride
 What is the purpose of EIA ?
To “…encourage productive and enjoyable harmony
between man and his environment; to promote efforts
which will prevent or eliminate damage to the
environment and biosphere and stimulate the health and
welfare of man; to enrich the understanding of the
ecological systems and natural resources important to
the Nation....”

(National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, (NEPA)

Section 2, as enacted by the Congress of the United
States of America)
 What is the purpose of EIA ?

“To implement a strategy of sustainable

development, prevent adverse impact on the
environment after the implementation of plans and
construction projects, and promote coordinated
development of the economy, society, and
environment.”

(Environmental Impact Assessment Law,

1600/20002.10.28, adopted at the 30th Meeting of
the Standing Committee of the 9th National Peoples
Congress, Peoples Republic of China)
 What is the purpose of EIA ?

To allow government officials, business leaders, and

all concerned citizens to understand the likely
environmental consequences of proposed actions,
and to cooperate in making wise decisions that
restore and maintain the quality of our shared
environment for future generations.

R. B. Smythe
 What is the purpose of EIA ?

“To LOOK before you LEAP!”

• EIA is now a required process in more than

100 nations.

• The International Association for Impact

Assessment (IAIA) is a global network with
2,700 members from more than 80 countries.
 WHAT CHANGES CAN EIA BRING?

Before introduction of EIA:

Government planning and decision-making:

•

“D-A-D” ---- “Decide, Announce, Defend”

Role of citizens:
•

“Critics” “Objectors” “Protestors”

Environmental conditions:
•

Steadily deteriorating
 WHAT CHANGES CAN EIA BRING?
After Implementing EIA:

Government planning and decision-making:

•

“D-D-D” ---- “Discuss, Decide, Deliver”

Role of citizens:
•

“Stakeholders” “Contributors” “Participants”

Environmental conditions:
•

Deterioration slows; some areas improving

Source: Hui, Y.M. (Simon), Environmental Protection Dept., HKSAR

 KEY ELEMENTS OF EIA

1. EIA must be undertaken EARLY in the development

of proposed projects, plans, and programs, and must
be completed BEFORE a decision to proceed is
made.
2. EIA must be an OBJECTIVE, IMPARTIAL
analytical process, not a way of promoting or
“selling” a proposal to decision-makers—it must use
accepted scientific principles and methods.
 KEY ELEMENTS OF EIA
3. EIA must analyze all Reasonably Foreseeable
environmental impacts or effects of a proposed action—
effects may be short-term, long-term, direct, or indirect.

4. The process of EIA must be OPEN – to government

officials at all levels, to potential stakeholders (those
with direct interests in the proposed action), and to the
PUBLIC.
 KEY ELEMENTS OF EIA
5. There must be an early, public Scoping stage in EIA to
consider Alternatives and to help focus subsequent analysis
on the MORE SIGNIFICANT potential impacts – rather than
studying all possible environmental effects—the GOAL is to
reach a decision.
6. Government officials responsible for implementing EIA must
Encourage (not just tolerate) PUBLIC PARTICIPATION in
the process from the scoping stage forward.
 KEY ELEMENTS OF EIA
7. In all EIA processes, effective Mitigation Measures must
be identified and included—to avoid, minimize, or
reduce the adverse effects of all potentially significant
impacts.
8. EIA reports must include an Environmental Management
(EMS) or Action Plan to Monitor the implementation
phase of the project, plan, or program and provide for
CORRECTIVE actions—such action plans must have
assured FUNDING and be legally enforceable.
The EIA Directive
 The EIA Directive requires projects
likely to have significant effects on
the environment by virtue of their
nature, size or location to undergo
an environmental assessment before
the competent authority in question
grants consent
The EIA Directive
 The EIA Directive was amended in
1997 (Directive 97/11/EC). Following
signature of the ‘Aarhus Convention’
on 25 June 1998, Directive
2003/35/EC was adopted which
amends amongst others the EIA
Directive and brings it into line with
the public participation requirements
of the Aarhus Convention
The EIA Directive
 See the European Commission’s web
pages on environmental assessment
at:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/
environment/eia/home.htm
The EIA Directive
 The EIA Directive defines a project
as
• the execution of construction
works or of other installations or
schemes,
• other interventions in the natural
surroundings and landscape
including those involving the
extraction of mineral resources
The EIA Directive
 The EIA should identify, describe and
assess the direct and indirect effects of
a project on the following factors:
• human beings, fauna and flora
• soil, water, air, climate and the landscape
• material assets and cultural heritage
• the interaction between the above factors
 EIA should therefore have a strong social
dimension
 EIA Core Values
 Sustainability: The EIA process will provide
necessary environmental safeguards
 Integrity: The EIA process will conform with
established standards; underlying science is
credible and decisions are justified
 Utility: The EIA process will provide balanced,
accurate information for decision making
 EIA Guiding Principles
 Participation: Appropriate and timely
access by all interested parties
 Transparency: All decisions should be
open and accessible
 Certainty: Process and timing agreed in
advance and followed by all
 Accountability: Decision makers and
project proponents are responsible for
their actions
 EIA Guiding Principles
 Credibility: Assessments are professional
and objective
 Cost-effectiveness: Environmental
protection is achieved at the least cost
 Flexibility: Process is adaptive and
responsive
 Practicality: Information and outputs are
usable in decision making and planning
 EIA Operational Principles
EIA should be applied to:
 all development projects and activities

likely to cause significant adverse impacts

or potential cumulative effects
EIA should be undertaken:
 throughout the project cycle, beginning as

early as possible
 in accordance with established procedures

 to provide meaningful public consultation

 EIA Operational Principles
EIA should provide the basis for:
 environmentally-sound decision making in

which terms and conditions are clearly

specified and enforced
 the development of projects and activities

that meet environmental standards and

management objectives
 an appropriate follow-up process with

requirements for monitoring,

management, audits, and evaluation
 EIA Operational Principles
EIA should address:
 all related and relevant factors, including

social and health risks and impacts

 cumulative and long-term, large-scale

effects
 design, siting and technological

alternatives
 sustainability considerations including

resource productivity, assimilative

capacity and biological diversity
 EIA Operational Principles
EIA should result in:
 accurate information on the nature, likely

magnitude and significance of potential

effects, risks and consequences of
proposals and alternatives
 a relevant report for decision making;

including qualifications on conclusions

reached and prediction of confidence limits
 ongoing problem solving and conflict

resolution throughout the process

 Integration of EIA into the
Decision-Making Process
 Timing: EIA conducted early in the
project cycle
 Disclosure: EIA results disclosed to

all interested parties

 Weight: EIA results are considered

by decision makers
 Revisions: Plans revised to include

feasible mitigation measures or a

less damaging alternative
Integration of EIA into the Decision-
Making Process

 Mitigation: Agreed-upon mitigation

measures are implemented and
monitored for effectiveness
 Monitoring: Post-project, follow-up

monitoring of impacts conducted and

results acted upon
Characteristics of Effective EIAs
 Completeness:
• all significant impacts considered
• all relevant alternatives examined
 Accuracy:
• appropriate forecasting procedures
• appropriate evaluation procedures
 Clarity:
• all interested parties can comprehend
issues
 Sustainable Development

“Sustainable development is development

that meets the needs of the present
without compromising the ability of
future generations to meet their own
needs.”
 Example Sustainability Criteria

 Maintenance of habitat and ecosystems

 Preservation of native plant and animal species
 Preservation of cultural values
 Reclamation and re-use of waste water
 Wastewater disposal within assimilative capacity
 Groundwater extraction within sustainable yield
 Productive use of fertile soils
 Prevention of erosion
 Sustainability Criteria
 Application of clean technology
 Waste recycling or use
 Material utilization allowing recycling or re-use
 Energy efficiency/Use of renewable energy sources
 Public acceptability/Involvement of the community
 Full cost recovery for goods or services
 Equitable cost-benefit distribution
Concluding Thoughts

Important points to remember are:

EIA is a structured process to anticipate, analyse and disclose
environmental consequences associated with proposed projects
or activities
EIA seeks to ensure that potential problems are foreseen and
addressed such that project benefits can be achieved without
causing serious environmental degradation
Done correctly, EIA can be a powerful environmental
management tool