Tools for Environmental Assessment

SITS Code: 2580067

Lecturer: Colin Brown

Term taught: Autumn

Weighting: 10 credits

Status: Compulsory (ESM; CSREM); Optional (MEM, EEEM, EE)

Pre-requisites: None

Workload: Contact hours: Lectures (9 x 1 h), Practicals (4 x 3 h), Seminars (2 x 2 h),
Private-study (75 h)

Assessment: Two written pieces of coursework (50% each)

Learning outcomes

By the end of this module students will:

1. Understand the principles of different methodologies applied in environmental
assessment;
2. Be able to select appropriate tools for addressing specific environmental
problems and to evaluate strengths and weaknesses of output from each
approach;
3. Have experience of a selection of techniques gained from practical sessions
and case-study seminars.

Lectures

Lecture 1 Introduction and Environmental Indicators Set out examples of
situations where formal assessment of environmental conditions and/or consequences
is required. Describe and categorise the main tools and approaches available,
highlighting the key features and applications of each. Introduce environmental
indicators as a means to measure impacts and changes in environmental conditions.

Lecture 2 Environmental Impact Assessment EIA as a tool for evaluating
consequences of development projects; approach to EIA; acceptable level of effects;
option evaluation; environmental statements; community/stakeholder participation;
mitigation of impacts.

Lecture 3 Strategic Environmental Assessment SEA as a development from EIA
that address some of the shortcomings in EIA; application to plans and policies;
outline of the processes involved and case studies to demonstrate the principles.

Lecture 4 What is sustainable development? Etiology of the term sustainable
development; conventional models of development and the challenge posed by the
sustainability agenda; new environmentalism; differing responses to the sustainability
debate; where do we need to go from here?

Lecture 5 Environmental law and policy Overview of the development of and
application of law and policy from international treaties through to national and
regional legislation.

Lecture 6 Business, environment, sustainability and corporate social responsibility
environmental management systems including ISO, toolkits and requirements;
environmental stewardship; the CSR agenda; labelling, marketing and greenwash;
drivers for corporate accountability, approaches and outcomes for auditing.

Lecture 7 Environmental risk assessment Risk; risk analysis; environmental
exposure and environmental effects; risk characterisation and principles of
uncertainty; viewpoints on risk management.

Lecture 8 Life Cycle Analysis Cradle-to-grave philosophy; inventory,
improvement, impact assessment, limitation, examples of applications.

Lecture 9 Risk communication - introduction to risk communication and stakeholder
perceptions; how can we characterise different types of risk; what drives the way we
view and respond to different risks.

Practicals

Four 3-hour practicals will provide experience of four of the techniques introduced in
the lectures.

Practical 1 Environmental impact assessment. Students will develop an impact
matrix for the universitys third campus development at Heslington East.

Practical 2 Strategic environmental assessment. Students will use SEA to analyse
future strategies for the UKs generation of electricity.

Practical 3 Life cycle analysis. Students will analyse impacts across the life cycle of
an industrial product and use information to redesign and mitigate the impacts.

Practical 4 - Environmental risk assessment. Students will undertake ERA for a
chemical used in an industrial manufacturing plant. Students will role play major
stakeholder groups undertaking assessments, introducing the principles of risk
assessment, risk management and cost-benefit.


Seminars

Two 2-hour seminars will each involve a presentation from an expert in a field of
environmental assessment. Examples of these seminars are provided below:

Environmental impact assessment in practice Dr David Medio, Halcrow
Environmental

Risk assessment in practice Dr Paul Sweeney, Syngenta


Virtual learning environment

Taught sessions are supplemented with learning resources on a dedicated Yorkshare
site.