Environmental Impact Assessment

Video transcript: The importance of diversity

in environmental impact assessments

Diversity matters in EIA. The term EIA itself is outdated! You will recall, the types of
impact assessments deployed today go well beyond environmental impacts, such as
soil, water, air, and species, which was the original focus and intent of EIA.
Integrated Impact Assessment is the contemporary term as it incorporates all other
impacts; economic, social and cultural.

In the age of social media and ‘fake news’, a credible EIA is even more important.
When a project becomes saturated in the media, it is crucial that the process can be
accountable, the impacts identified can be verified, and the way impacts collectively
‘speak’ to each other has been analysed and then addressed.

A good example is the EIS on the effects, published by the National Oceans and
Atmospheric Administration or NOAA on oil and gas activities in the Arctic Ocean.
The EIA covers and presents the results of multiple assessments, both positive and
negative impacts, and how they might evolve over the life of the project. In particular,
it assesses the impact of the proposed oil and gas activity on marine mammals,
other resources and Native American communities. A related yet important part of
this process was that the diversity of assessments used also enabled opportunities
for stakeholders to contribute their views based on the information about impacts
provided in the suite of assessments. This enabled NOAA and others to amend and
refine the proposal, making it stronger and ultimately less damaging.

In summary, identifying all impacts in any given project, and implementing a diverse
range of appropriate impact assessments will ensure it is a thorough, relevant
process that can surmount and overcome the political and emotional pressures that
may be present.

References

1. Fisheries, N. (2022). Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the Effects of Oil and Gas Activi-
ties in the Arctic Ocean | NOAA Fisheries. [online] NOAA. Available at: https://www.fisheries.noaa.
gov/national/marine-mammal-protection/environmental-impact-statement-eis-effects-oil-and-gas-
activities.

Share your thoughts

Do you think the use of multiple assessments is beneficial in this case study in the video on oil and
gas activities in the Arctic Ocean? Why or why not? Would it assist you in deciding whether or not
to allow the activity? You may like to refer to the website for more information - Environmental Im-
pact Statement (EIS) on the Effects of Oil and Gas Activities in the Arctic Ocean. [1].