Environmental Impact Assessment

Objectives of the Lecture

• To introduce the concept of EIA, placing it within the

framework of sustainable development.

• To outline the history of EIA and how and why it was

introduced in Guyana.

• To describe the purpose, principles and process of EIA.

 WHAT IS ENVIRONMENT ?

Environment is the physical and biotic habitat which

surrounds us, that we can see, hear, smell and taste,
Guyana Environmental Protection Act 1996:
Environment or natural environment means all land, area
beneath the land surface, atmosphere, climate, all water,
surface water, ground water, sea bed, marine and coastal
areas and natural resources or any combination or part
therefore
 WHAT IS ENVIRONMENT?

• In Ontario, Canada: Environment means,

• air, land or water
• plant and animal life, including man
• the social, economic and cultural conditions that influence
the life of man or community
• any building, structure, machine or other device or thing
made by man
• any solid, liquid, gas, sodium, heat, sound, vibration or
radiation resulting directly or indirectly from the activities of
man or
• any part of combination of the foregoing and the
interrelations between any two or more of them, in or of
Ontario.
 What is Environmental Management (EM)?

• The setting and achieving of goals to protect the environment

and conserve resources and includes:
• Developing strategic planning
• Identifying and organizing the people with skills and knowledge,
the technology, finances, and other resources needed
• Identifying and assessing the various options for reaching the
goals
• Assessing risks and setting priorities
• Implementing the selected set of options
• Monitoring performances for necessary adjustments through
feedback ( Dixon Thompson, Faculty of Environmental Design
University of Calgary)
 Environmental Management System (EMS)

• The part of the overall management system that includes

organisational structure, planning activities, responsibilities,
practices, procedures, processes and resources for
developing, implementing, achieving. Reviewing and
maintaining environmental policy. (ISO)
• The dynamic part of the overall management system that
sets goals and objectives for protection of the environment
and conservation of resources; organizes and implements
whatever is necessary to reach those goals and objectives;
enhances capabilities; provides feedback on success;
continual improvement and learning.( Dixon Thompson.
University of Calgary)
 ELEMENTS OF AN ISO 14001 EMS: A SNAPSHOT
 Environmental policy – Develop a statement of your organization’s commitment to
the environment. Use this policy as a framework for planning and action.
 Environmental aspects – Identify environmental attributes of your products,
activities and services. Determine those that could have significant impacts on the
environment.
 Legal and other requirements – Identify and ensure access to relevant laws and
regulations (and other requirements to which your organization adheres).
 Object and targets – Establish environmental goals for your organization, in line
with your policy, environmental impacts, views of interested parties and other
factors.
 Environmental management program – Plan actions to achieve objectives and
targets.
 Structure and responsibility – Establish roles and responsibilities and provide
resources
• Operational control – Identify, plan and manage your operations
and activities in line with your policy, objectives and targets.
• Emergency preparedness and response - Identify potential
emergencies and develop procedures for preventing and
responding to them.
• Monitoring and measurement – Monitor key activities and track
performance.
• Non-conformance and corrective and preventive action –
Identify and correct problems and prevent recurrences.
• Records – Keep adequate records of EMS performance.
• EMS audit – Periodically verify that your EMS is operating as
intended.
• Management review – Periodically review your EMS with an eye
to continual improvement.
 BASIC MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

PLAN

ACT DO

CHECK
 BASIC MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

Plan Environmental
Activities and
Program

Review Results Obtain Resources

and Identify and
way to improve Carry Out Plans
Performance

Monitor Results
of Activities
and Impacts

Maxwell Jackson MSc

 What is an environmental management
tool?

• Something that assists in doing specific tasks.

• Specific steps or clearly defined methodology ( standard

or legislation)

• Widely used by environmental managers or rapidly

coming into practice.
 Toolbox

• Site assessment

• Environmental impact assessment

• Environmental audit

• Life cycle assessment

• Human factors

• The Natural step

• Product & technology assessment

 What do the tools help managers do?

• Conserve resources

• Reduce environmental impacts

• Anticipate and avoid problems

• Establish goals and objectives

• Set priorities

• Provide feedback

• Communicate with stakeholders

 Roles of environmental managers

• Communicate with a wide range of stakeholders

• Provide information and guidance to senior

decision makers

• Provide instructions to junior managers

• Interpret and synthesize information from

specialists for other managers and stakeholders
 Key Benefits of Environmental Management

• Improved compliance
• Reduced costs
• Fewer accidents
• Employee involvement
• Improved public image
• Enhanced customer trust
• Better access to capital
• Improve environmental performance
• Reduced liability
• Competitive advantage
 EMS Standards
• The international organization for standardization-ISO 14000
• Eco- management and auditing scheme-EMAS
• Global Environmental management initiative – GEMI
• ISO 14000 – non government , market driven, an
internationally developed and recognized standard. It consists
of 1 specification and at least 19 guidance documents
• EMAS –Specifications for EMS for companies operating in the
EU
• GEMI – a group of about 26 US companies” dedicated to
fostering environmental excellence for business” through
persuasion and example.
 What is EIA?
 EIA is a systematic process to identify, predict and evaluate
the environmental effects of proposed actions and projects.

 EIA is a tool used for aid decision making regarding the

significant environmental consequences of projects,
developments and programmes.

 EIA helps the stakeholders with the identification of the

environmental, social and economic impacts of a proposed
development before a decision is taken on whether or not to
proceed.
 Examples of different definitions of EIA

• an assessment of impacts of a planned activity on the

environment" (United Nations)
• "the process by which information about the
environmental effects of a proposed activity is
collected, analysed and presented to decision-makers"
(Institute of Chemical Engineering, UK, 1994)
• "a technique and a process by which information about
environmental effects of a project is collected, both by
the developer and from other sources, and taken into
account by the planning authority in forming the
judgement on whether the development should
proceed" (Department of Environment, UK, 1989)
 Examples of different definitions of EIA

 EIA is the systematic, reproducible and

interdisciplinary evaluation of the potential effects of a
proposed action and its practical alternatives on the
physical, biological, cultural and socio-economic
attributes of a particular geographical area" (USEPA,
1993)
 "a procedure for assessing the potential environmental
impacts of a project before it is built, so that these
impacts can be properly considered during the
decision-making process and so that mitigate measures
for detrimental impacts can be defined"
 Examples of different definitions of EIA

• "a tool to use in integrated planning of development

proposals, policies and programs: (Sadar et al., 1994)
• "an activity which identifies, predicts, interprets and
communicates information, and proposes ameliorative
measures, about impacts of a proposed action or
development proposal on human health and the well-
being of the ecosystem upon which human survival
depends" (Sadar et al., 1994)
• "the process of identifying, predicting, evaluating and
mitigating the biophysical, social, and other relevant
effects of development proposals prior to major
decisions being taken and commitments made” (IAIA
 Aims and Objectives of EIA

 To inform the process of decision-making by

identifying the potentially significant environmental
effects and risks of development proposals.

 To promote sustainable development by ensuring

that development proposals do not undermine
critical resource and ecological functions or the well
being, lifestyle and livelihood of communities and
peoples who depend on them
 Integration within EIA

EIA process addresses the following environmental effects:

• biophysical and resource use

• social and cultural

• health and safety

• economic and fiscal

• landscape and visual

• indigenous peoples rights and traditional areas

Screening and Scoping

• The EPA has an Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for

determining whether a project has the potential to cause
significant environmental impacts
Screening

• Screening is the process of deciding on whether an EIA is

required.

• Legislation often specifies the criteria for screening and full

EIA. All major donors screen projects presented for financing to

decide whether an EIA is required.

Screening Cont’d

• The output from the screening process is often a document

called an Initial Environmental Examination or

Evaluation (IEE). The main conclusion will be a classification

of the project according to its likely environmental

sensitivity. This will determine whether an EIA is needed and

if so to what detail.
Key Objectives of Scoping
• to inform the public about the proposal (project, plan,
programme or policy);
• to identify the main stakeholders and their concerns and
values; • to define reasonable and practical alternatives to be
addressed;
• to focus the important issues and significant impacts to be
addressed by an EA;
• to define the boundaries for an EA in time, space and subject
matter;
• to set requirements for the collection of baseline and other
information; and
• to establish the Terms of Reference (ToR) for an EA study.
Overall requirements for successful scoping
include
• Commitment - agencies and organizations must be
committed to the process of scoping and assessment;
• Participation - many decisions are based on value
judgements and thus the involvement of the public is
important to ensure that the public's value judgements are
incorporated;
• Communication - among agencies, companies and the
public;
• Information - the timing and level of information available
to participants must be appropriate;
• Flexibility - no one method for determining key issues is
appropriate or effective in all circumstances.
The EIA process comprises:

• screening - to decide if and at what level EIA should be

applied
• scoping - to identify the important issues and prepare terms
of reference
• impact analysis - to predict the effects of a proposal and
evaluate their significance
• mitigation - to establish measures to prevent, reduce or
compensate for impacts
 The EIA process comprises (cont’d):

• reporting - to prepare the information necessary for decision-

making
• review - to check the quality of the EIA report

• decision-making - to approve or reject the proposal and set

conditions
• follow up - to monitor, manage and audit impacts of project
implementation
• public involvement - to inform and consult with stakeholders
 Key operating principles of
good EIA practice

EIA should:
 be applied to all proposals with significant impacts
 begin early in the project cycle
 address relevant environmental, social and health impacts
 identify and take account of public views
 result in a statement of impacts and mitigation measures
 facilitate informed decision making and condition setting
Source: Sadler.
 EIA – guiding principles (developed by IAIA)

The EIA process should be:

 purposive – meeting its aims and objectives
 focused – concentrating on the effects that matter
 adaptive – responding to issues and realities
 participative – fully involving the public
 transparent – clear and easily understood
 rigorous – employing ‘best practicable’ methodology
 practical – establishing mitigation measures that work
 credible – carried out with objectivity and professionalism
 efficient – imposing least cost burden on proponents
 Benefits of an EIA are:

• environmentally sound and sustainable design

• better compliance with standards

• savings in capital and operating costs

• reduced time and costs for approvals

• increased project acceptance

• better protection of the environment and human health

 Delays are caused during EIA

• the EIA is commenced too late in the project

cycle
• the terms of reference are poorly drafted
• the EIA is not managed to a schedule
• the EIA report is inadequate and needs to be
upgraded
• there is a lack of technical data
 Ensuring fairness in the EIA
process

 register consultants’ names and terms of reference

 name consultants and their expertise in the EIA report

 publish the terms of reference in the EIA report

 make EIA reports available to the public

 publish lists of screening and final decisions along with

conditions for approval
Scoping
• Scoping is a stage, usually involving the public and other
interested parties, that identifies the key environmental issues
that should be addressed in an EIA. This step provides one of
the first opportunities for members of the public or NGOs to
learn about a proposed project and to voice their opinions.
• Scoping may also reveal similar or connected activities that
may be occurring in the vicinity of a project, or identify
problems that need to be mitigated or that may cause the
project to be cancelled.
 TOR Cont’d

• A draft Terms of Reference may be made available for public

review and comment. Public review at this early stage of the
process provides a key opportunity to ensure that the EIA is
properly framed and will address issues of community concern.
EIA REVIEW (cont’d)

• The EPA contracts specialist consultants to assist in

the review of specific technical areas such as
Coastal Engineering, Socio-Economic impact, Risk
Assessment etc.
EIA PROCESS
The EIA process is guided by a Terms of Reference
(ToR) which outlines at minimum:

• A detailed description of the project

• The location and environmental setting for the

project. Baseline information

 
TOR Outline
• A description of the project
• A list of the agencies or ministries responsible for overseeing
the EIA process and making decisions
• The geographic area to be studied (also called the ‘impact
zone’)
• EIA requirements in applicable laws or regulations -Impacts and
issues to be studied
• Mitigation and/or monitoring systems to be designed -
Provisions for public involvement –
• Key stakeholders –
• Timeframe for completing the EIA process –
• Expected work product and deliverables –
• Budget for the EIA