Module 4: Scope of

Environment Management
Environment Quality Management
 Concept of environment quality
• Environmental quality refers to the quality of the total environment
• The concept of environmental quality encompasses the following four broad areas:
• Shelter: which depends upon the quality and adequacy of residential, commercial, and
industrial buildings;
• Public health and safety: which concern the prevention of diseases, accidents, and pollution
of air, water, soil etc.
• Efficiency factor of the environment: which facilitates various human activities and
movement
• Creation of an environment, which maximizes peoples' comfort and enjoyment of living
• Environmental quality varies spatially between different settlements and also
within themselves
• 'The environment quality rises as settlement size diminishes' -is a common
observation
 Actions required for managing environment quality
• Human population
• As human population continues to increase on a regional and global level, careful
planning has become even more important to ensure that wise decisions are made
concerning where people live, how people conserve and preserve ecosystems, and how
people construct their urban environment
• Sustainability
• Sound environmental planning is central to sustainable development.
• Planning decisions made today and in the near future will greatly impact the quality of
environment we leave for the future generations.
• Concepts of environmental impact analysis, mitigation of adverse environmental impact,
and environmentally compatible land-use planning methods if made integral parts of the
various projects and activities would bring in both the immediate benefits and
sustainability
 Actions required for managing environment quality
• Global perspective
• The fact that every country is a part of a global community, all environmental
planning therefore must have a global perspective
• Development of international environmental agreements despite the conflicting
interests, is becoming increasingly important, so are the continuing efforts in global
environmental forecasting
• Urbanization
• In view of the large-scale migration toward cities and urban areas, these areas thus
need more attention when it comes to environmental issues
• One of the most pressing environmental needs is to ensure that the urban
environments are carefully planned to maximize human well-being and minimize
effects of natural hazards and pollution of our life-sustaining environmental
elements namely - air, water, and land
 Actions required for managing environment quality
• Newer and emerging technologies
• In the light of the residual damaging effects of Industrial Revolution on the environment, it
is important to use the newer and emerging technologies with utmost caution, and after
weighing their benefits vis-A-vis the environmental costs incurred by them
• Values and knowledge
• Since we value the environment both at local & global levels, it is essential to develop new
and relevant knowledge, tools and technologies to assist in the environmental planning
process.
• It is important that people know as to where knowledge is lacking in solving particular
environmental problems so that those areas may be focused upon.
• It needs to be recognized that people's values with respect to resource-use and land-use
are variable, resulting in periodic conflicts between those who wish to use the
environment and those who wish to preserve it.
• Environmental mediation can help resolve conflicts when values collide.
 Method 1 of EQM: Environmental Impact Assessment
• Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is an analysis of changes produced by a
developmental activity or project or action
• EIA studies which are carried out at the conceptual and planning phase of any
proposed developmental activity, project, or action consists of:
• Literature research
• Field studies
• Impact assessment
• The areas of study are: land-use, water-use, socio-economics, soil, hydrology,
water quality, meteorology, air quality, terrestrial and aquatic ecology, and noise
• This assessment considers potential consequences, which are long-term and
short-term; direct and indirect; primary or secondary; individual and cumulative;
and beneficial and adverse
 Methodology of EIA
• The methods involved in EIA include:
• Baseline conditions
• Scoping
• EIA report
• Mitigating measures
• Review of EIA report
• Impact monitoring
• Evaluation
 Methodology of EIA
• Baseline conditions- This involves studying the existing total environmental
conditions in the area where the proposed project is to be undertaken
• Scoping - Scoping is the process of early identification of relevant environmental
issues, concerns, assessment methods, affected interests, and other aspects
requiring detailed evaluation
• EIA methods report - It is a concise report limited to addressing the main
environmental issues
• Mitigating measures - Mitigating measures are actions, which reduce, avoid or
offset the potential adverse environmental consequences of development
activities. The objective of mitigation measures is to maximize the project
benefits, and keep the undesirable impacts to the minimum
• Review of EIA report- The purpose of the review is to once again examine that the
key areas and issues are addressed or not
Methodology of EIA
• Impact monitoring –
• Environmental monitoring is one of the most important components of an EIA
• It is essential for:
• Ensuring that the impacts do not exceed the legal standards
• Checking the implementation of mitigation measures in the manner described in the EIA report
• Providing early warning of potential environmental damage
• Evaluation
• EIA evaluation determines if suitable measures have been implemented with the
requirements of the EIA report
 Method 2 of EQM: Environmental auditing
• Environmental auditing assesses actual environmental impact, the accuracy of
prediction, the effectiveness of environmental impact mitigation measures, and
the functioning of monitoring mechanisms
• An audit carried out by one individual runs the risk of bringing some sort of bias,
affecting the credibility of the exercise. A team effort rather a multidisciplinary
team not only broadens in constituency, but adds to the quality of findings
• The audit is a crucial stage of project implementation that may show a need to
alter the implementation of a project, to prevent or reduce any unwanted
consequences
 Method 2 of EQM: Life Cycle Assessment
• Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a tool that can be used to evaluate the
environmental effects of a product, process, or activity that are the outcome of,
or that happens repeatedly, in a production process in a cyclic manner
• It evaluates the environmental effects associated with any given activity from
the initial gathering of raw materials from earth such as petroleum, coal, ores
and so on, up to the point at which all materials are returned to the earth

The stages and boundaries for Life Cycle

Assessment
Method 2 of EQM: Life Cycle Assessment
(contd…)
• Importance of LCA:
• LCA is important for making the selection of one product over another
• It is also important when modifications are made to any part of the system,
they have the desired end result of decreasing environmental impacts from
all the life cycle stages
• Identifying these unwanted shifts between life cycle stages, as well as
between the different media (air, water, solid wastes) is the key concept
behind LCA
• Pollution is another area which can be viewed with life cycle impacts