Cumulative Environmental Impact Research Articles

SIA Criteria Compliance of Third Bosphorus Bridge(Yavuz Sultan Selim) Social Impact Assistment

Social, economic, cultural conditions and living systematics that differ according to these, deepen the human-environment relationship. This relationship brings along human’s tendency to the environment through positive or negative activities. Therefore; determining the impact of politics, law, planning and the implementation conditions of these on the environment and human’s health has become crucial. When the environmental impact of the activities in point are determined, it brings forth the possibility to prevent potential damage on the environment. Various impact evaluation systems exist around the world. In our country, Environmental Impact Assestment (EIA), Strategic Environmental Impact Assestment(SEA), Cumulative Environmental Impact Assestment(CIA) and Social Impact Evaluation (SIA) systems are implemented. In the process of project permits in our country, there exists legal regulations which enforce EIA, SEA, CIA. However, there is an absence of social impact evaluation enforcement in the project permission process in Turkey. Even though EIA, SEA and CIA are mandatory in legislation and execution, the social impact of these projects are not stressed adequately. Consequently, even in the existence of mandatory EIA, SEA and CIA by Turkish legislation, foreign investors reinforcing credit on politics, programs, plans and projects do not consider these as sufficient and enforce SIA to be included. There is a lack of standard implementation model to evaluate social impact which could be applied to every project. Due to the weakness and non-existing basic criteria in Turkish legislation on SIA in plans and projects, in this study, the SIA reporting has been prepared by benefiting the social approval criteria and comprehensive studies conducted by certain institutions such as UN, OECD and the World Bank. The sample project bridge, which is the widest bridge in the world with its 52 metre width and “Worlds topmost bridge” in the leaning sling bridge classification with its 322 meter tower height, unites the Asian and European continents to each other. The project with such importance, do not hold EIA, SEA, and CIA reports which evaluates environmental and social impact. The project only holds the SIA report which was conducted in 2013 by international finance institutions and the report was evaluated according to the criteria for social approval. Along with the evaluations on the sample field, suggestions has been set forth for the SIA implementations in Turkey.

Significant UK Environmental Law Cases 2023–24

Abstract This case law overview comments on significant UK environmental law cases for the period 1 April 2023–31 March 2024 (with one exception where a High Court decision within that period was overturned on appeal just after it). It begins with an overarching introduction, which draws some general themes from our selection of cases, focussing on the breadth of environmental law and issues of public concern in public and private law disputes. It then addresses 12 significant cases concerning the accrual of causes of action in private nuisance, whether there is power to vary abatement notices in respect of statutory nuisances, climate change, habitats, flooding, cumulative environmental impact assessment, river basin management plans, storm overflow discharge reduction plans, Regulators’ Codes, and public rights on Dartmoor Commons. It ends with some final thoughts on this year’s cases and the year ahead.

Lifecycle Assessment of Two Urban Water Treatment Plants of Pakistan

Water treatment technologies are striving to retain their ecological and economic viability despite the rising demand, conventional infrastructure, financial constraints, fluctuating climatic patterns, and highly stringent regulations. This study evaluates the lifecycle environmental impact of urban water treatment systems within the two densely populated South Asian municipalities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, Pakistan. The scope of this study includes a process-based Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of the entire water treatment system, particularly the resources and materials consumed during the operation of the treatment plant. The individual and cumulative environmental impact was assessed based on the treatment system data and an in-depth lifecycle inventory analysis. Other than the direct emissions to the environment, the electricity used for service and distribution pumping, coagulant use for floc formation, chlorine gas used for disinfection, and caustic soda used for pH stabilization were the processes identified as the most significant sources of emissions to air and water. The water distribution consumed up to 98% of energy resources. The highest global warming impacts (from 0.3 to 0.6 kg CO2 eq./m3) were assessed as being from the coagulation and distribution processes due to extensive electricity consumption. Direct discharge of the wash and wastewater to the open environment contributed approximately 0.08% of kg-N and 0.002% of kg-P to the eutrophication potential. The outcome of this study resulted in a thorough lifecycle inventory development, including possible alternatives to enhance system sustainability. A definite gap was identified in intermittent sampling at the treatment systems. However, more stringent sampling including the emissions to air can provide a better sustainability score for each unit process.

A comparative exergoenvironmental evaluation of chlorine-based thermochemical processes for hydrogen production

Environmental impact assessment of energy generation processes is essential to evaluate their contributions toward the global carbon footprint. Even though hydrogen is a non-carbonaceous energy source, the pathways undertaken for its production can have harmful environmental implications. Thus, this study focuses on investigating the exergoenvironmental performances of the copper-chlorine, iron-chlorine, and magnesium-chlorine thermochemical hydrogen generation processes. This study also performs a comparative exergoenvironmental analysis of the three processes. The performances of the various processes are examined based on of the environmental impact rates of exergy destruction, component-related environmental impact rates, cumulative environmental impact rates, and exergoenvironmental factors. The global warming potentials of the thermochemical cycles are also evaluated and compared for various electricity sources to obtain hydrogen. The modeling and simulation of each process are performed using Aspen-plus by considering various heat recovery approaches for thermal management. The results suggest that the environmental impact rates of exergy destruction are relatively much higher compared to the environmental impact rates associated with the components for all processes. Furthermore, the hydrolysis step yields the highest component-associated environment impact rate for all thermochemical cycles considered (Fe–Cl: 3497 mPts/h, Cu–Cl: 1997 mPt/h, and Mg–Cl: 910 mPts/h). Moreover, the magnesium-chlorine cycle results in the highest environmental impact rate of exergy destruction (650,328 mPts/h) while the iron-chlorine cycle has the highest component-related environmental impact rate (5219 mPts/h) among the three cycles. In addition, the global warming potential of the magnesium-chlorine cycle is relatively higher compared to the copper-chlorine cycle for several electricity sources.

The Emergence of Environmental Justice in General Plans: Lessons From California's Senate Bill 1000

At the center of demands for cleaner air, water, and soil in communities disproportionately impacted by environmental hazards, are often cities and counties. Local jurisdictions are uniquely positioned to shape policies and engage with residents in processes that can transform land-use patterns that have negatively impacted low-income, people of color communities. This study assesses the approaches to environmental justice (EJ) that California local jurisdictions with high levels of cumulative environmental health impact are developing in their general plans, under Senate Bill 1000. Results indicate positive outcomes such as the establishment of EJ advisory committees. However, findings also underscore challenges such as a lack of political support from elected officials and minimal resources to implement measures. We find that most general plans include EJ considerations, however, there are concerns regarding how their implementation will unfold. We provide practice-based recommendations to assist planners across the nation working to develop effective EJ considerations.

Methodological approaches to assess climate vulnerability and cumulative impacts on coastal landscapes

Natural and human-induced hazards and climatic risks threaten marine and coastal ecosystems worldwide, with severe consequences for these socio-ecological systems. Therefore, assessing climate vulnerability (exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity) and the cumulative environmental impacts of multiple hazards are essential in coastal planning and management. In this article, we review some approaches used in climate vulnerability assessment and marine and coastal cumulative environmental impacts to learn about state-of-the-art on the subject. Besides, we qualitatively evaluated the climatic vulnerability of five coastal regions of Venezuela using the IPCC concept of Reasons for Concern (RFCs) to determine their level of climatic exposure. We also assessed the cumulative environmental impact of multiple stressors on marine and terrestrial ecosystems using a well-known impact assessment method partially modified to explore the feasibility of this model in data-poor areas. However, we found no standardization of the methodologies used in evaluating Coastal Climate Vulnerability or Cumulative Environmental Impacts in coastal landscapes or frameworks that operationally link them with socio-ecological systems. Most studied coastal regions are at risk from at least three RFCs, loss of unique ecosystems (RFC1), risks associated with extreme events (RFC2) and risks associated with global aggregate impacts (RFC4). Furthermore, the assessment showed that areas with accumulated impact cover about 10 percent ranging from moderate to high in urban areas, growth zones, industrial oil settlements, port areas and aquaculture areas with fishing activity. Moreover, areas with moderate to low cumulative impact cover half of the study area, dominated by uninhabited regions and vegetation of the thorny scrub and coastal grassland types. Therefore, we consider it essential to implement regional climate risk management that incorporates these assessments into the ordinance in countries that are particularly vulnerable to climate change, such as Venezuela, which has an extensive line of low-lying coastlines (where 60% of the country's population lives) and coastal regions with harsh climates and poor economic conditions. Finally, we present the scope and limitations of implementing these evaluations and highlight the importance of incorporating them into regional strategies for adaptation to climate change.

Status of Sustainability Development of Deep-Sea Mining Activities

With technological improvement such as ore exploration, robotics, and hydrodynamic lifting, deep-sea mining has attracted more attention from governments, companies, and scientific research institutions. Although its research and development has made great progress, there are still many obstacles in its industrial development, such as environmental pollution and sustainability development issues. This article analyses the research status of the sustainable development of deep-sea mining from an overall perspective. Through a literature review, this paper also discusses the application of the full life cycle assessment method to analyze environmental impact during the entire process of deep-sea mining ore application. Overall, this paper summarizes the research gaps that exist in the sustainable development of deep-sea mining, including the lack of sufficient quantitative research, environmental baseline data research, cumulative environmental impact assessment, resource recycling technology, and acceptable environmental impact range analysis. The significance of this article is to point out the most urgent problems to be solved in the research direction of the sustainable development of deep-sea mining in current academic circles. It has far-reaching potential to promote the industrialization process of the entire deep-sea mining industry.

Exergoenvironmental analysis of the integrated copper-chlorine cycle for hydrogen production

Thermochemical water-splitting cycles have the potential of producing large-scale and cost-effective sustainable hydrogen in an environmentally benign manner. Limited exergoenvironmental assessments have been reported in the literature which generally considers thermochemical hydrogen production and specifically the copper-chlorine (Cu–Cl) cycle in thid regard. Thus, the present investigation aims at assessing the four-step integrated Cu–Cl thermochemical cycle set-up located at the Ontario Tech University thereby contributing to the environmental impact assessment of thermochemical hydrogen production. In this study, the exergy analysis of the cycle is first performed by thermodynamically modeling and simulating the cycle in Aspen-plus. The fundamental principles of the exergoenvironmental analysis, analogous to the specific exergy costing (SPECO) methodology of the exergoeconomic evaluation, are applied to the cycle and the balanced environmental impact equations for all cycle components are developed. Based on the balanced environmental impact equations, the environmental impact rate, and the specific environmental impact at each state point is evaluated. The environmental impact levels for all the major cycle components are also obtained. The exergoenvironmental factor, the relative difference of the specific environmental impacts, and the environmental impact rate of exergy destruction for various cycle components are in this regard evaluated. Furthermore, the influence of various parameters on the cumulative and component-related rate of environmental impact as well as the exergoenvironmental factor is analyzed by conducting a detailed sensitivity analysis. According to the obtained results, the rate of environmental impact corresponding to exergy destruction dominates the component-related rate of environmental impact and thus the potential reduction in the cumulative environmental impact for various components could be achieved by improving their exergy efficiencies. The hydrolysis step accounts for 60% of the component-related environmental impact while the thermolysis step accounts for the highest environmental impact of exergy destruction ranging between 41 and 42%. The percentage difference between fossil fuel-based and renewable electricity in terms of the global warming potential ranges between 80% and 98% with the highest difference for wind and nuclear-based electricity.

Environmental impact of an aircraft engine with exergo-life cycle assessment on dynamic flight

The one of ways to moderat aviation emissions resulting from aircraft engines is to comprehend formation mechanism of environmental impacts. In this article, exergo-environmental aspects of Boeing-747 propulsion system (PW4000 turbofan) used in long range air transport is dealt with life cycle assesment method for eight different flight phases. Environmental impact regarding the turbofan engine and its components is calculated using Eco-indicator points per unit second (Pts/s). Results show that environmental impact related to exergy destruction for the combustor changes from 8.16 mPts/s (at cruise phase) to 24.35 mPts/s at (take-off phase), whereas its environmental impact related to component production and maintenance phases is found as 0.374 mPts/s. On the other hand, exergo-environmental factor of the whole PW4000 engine is calculated as the lowest with 15.83% and 17.22% at take off and climb-out phases, respectively. Moreover, a new environmental indicator, namely, specific thrust environmental effect index (mPts/kN.s) is defined in this study. In this context, environmental effect index of Fan and core specific thrust is estimated the lowest with 0.065 mPts/kN.s and 0.107 mPts/kN.s at cruise phase, respectively. Especially, take-off and climb out phases seem to be the two where the PW4000 behaviour affects environmental effect to the greatest degree. The reason for this could be attributed that these two phases have relatively higher thrust settings. However, considering cumulative environmental impact, cruise phase has the highest environmental impact from exhaust air of the Fan and core as 54.2 Pts and 74.41 Pts, respectively. Consequently, it is expected that the method used in present study could help comparing aircraft flight phases in terms of exergo based-environmental impact.

Mechanical, electrical, plumbing and tenant improvements over the building lifetime: Estimating material quantities and embodied carbon for climate change mitigation

The building industry is expanding its ability to mitigate the environmental impacts of buildings through the application of life cycle assessment (LCA). Most building LCA studies focus on core and shell (C&S) and rarely assess mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) and tenant improvements (TI). However, C&S typologies in the commercial sector pose particular challenges to achieving net zero carbon due to the numerous renovations these building undergo through during their service life. MEP and TI are installed multiple times over the lifetime of commercial buildings leading to cumulative environmental impact caused by increasing material quantities and embodied carbon (EC). This study aimed to establish a preliminary range of material quantities and embodied carbon impacts for MEP and TI components, focusing on commercial office buildings in the Pacific Northwest. The first research stage involved quantifying material quantities while a second stage aimed to calculate Embodied Carbon Coefficients (ECC) and LCA impacts using different data sources. The embodied carbon estimates ranged from 40 to 75 kg CO2e/m2 for MEP and 45–135 kg CO2e/m2 for TI. However, with recurring instalments during a life span of 60 years the impacts become comparable to known impacts of core and shell systems.

Anaerobic digestion life cycle assessment (LCA)

Abstract: Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a tool to evaluate environmental impacts based on products of a process. This research is a case study of wastewater treatment facilities of ERTC (Environmental Resources Training Center), SIUE University, based on available data for two semi-annual sludge quantities (year 2015) from sludge management report. The aim of this study is to compare set of possibilities for a wastewater treatment facility at ERTC. The simulation has been done through SimaPro model. Electricity and methane were considered and the cumulative weight of their impacts has been investigated. Total solids for two semi-annual sludge has been fed to the model in kilogram and different production (electricity and methane) configuration were investigated. The most plausible configuration based on the cumulative environmental impact proposed as best practical solution.

Cumulative impact assessment for ecosystem-based marine spatial planning

Claims for ocean space are growing while marine ecosystems suffer from centuries of insufficient care. Human pressures from runoff, atmospheric emissions, marine pollution, fishing, shipping, military operations and other activities wear on habitats and populations. Ecosystem-based marine spatial planning (MSP) has emerged worldwide as a strategic instrument for handling conflicting spatial claims among competing sectors and the environment. The twofold objective of both boosting the blue economy and protecting the environment is challenging in practice and marine planners need decision support. Cumulative Impact Assessment (CIA) was originally developed to provide an overview of the human imprint on the world's ocean ecosystems. We have now added a scenario component to the CIA model and used it within Swedish ecosystem-based MSP. This has allowed us to project environmental impacts for different planning alternatives throughout the planning process, strengthening the integration of environmental considerations into strategic decision-making. Every MSP decision may entail a local shift of environmental impact, causing positive or negative consequences for ecosystem components. The results from Swedish MSP in the North Sea and Baltic Sea illustrate that MSP certainly has the potential to lower net cumulative environmental impact, both locally and across sea basins, as long as environmental values are rated high and prevailing pressures derive from activities that are part of MSP. By synthesizing innumerous data into comprehensible decision support that informs marine planners of the likely environmental consequences of different options, CIA enables ecosystem-based MSP in practice.

Gold-Copper Metal Alloys: Crystalline Materials for the CO2 Reduction Reaction

Chemical fixation of CO2 into fuels has been the focus of intense research interest due to growing energy demands and the cumulative environmental impact associated with fossil fuel consumption. Reduction of CO2 to CO and hydrocarbons therefore represents an opportunity to close the carbon cycle. Despite much progress, improvements in CO2 reduction activity, and catalyst stability are required to transform existing catalyst materials into viable candidates for this purpose. Here, we describe our efforts to develop new gold-copper alloy materials for application in CO2 reduction. We employ recent metal deposition technology developed in our laboratory that enables single-crystal epitaxial noble metal deposition from solutions containing their simple metal salts. The Au-Cu metal pair has been selected due to its chemical stability and catalytic properties. Co-deposition from solutions comprised of Au- and Cu-containing metal salts allows the fabrication of Au-Cu alloys of controlled composition. We describe the fabrication and characterization of Au-Cu alloy materials using a wide range of techniques including X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and high resolution transmission electron microscopy. We have also investigated the alloy elelctrocatalytic activity through linear sweep voltammetry and chronoamperometry to establish catalytic activity and correlate the activity with catalyst structure and composition.

Environmental consequences related to nutritional status of Thai populations

To quantify the cumulative environmental impact related to dietary preference of Thai adults classified by nutritional status. The study used the data from the Thailand National Food Consumption Survey in 2006. A sample of 4056 participants aged between 19 and 60 years were categorized (normal, overweight, and obesity) by body mass index (BMI) classification for Asians. Food consumption patterns were analyzed and amounts of popular food consumed were calculated. Each commodity’s input was converted into output during the life-cycle to CO2 equivalent (CO2-eq) using a Thai database. The most popular plant- and animal-based foods were selected to quantify their emission of GHGs (greenhouse gases) during transportation. Among the ten popular commodities, seven were plant-based foods. Annual GHG emissions by overweight and obesity were higher than that of the normal groups (367, 319, and 301 kgCO2-eq respectively). The highest GHG contributor was rice. Beef emitted more than other animal-based foods. Food choices ultimately result in impacts on the environment. They also have consequences on public health related to health outcomes. It is therefore recommended that environmentally friendly consumption practices should be encouraged for climate change and food security.

Ecological niche modeling as a cumulative environmental impact assessment tool for biodiversity assessment and conservation planning: A case study of critically endangered plant Lagerstroemia minuticarpa in the Indian Eastern Himalaya

Cumulative environmental impact assessment (CEIA) at river basin level for hydroelectric projects is an evolving concept and has proved to be a useful tool to assess the cumulative impact of developmental projects on the natural ecosystems. However, the generality of CEIA studies is often contested because of methodological limitations, especially in the domain of biodiversity conservation and conservation planning. Ecological niche modeling (ENM) can be a useful tool in CEIA studies for conservation planning of threatened plants in hydroelectric project (HEP) areas. We elucidate this hypothesis taking the example of Lagerstroemia minuticarpa Debberm. ex P.C. Kanjilal, a critically endangered tree species in the Indian Eastern Himalaya. Standard ecological methods were employed to document occurrence records, estimate population size, and characterize habitats. ENM was used to estimate the species potential environmental niche and distribution areas. The possible impacts of HEPs on the potential habitats were predicted by overlaying the HEPs on the potential area map as well as using the conceptual network diagram. The study revealed that the species occupies an environmental niche characterized by humid to per-humid conditions, and is distributed mostly in the Lohit and Teesta basins. Potential areas of the species with high environmental suitability coincide with 19 HEPs, which point to a potential threat to the survival of the species. Network diagram indicated that project activities might deteriorate the habitats thereby affecting the population and regeneration of the species. Our study provides a framework for developing appropriate measures for species conservation and reintroduction at basin level using ENM.

Thermo-ecological cost of electricity from renewable energy sources

Nowadays, the society faces the challenge of continuous supply of electricity. Energy from two different sources of origin such as renewable and non-renewable is used to meet the needs of modern humankind. The paper presents the findings concerning the thermo-ecological cost assessment of renewable energy sources defining their total impact on the environment. Biogas, wind and photovoltaic power plants were evaluated to present the results of cumulative environmental impact based on the thermo-ecological cost methodology. Polish law regulations and the prediction of the future energy mix structure are described to emphasize the importance of selected technologies. The measurements data of real renewable energy units in Poland and the characteristics of components were used to calculate thermo-ecological cost of electricity originating from renewable sources. Moreover, different phases of the production chain are considered to present results in total life cycle of the respective technologies. In the calculations, continuous availability of conventional power plants for stabilizing the current electricity needs is taken into account. Finally, the results of this study prove that biogas power plants cause lower environmental impact than wind and photovoltaic technologies.

Anthropogenic disturbances and their impact on vegetation in Western Himalaya, India

The present study assesses anthropogenic disturbances and their impacts on the vegetation in Western Himalaya, India on the basis of various disturbance parameters such as density, Total Basal Cover (TBC) of cut stumps, lopping percentage and grazing intensities. On the basis of canopy cover and frequency of disturbances (%), the studied forests were divided into highly disturbed (HD), moderately disturbed (MD) and least disturbed (LD) categories. The HD forests had the lowest canopy cover, lowest density and lowest TBC and the LD had the highest canopy cover, highest density and highest TBC. The MD forests occupied the intermediate position with respect to these parameters. Species richness was least in HD forests, highest in one of the MD forests while LD forest occupied an intermediate position. The percentage of regenerating species was lowest (54%) in HD and highest (72%) in MD. The density of seedlings and saplings was higher in one of the MD forests as compared to HD and LD. We concluded that the moderate disturbances do not affect the vegetation adversely; however the increased degree of disturbance causes loss in plant diversity; affects regeneration and changes community characteristics. Construction of hydroelectric projects at various places in the study area was found to be one of the most important sources of anthropogenic disturbances in addition to the routine anthropogenic disturbances like grazing, fuelwood collection and fodder extraction. If all proposed dams in the Indian Himalaya are constructed combined with weak national environmental impact assessment and implementation, it will result in a significant loss of species. Therefore, various agents of disturbances should be evaluated in cumulative manner and any developmental activities such as hydropower projects, which trigger various natural and anthropogenic disturbances, should be combined with proper cumulative environmental impact assessment and effective implementation to minimise the anticipated loss of vegetation.

Sustainable Packaging

The issue of sustainability has attracted considerable attention over the last decade and has been accompanied by the development of stringent packaging material legislation for firms. Drawing on a single case approach, this paper examines the operational challenges faced by manufacturing SMEs as they strive to meet the expectations and requirements of increasingly demanding sustainable packaging regulations. The findings highlight the internal costs and complexities that are faced by manufacturing firms when complying with the regulations. It suggests that some firms may face financial and technical constraints that prevent them from reporting the significant efforts that they are making to improving packaging materials. More significantly it identifies the seemingly insurmountable problems that are faced by SMEs when confronted with powerful upstream or downstream supply chain partners that are resistant to improvement initiatives. This can result in organisations acting in a self-interested manner and consequently, the cumulative environmental impact of the supply chain is greater than it may be if organisations were more environmentally cooperative.

The uneven distribution of environmental burdens and benefits in Silicon Valley's backyard

Inequalities in the exposure to environmental burdens and access to environmental benefits are an environmental justice concern for urban and regional environmental planning. Recent studies have assessed the exposure of different populations to a combination of environmental hazards through GIS-based Cumulative Environmental Impact Assessments (CEIA). The contribution of this study is the development of a CEIA, which incorporates the distance-based impact of transportation, the cumulative impact of environmental hazards, and access to environmental benefits for Santa Clara County (SCC), a highly diverse and rapidly developing region also known as ‘Silicon Valley’. Our results show that social vulnerability, cumulative environmental hazards, and environmental benefits exhibit distinct spatial patterns in SCC. High environmental hazard values are found along freeway and railroad corridors with substantial industrial legacies, while environmental benefit scores are generally higher in the suburban periphery. Correlations indicate that socially vulnerable populations in SCC are predominantly hispanic and are more likely to be exposed to environmental hazards, while white and wealthier populations are more likely to have access to environmental benefits. The results from this study may serve to develop community-based initiatives for neighborhood improvement and environmental-justice-based regional planning and public health policy reform.

A method proposal for cumulative environmental impact assessment based on the landscape vulnerability evaluation

Cumulative environmental impact assessment deals with the occasional use in practical application of environmental impact assessment process. The main reasons are the difficulty of cumulative impact identification caused by lack of data, inability to measure the intensity and spatial effect of all types of impacts and the uncertainty of their future evolution. This work presents a method proposal to predict cumulative impacts on the basis of landscape vulnerability evaluation. For this purpose, qualitative assessment of landscape ecological stability is conducted and major vulnerability indicators of environmental and socio-economic receptors are specified and valuated. Potential cumulative impacts and the overall impact significance are predicted quantitatively in modified Argonne multiple matrixes while considering the vulnerability of affected landscape receptors and the significance of impacts identified individually. The method was employed in the concrete environmental impact assessment process conducted in Slovakia. The results obtained in this case study reflect that this methodology is simple to apply, valid for all types of impacts and projects, inexpensive and not time-consuming. The objectivity of the partial methods used in this procedure is improved by quantitative landscape ecological stability evaluation, assignment of weights to vulnerability indicators based on the detailed characteristics of affected factors, and grading impact significance.