Environmental Impact Assessment Process Research Articles

Development of web-based software for environmental impact assessment focusing on road traffic noise

In the Republic of Korea, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIAs) precedes development projects to predict and analyze potential environmental effects. Generally, EIA noise evaluations utilize 2D noise prediction equations and correction coefficients. This method, however, offers only a sectional noise evaluation and has limitations in complex environments with diverse noise sources. Moreover, the determination of various variables during the EIA process based on subjective human judgment raises concerns about the reliability of the results. Thus, this study aims to develop software accessible via a web environment for user-friendly EIA noise evaluations. This software supports integrated data management and generates a 3D noise prediction model for more precise and realistic analysis of noise impacts, specifically focusing on road-traffic noise at this stage of development. The 3D noise prediction model and noise map generated by the developed software have been validated against through comparison with the results of onsite noise measurements and commercial EIA software, SoundPLAN. This validation aimed to assess the practical utility of the application.

Change-making in Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA): piloting changeology approach using England as a case study

ABSTRACT Piecemeal changes to the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process have to date not fully delivered EIA’s normative goals and met today’s environmental challenges. By regarding the to date approaches to change-making as a problem requiring a solution, this paper applies critical analysis to reflect upon current change-making based on England’s EIA system as a case study. The analysis identifies a lack of innovative ideas and sound evidence-based approaches to inform and support the change-making process. Consequently, we argue for an epistemology of change-making (changeology) so that the entire approach can be based on an empirically informed framework, to inform the journey (process) and destination (fit-for-purpose EIA) and make the EIA process fit-for-purpose and aligned to future expectations. Changeology should be viewed as more than informing one-time change-making but as a framework of well-studied practice for changing (or improving) EIA in the long term.

Integrated survey methodologies provide process-driven framework for marine renewable energy environmental impact assessment

Environmental interactions of marine renewable energy developments vary from fine-scale direct (e.g. potential collision) to indirect wide-scale hydrodynamic changes altering oceanographic features. Current UK Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and associated Habitats Regulations Appraisal (HRA) guidelines have limited focus on underlying processes affecting distribution and movements (hence vulnerability) of top predators. This study integrates multi-trophic ship survey (active acoustics and observer data) with an upward-facing seabed platform and 3-dimensional hydrodynamic model as a process-driven framework to investigate predator-prey linkages between seabirds and fish schools. Observer-only data highlighted the need to measure physical drivers of variance in species abundances and distributions. Active acoustics indicated that in situ (preferable to modelled) data were needed to identify temporal changes in hydrodynamics to predict prey and consequently top predator presence. Revising methods to identify key habitats and environmental covariates within current regulatory frameworks will enable more robust and transferable EIA and HRA processes and outputs, and at larger scales for cumulative and strategic-level assessments, enabling future modelling of ecosystem impacts from both climate change and renewable energy extraction.

Consideration of Climate Change on Environmental Impact Assessment in Tanzania: Challenges and Prospects.

The potential of the environmental impact assessment (EIA) process to respond to climate change impacts of development projects can only be realized with the support of policies, regulations, and actors' engagement. While considering climate change in EIA has become partly mandatory through the EU revised Directive in Europe, African countries are still lagging. This paper assesses Tanzanian policies, laws, regulations, and EIA reports to uncover consideration of climate change impacts, adaptation, and mitigation measures, drawing from the transformational role of EIA. The methodology integrates content analysis, interpretive policy analysis, and discourse analysis. The analyses draw from environmental policy, three regulatory documents and three EIA reports in Tanzania using a multi-cases study design. The aim was to understand how considering Climate Change issues in EIA has played out in practice. Results reveal less consideration of climate change issues in EIA. The policy, laws, and regulations do not guide when and how the EIA process should consider climate change-related impacts mitigation and adaptation. The practice of EIA in the country is utterly procedural in line with regulations provisions. Consequently, environmental impact statements only profile the climatology of the study area without conducting a deeper analysis of the historical and future climate to enhance the resilience of proposed projects. The weakness exposed in the laws and regulations contributes to the challenges of responding to the impacts of climate change through the EIA process. It is possible to address climate change issues throughout the project life cycle, including design, approval, implementation, monitoring, and auditing, provided the policy and regulations guide how and when the EIA process should consider climate change issues. Additionally, increasing stakeholders' awareness and participation can enhance the EIA process's potential to respond to the impacts of climate change.

Good governance quality in Namibia’s environmental impact assessment process

ABSTRACT EIA is a well-known environmental governance tool. EIA in Namibia started in the 1980s, voluntarily, till independence, when legislations were developed. Since its implementation, no study has assessed the quality of Namibia’s EIA process. This study assesses the quality of the EIA mechanism in Namibia and the extent to which the process satisfies governance principles. The evaluation criteria used were obtained from sources in the literature and based on the United Nations governance principles. Data were collected through a survey and subsequent interviews with experts. Out of 12 criteria used to examine adequacy, only four were scored as adequate. Important EIA requirements on cumulative impacts, alternatives, and follow-up were rated as inadequate. Namibia’s EIA process partially satisfies eight out of ten qualities of good governance, with accountability and transparency rated as poor. These inadequacies may have implications on the quality of assessment and the decisions thereof. An EIA process that fails to meet good governance qualities can be deemed unfit to achieve the intended purpose. Experts suggested that EIA quality can improve when legislation is supported with guidelines, financial input, and a plan to decentralize.

A Quality Review of EIA: A Comparative Study of State-Funded and International Aid Agency-funded Development Projects in Sri Lanka

A development project's environmental impact assessment (EIA) is a tool for mitigating the effects on the environment and promoting sustainable development. EIA is an expensive and professionally engaged process that involves the public. Many countries around the world have long-standing laws in place connected to this topic, as well as solid knowledge and experience. One persistent argument against the efficacy of EIA in developing nations is that the procedure and quality differ from country to country. The International Aid Agencies (IAA) have their guidelines for protecting the environment while following local environmental assessment standards for any financing requirements. IAA involvement in the EIA process might significantly affect how well- written EIA reports are. To evaluate the assessment quality, six EIA reports from state-financed development projects (SL-EIAs) and another six development projects EIAs funded by the IAA (IAA-EIAs) in Sri Lanka were randomly chosen. LeeCooley review package (1990) was used to evaluate the Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) of each EIA. In this investigation, it was discovered that IAA-EIAs and SL-EIAs had a significant difference in overall quality. IAA-EIAs show values that range from highly satisfactory to satisfactory and each share 50 percent, whereas SL-EIAs indicate 83 percent satisfactory and 17 percent of borderline quality. In comparison to the SL-EIAs, all four review areas of the IAA-EIAs performed notably well. While the SL-EIA shows good to borderline quality (0.66-0.72), all evaluated IAA-EIA reports reveal highly satisfactory to satisfactory (0.81-0.93) quality. The engagement of IAA in the environmental assessment has a considerable impact to improve assessment quality in comparison to the only domestic assessment. Finding the weak area in the SL-EIA process and adhering to the IAA standards would elevate the standard of the report.
 Keywords: EIA quality, Review, International Aid Agency, Development projects

Environmental Impact Assessment Follow–Up in Central Uganda’s Processing and Manufacturing Industries: Implications for Achieving Sustainable Development

Environmental impact assessment (EIA) was introduced in Uganda by the National Environment Act 1995, now repealed by the National Environment Act 2019. EIA was made operational by the EIA Regulations, 1998, which is now replaced by the National Environment (Environmental and Social Assessment) Regulations 2020. It is generally agreed that the EIA follow-up is an essential part of the EIA process, without which EIA becomes a pro-forma exercise seeking plan or project approval. This paper assesses the legal and regulatory provisions for EIA follow-up and the actual practice in central Uganda’s processing and manufacturing industries for 24 years (1995-2019) of practice. Data was collected from key categories of EIA stakeholders, including the affected public, the interested public, the developers, and the regulator or its delegated entities. Data was collected between 2018 and 2019 using a review of related literature, documentary analysis, checklists, key informant interviews, and specifically designed questionnaires for the different categories of key EIA stakeholders. Data was analyzed using largely descriptive statistics and, to some extent, inferential statistics. Our finding was that there was a wide gap between law and the actual practice of EIA follow-up. Specifically, there was limited monitoring by the regulator, absent post-assessment environmental audit, low to moderate implementation of mitigation measures and poor communication between the developers and the affected public. This was mainly due to poor implementation of the pre-approval phases of the EIA process and other context factors. The paper made several recommendations to improve the design and implementation of the EIA follow-up program

Assessing the existing guidelines of environmental impact assessment and mitigation measures for future hydropower projects in Pakistan

Introduction: More than 16% of the total electricity used worldwide is met by hydropower, having local to regional environmental consequences. With positive indicators that energy is becoming more broadly available and sustainable, the world is moving closer to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG 7). Pakistan became the first nation to include the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in its national development strategy.Methodology: The current study sought to investigate the structural limits of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) guidelines for hydropower development in Pakistan. The study included the document review of the EIA reports about hydropower projects in Pakistan, scientific questionnaires from decision-makers, and public consultation.Results and Discussion: The document evaluates that an adequate mechanism is available, and donors like the Asian Development Bank and World Bank observe the implementation process of EIA in Pakistan. However, a comprehensive analysis of the EIA system found several things that could be improved, not only in the institutional framework but also in actual implementation and practices. More than 20% of respondent decision-makers disagreed with the compliance of the current Institutional Framework with EIA guidelines, and 25% think that the existing guidelines followed in Pakistan are not aligned with international standards and practices for Hydropower in actual practice. EIA has a limited impact on decision-making due to insufficient technical and financial resources.Recommendations: There should be a think tank with experts who can meet the needs of present and future epochs. The public should be communicated with and educated about EIA. For better efficiency, the officers and decision-makers should be trained internationally, i.e., the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA).

Mainstreaming Climate Change into EIA Process in Nigeria: Perspectives from Projects in Northern Nigeria

The persistent issue of drought in Northern Nigeria is exacerbated by the reduction in precipitation and rise in temperature. Nigeria is being impacted by climate change in diverse ways, necessitating the immediate implementation of proactive measures to tackle its challenges. It is crucial to integrate adaptation and mitigation into the country's development plans. The objective of the study is to identify current practices, gaps, and opportunities for incorporating climate change into the EIA framework; and the integration of climate change considerations into the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process from projects in Northern Nigeria. The study assesses various criteria in EIA reports, such as vulnerability assessments, climate projections, adaptation measures, stakeholder engagement, and policy compliance. A self-created questionnaire titled "Mainstreaming Climate Change within EIA" was utilized to collect data. The questionnaire was designed with an interactive format, divided into three main categories (Category A, B, C). It was conducted between February and April 2022, with 400 potential volunteers receiving electronic and hard copies of questionnaires, resulting in 127 valid responses. The findings from five EIA reports of projects in Northern Nigeria revealed significant gaps in addressing climate change, including limited attention to vulnerability and risk assessments, inadequate reporting of adaptation measures, and insufficient stakeholder engagement. Key stakeholder interviews conducted support the relevance and significance of incorporating climate change adaptation skills into the EIA process. However, the study contends that in order for stakeholders to accept mainstreaming climate change mitigation and adaptation, institutional and policy changes are needed.

When the “best available science” is not good enough: The need for supporting scientific research in the United Nations treaty to protect biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction

The distant ecosystems of the high seas are growing closer every year as humans create and deploy novel technologies to harvest resources from the open ocean. A new international agreement, the treaty for Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ), is intended to ensure the conservation and sustainability of such ecosystems. Among other issue areas, the BBNJ agreement establishes requirements for conducting Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) for activities within (or impacting) Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction. This short communication argues that the EIA process created by the BBNJ treaty will not be effective at achieving the goals of conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction without strong scientific support. The basic problem is that EIAs require more information than what is available for even the most accessible marine ecosystems in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction. We consider three cases of ocean uses – plastic cleanups, deep seabed mining, and mesopelagic fisheries – to demonstrate that available scientific knowledge is insufficient to conduct and evaluate informative EIAs. We suggest three ways that the Scientific and Technical Body established by the BBNJ agreement could be augmented by the Conference of Parties in order to help avoid dysfunction in the EIA process, support scientific discovery, and increase environmental protection.

Importance of Strategic Environmental Assessment (Sea) Process and Environmental Health Impact Assessment (Ehia) Process Towards Sustainable Climate Change And Control

Importance of Strategic Environmental Assessment (Sea) Process and Environmental Health Impact Assessment (Ehia) Process Towards Sustainable Climate Change And Control

The Effect of Wearable and Tearable Climate and Weather on Wearable Technology

This article discusses the effect of wearable tearable climate and weather on wearable technology. Climate change refers to long term shifts in temperature and weather patterns, mainly caused by human activities, especially the burning of fossil fuels and unsustainable infrastructural development. Strategic environmental assessment (SEA) process can be broadly defined as a study of the impacts of a proposed project, plan, project, policy, or legislative action on the environment and sustainability. The significance of the work entitled “Sustainable Wearable Climate and Weather Management” is mainly confirmatory as it solves environmental and social problems. In this research, the SEA process has been aimed to incorporate environmental and sustainability factors into wearable climate and weather management includes climate change and control as an example like production and manufacturing process project planning and decision-making processes such as project formulation and appraisal of wearable climate and weather projects like wear and tear of dust-producing grinding chrome composite leather clad rollers and washers commonly used in seed-cotton Indian roller ginning machines, wastewater treatment process, rotating biological contactors, trickling filter bed, biomedical parts, marine biopolymers, Indo-Matsushita midget electrode (battery carbon rod) plant in 1979 at Tada, sustainable bridge, road, and sanitation structure, green building, nuclear power plant, cotton roller ginning plant and concrete that included policies, programs, plans, and legislative actions. Sustainable materials for manufacturing process development is a kind of development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability and efficacy of future generations to meet their own needs. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process can be defined as the systematic study of the potential impacts (effects) of proposed projects, plans, programs, policies, or legislative actions relative to the physical-chemical, biological, bio-medical, cultural, and socioeconomic components of the total environmental product life cycle. The primary purpose of the EIA process is to encourage the consideration of the environment in the Organizational ’s wearable and tearable climate and weather management project planning and decision-making process and to arrive at environmentally compatible actions. The sustainable wearable climate and weather management process should include the integrated consideration of technical or engineering, economic, environmental, safety, and health, social, and sustainability factors to achieve business excellence as per post COVID-19 World Scenario. Before the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process in 1970 in the USA, technical and economic factors dominance the World’s manufacturing process projects. The objective of the study is to conceptualize a training course module incorporating the SEA process for the Sustainable Environmental Wearable and Tearable Climate Change and Weather Control for the officers of Bihar Institute Public Administration and Rural Development (BIPARD), Patna, Bihar, India during the Research Year (RY) 2023-2024. The design of the study is cross-sectional. The limitation or recommendation of the study and check is to apply strategic environmental assessment process for sustainable environmental climate change and control towards sustainable development.

Critical Evaluation of EIA Notification 2020 in India w.r.t Sustainable Development Goals and European Union Best Practices in Climate Change Policy

Climate change as a challenge imposes an obligation on nations to indicate that climate change mitigation is at the core of their domestic policymaking. As a responsible stakeholder in climate change mitigation, India responded by announcing constitutional protection for the environment under the constitution. Since then, India has enacted several legislations to protect and conserve the environment. In 1994, the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was one such attempt to forecast and mitigate possible harm to the environment. Recently, the Government of India has amended the EIA process by introducing changes to the law through the EIA Notification 2020. The paper identifies the problems associated with recent changes and produces empirical evidence to substantiate the study. It further attempts to appraise the Sustainable Development Goals and the importance given to environmental impact assessment by international organizations including the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. The paper further studies several best practices in the European Union and concludes by suggesting law reforms in Indian law.

Methodological approaches to assessing population-level impacts of bird collisions with wind turbines: a critical perspective

SummaryWind energy is a source of collision fatalities for birds and bats. To evaluate the risk that wind power development projects might pose to the conservation of protected species, it is essential to quantify the impact of collisions on the dynamics of wild populations. To address this challenge, two approaches are primarily employed: potential biological removal (PBR) and population projection analysis (PPA). PBR is a decision rule designed to calculate a sustainable fatality limit for a given population, whereas PPA relies on simulation-based modelling to forecast a population’s future trajectory under various scenarios. In the context of environmental impact assessments (EIAs), we argue that PPA offers a more suitable method than PBR for evaluating population-level impacts resulting from collisions with wind turbines. Unlike PBR, PPA can be focused on a single source of disturbance, aligning with the perspective of the EIA process. By contrast, PBR necessarily adopts a population-centred perspective and is therefore only relevant when considering all sources of mortality that jointly affect a population. Furthermore, robust utilization of the PBR approach requires the definition of quantitative conservation objectives and the implementation of a comprehensive management strategy evaluation, neither of which is ever undertaken within the context of an EIA.

Environmental protection barriers in Indonesia in the form of Administrative Effort

In Indonesia, environmental protection is closely linked with administrative policy. The Indonesian government has recognized the importance of protecting the environment and has implemented various policies and regulations to promote sustainable development. One of the main administrative policies in Indonesia related to environmental protection is the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). Before a project or activity is permitted, the potential environmental implications are assessed through the EIA process. This policy is mandated by law and is enforced by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry. Environmentalists have long criticized the EIA process due to its untransparent process. Various complaints and lawsuits about the validity of the EIA have arisen through the Administrative Court in Indonesia. However, these lawsuits are often not accepted because they need to comply with the state administrative court procedural law, which will be the focus of this paper.

Assessment of the Level of Biodiversity Integration in Environmental Impact Assessment Reports in Nigeria

Inclusion of biodiversity into Environmental Impact assessment (EIA) process has been recognised as a means of addressing biodiversity loss. This study evaluated the extent of biodiversity inclusion in Nigeria`s EIA reports. One Hundred (100) sectoral EIA reports from Power, Manufacturing, Agric/Roads, Petroleum, and Infrastructure were assessed using the Biodiversity Inclusion Index obtained from 6 blended criteria and 38 attributes used across the globe for similar research. Results showed: above average assessment of biodiversity in the Project areas, integration of different levels of biodiversity elements, elucidation of short and long-term impacts on biodiversity, description of impact identification methodology/approaches as well as the rationale for using them. There were clear identification of project vulnerable stakeholders / beneficiaries of ecosystem services and allocation of responsibilities for managing impacts. In contrast, maps of the project area did not highlight biodiversity sensitive areas, urban and other industrial establishments, and projects, including distances to coastal area, water bodies and their ecologically sensitivities. There was insufficient identification of biodiversity components likely to be affected by project activities to enable impact prediction; non or poor identification and assessment of species habitats; limited explanation of ecosystem interactions and services rendered by endemic species. The study found gaps on the description of primary, secondary, and cumulative biodiversity impacts at ecosystem, species, and genetic levels as well as in species compositions and functions. Thus, specific measures for biodiversity conservation / restoration plans as well as financial allocation for biodiversity related action plan were poorly provided or non-existent. The results indicated biodiversity inclusion mean score of Power (65.7%), Petroleum (60.5%), Manufacturing (53.7%), Infrastructure (53.1%) and Agric/Road (42.5%)) with overall mean of 55.7%. The results confirmed significant biodiversity inclusion mean difference between Agric/Roads, Power, and Petroleum sectors. Recommendations were made to improve EIA processes in Nigeria by domesticating advancements in biodiversity conservation.

An Evaluation of the Participation of the Affected Public in Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) For Manufacturing and Processing Industries in the Central Region of Uganda

Environmental impact assessment (EIA) was legally introduced in Uganda through the National Environment Act (NEA) 1995 (now NEA 2019) and made operational by the EIA Regulations 1998. Since the origin of EIA from the National Environment Policy Act of 1970 in the USA, public participation has taken an essential part of the EIA process. This paper assesses the legal provisions for public participation in the EIA process and the actual practice in Uganda, particularly the affected public. Data was collected using a literature review, survey questionnaire, interview guides and documentary analysis. The results indicated fairly good legal provisions for public participation and involvement in EIA. However, public participation was not well legislated in the early phases of the EIA process (preparation of project brief, screening, and scoping) and the later phases, particularly final decision-making and EIA follow-up. There were gaps between the law and the actual practice due to many contextual factors, including public participation, weak monitoring by the regulator, weak community cohesion and environmental stewardship, limited dissemination of EIA information and lack of community awareness of projects' potential environmental, social and health impacts. The study made recommendations to promote the participation of the affected public in the EIA process

Contextual attributes associated with public participation in environmental impact assessments in Thailand: Perspectives obtained from authorities and academics

Context can enhance or hinder public participation (PP) in environmental impact assessments (EIAs). This study aimed to investigate and discuss how PP-related contextual attributes influence the quality of PP in Thai EIA processes. The study adopted the qualitative approach and interviewed 20 key informants with insightful PP-associated experience in Thai EIAs. The results showed that four major groups of contextual attributes are believed to influence PP in Thai EIAs: the legal and political frameworks, the capacities of key actors, environmental awareness and the right to participate in decision-making processes, and cultural context. The greatest strength of PP in Thai EIAs is that PP is mandated by law, followed by increased environmental awareness and the right to participate in the decision-making process. Different key actors such as project owners, consultants, non-governmental organizations, and reviewing agencies encounter difficulties in discharging their prescribed functions, which affects the quality of PP. The authoritarian culture of Thai society also prevents PP in EIAs. The study offers certain recommendations, including public communication about how civic inputs can influence decision-making processes, the employment of social sector specialists to facilitate PP in EIA, and the application of appropriate participation techniques associated with the prevailing culture.

SEA and EIA: uncertain boundaries in Spain

ABSTRACT Environmental impact assessment (EIA) of projects and strategic environmental assessment (SEA) of policies, plans and programmes allow environmental aspects to be incorporated into decision-making. The literature and regulations sometimes present SEA and EIA as isolated silos, but in practice there are intermediate approaches. This paper discusses a number of case studies where the application of EIA and SEA is conceptually unclear, although legally appropriate. The application of SEA or EIA depends in practice on the name of the planning document used, rather than its strategic character, with non-strategic SEAs and strategic EIAs due to a mismatch between planning and EA. The gradual transition between SEA and EIA makes it advisable to establish similar administrative procedures, as well as a common screening stage to determine not only whether or not the proposal should be subject to EA, but also the most appropriate approach. More than one EA process may be necessary throughout the planning cycle, requiring effective tiering. The regulations should define what is considered strategic, and regulate the tiering between SEA and EIA processes.

Environmental impact assessments not the main barrier to timely forest management in the United States

Environmental impact assessment (EIA) processes are commonly used by government agencies to evaluate the merits and environmental risks of natural resource management decisions. Citing EIA as red tape, decision makers from across the political spectrum are increasingly circumventing EIA to expedite implementation of necessary actions for climate resilience and clean energy. Few studies have quantified the extent that EIA is the main barrier to efficient implementation. We combine administrative data from the US Forest Service with survival analysis to show that, for most actions, the Forest Service takes as long or longer to award first contracts and roll out initial activities than to comply with the 1970 National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and that NEPA compliance accounts for approximately one-fifth of planned implementation time.