Environmental Impact Report Research Articles

Environmental impacts of certification programmes at Colombian coffee plantations

Certification programmes are often promoted as a sustainable solution for the negative environmental and socio-economic effects generated by agricultural activities. This scope review assesses the seven most adopted certification programmes in Colombian coffee plantations and their ecological, economic and social impacts. In addition, this scope review characterises the coffee regions where the studies are conducted and the main methodological approaches that are used. The review revealed that the main methodological approach used in the studies is the mixed approach and that the largest number of studies is not conducted in the departments that report the highest coffee production rates. The main certification program assessed in this review is the Rainforest Alliance. However, this study also reports the existence of several gaps caused by multi-certification effects. In total, 87 reports of ecological, economic, and social impacts were identified. Out of the 87 environmental impact reports of the certifications identified in this study, 66 were positive and only 21 were negative.

Mitigating the Negative Impact of Wind Power on Soaring Birds through Government Restrictions

Wind power is widely used and creates value worldwide. However, it also poses a threat to the survival of soaring birds. This study focuses on the role of government restrictions in mitigating the adverse effects of wind power on soaring birds. We used an overall research method to identify research questions, selected typical wind farms from different provinces and topographic landscapes in China for descriptive analysis, and supported by data from environmental impact reports, government gazettes, and walk-through surveys, analyzed and concluded that government restrictions can be used as a means of weakening the impacts of wind power generation on soaring birds. And our findings suggest that site control for wind farms that have not yet been established, restrictions on the timing of power generation for wind farms in operation, and ecological restoration of wind farms that have caused environmental damage are effective implementation options for government restrictions. Additionally, the policy strengths of the above government restrictions are guided, recommended, and mandatory, respectively. Government restrictions can serve as an effective means of mitigating the negative impact of wind power on soaring birds, generating economic value while maximizing the protection of soaring birds’ subsistence. Based on our findings, we call on governments to pay attention to the negative impacts of wind farms on soaring birds and put forward three concrete and feasible recommendations, expecting countries to enact governmental constraints to find a balance between economic, social, and ecological benefits.

Moving sustainability towards flourishing for all: The critical role of (toxic) leadership

AbstractMoving sustainability towards flourishing for all implies a care for all and for the future. However, in this commentary I note that many corporate and political leaders do not care for others or the future because, embodying egotistical, ruthless, remorseless, and dishonest (psychopathic) characteristics, their concern is only for themselves. This commentary argues that toxic leadership and governance, in the form of corporate psychopathy and corporate psychopaths, are important barriers to achieving sustainability. Notably, and of relevance to this argument, the embodiment of psychopathic traits can give people the ability to brazenly push themselves to the top, unimpeded by emotional distractions and thereby attain leadership. However, due to their deep indifference to corporate social responsibility and a readiness to falsify environmental impact reports, engage in faking corporate social responsibility and illegally dump toxic waste materials; the influence of such psychopathic leadership may be detrimental to sustainability and to flourishing for all. Leaders high in psychopathy will ignore or dismiss scientific evidence of unsustainable practices because they do not care about the future or about dismissing scientific evidence of detriments to the prospects for humanity. Accordingly toxic leadership and governance are arguably the critical factors in achieving a flourishing sustainability. The future of all life thus depends on who we choose as our leaders.

MITIGATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL LIABILITIES IN BRAZILIAN COMPANIES: WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH COMPLIANCE?

This study aimed to identify the social and environmental policies implemented by the State-owned companies of the Union of Direct Control in the mitigation of environmental liabilities. Regarding the methodological procedures, it was characterized as a comparative study of the cross-section type. The research universe corresponds to the state-owned companies in Mixed Economy Society of open capital of direct control of the Union, namely, Banco do Brasil, Eletrobrás, Petrobras, Banco da Amazônia and Banco do Nordeste. The data showed that the companies have social and environmental sustainability practices compatible with the market in which they operate. Not all companies define the environmentally adequate final disposal of solid waste. Only Eletrobrás and Petrobras have conditioning and compensation measures to mitigate environmental damage. Eletrobrás and Petrobras have environmental impact studies, technical notes for impact actions and Environmental Impact Reports. All companies have policies, requirements, and socio-environmental guidelines in their hiring processes, and have compliance programs in place. Although some of the elements that were checked were absent, it is evident from the literature that socio-environmental policies and actions allow companies to manage their risks, identify environmental liabilities related to their activities, from their hiring, project execution, supply of goods and services, and disposal of their solid waste.

Environmental licensing: quality evolution of Environmental Impact Assessment (ISE)

The Environmental Impact Assessment and Environmental Impact Report (ISE/EIR) are the main studies that subsidize the decision of the environmental agency in issuing the prior license, required to subsidize environmental licensing of enterprises with significant power of environmental degradation. The environmental licensing for ISE/EIR to be effectively applied are directly related to the quality of these studies. The aim of the study was to analyze the evolution of the quality of the ISE/EIR based on the perception of IBAMA's environmental analysts. For data were applied electronic questionnaires for environmental analysts responsible for IBAMA's environmental licensing between 2013 and 2018. The questions analyzed the environmental analysts' perception of the quality of the ISE/EIR and of the specific parts of the study, using as an analytical tool the Boxplot graphs and the non-parametric test Mann-Whitney U. The result indicated that the quality of ISE/EIR are low and didn't evolve between 2013 and 2018.

Alternatives derived from renewable natural fibre to replace conventional polyurethane rigid foam insulation

There is an exponential rise in the use of non-biodegradable Rigid Poly Urethane (RPU) foam insulation, creating a significant concern for the environment. Greener alternatives to RPU insulation are underexplored and need the hour to unveil newer dimensions in plant material added insulation research. We have discussed three alternative technologies involving raw material from plant sources and potentially replacing RPU foam. Renewability and greater bio-degradability are the key benefits of these technologies in combating the environment-related challenges offered by 100% RPU Insulation. This review has discussed the resultant changes in the foam developed from plant-based polyol replacing the petroleum-based polyol in terms of physical and morphological properties, also the resultant effect of natural fiber reinforcement of PU matrix on the thermal, tensile, and biodegradable properties. This paper has analyzed natural fiber-based nonwoven fabric composites with excellent insulation properties from the mechanical strength and environmental impact reports. We made a critical comparison between the three technologies. Finally, the paper has identified the scope of future research to validate the claim of suggested alternatives for commercial-scale applications.

The arid Andean plateau waterscapes and the lithium triangle: flamingos as flagships for conservation of high-altitude wetlands under pressure from mining development

The high Andean arid plateau extends through Peru, Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile. Within the desert matrix, basins contain wetlands that provide essential resources for human activity, and habitat for biodiversity highly adapted to extreme temperatures, altitudes, and salinity gradients. In these waterscapes, the water balance, even without human intervention, is negative and their unique biodiversity and lifeways are now confronted with an unprecedented level of development from lithium mining for rechargeable batteries. The “lithium triangle” coincides with the areas of highest abundance of the altiplano’s iconic flamingos. Flamingos are an ideal flagship for conservation because of the landscape scale at which they use wetlands, and Network of Wetlands for Flamingo Conservation, which implies the sustainable use of these wetlands, can be invoked to determine priority conservation actions. Since 2016, mining exploration has increased throughout the region, most notably in Argentina. A review of the Environmental Impact Reports (IIAs) for projects in Catamarca, Argentina, shows that they do not comply with national guidelines: they do not adequately address water budgets, consider protected area status, engage local communities, or consider cumulative and synergistic impacts. While the transition to “green” energy sources holds the promise of mitigating the negative impacts of traditional energy sources responsible for climate change, a truly sustainable energy sector would consider the full life cycle of the battery (“cradle-to-grave”), the social and environmental impacts of mining, and the feedback processes across the coupled socioecological systems, from raw material mining through production, use, recycling, and disposal.

Techno-Economic Analysis and Modelling of the Feasibility of Wind Energy in Kuwait

There continues to be significant attention and investment in wind power generation, which can supply a high percentage of the global demand for renewable energy if harvested efficiently. The research study is based on a techno-economic analysis of the feasibility of implementing wind power generation in Kuwait for 105 MW of electricity generation based on 50 wind turbines, which is a major requirement for clean energy. The study focused on three main areas of analysis and numerical modelling using the RETScreen software tool. The first area involved evaluating the performance and efficacy of generating wind power by collecting, analysing, and modelling data on observed wind levels, wind turbine operation, and wind power generation. The second area comprised an environmental impact report to assess the environmental benefits of implementing wind power. The third area involved economic analysis of installing wind power in Kuwait. The analysis was undertaken to determine the energy recovery time for wind energy and determine the mitigation of global warming and pollution levels, the decrease of toxic emissions, and any cost savings from implementing clean energy systems in Kuwait. Additionally, sensitivity analysis was undertaken to determine the impact of certain variables in the modelling process. The results were used to estimate that the energy price would be $0.053 per kWh for a power generation capacity of 105 MWh based on an initial cost of US $168 million and O&M of $5 million for 214,000 MWh of electricity exported to the grid. Moreover, the wind turbine farm will potentially avoid the emission of approximately 1.8 million t of carbon dioxide per year, thereby saving about $9 million over 20 years spent through installing carbon capture systems for conventional power plants. The wind farm is estimated to have a payback time of 9.1 years.

Environmental and Economic Viability of Chitosan Production in Guayas-Ecuador: A Robust Investment and Life Cycle Analysis.

Ecuador is a country where shrimp production is one of its primary industries. It generates annually about 72,000 tons of wastes in the form of shrimp shells. Therefore, using this waste as a raw material resource to produce chitosan, a biopolymer, is established. An environmental and economic performance study is carried out as a possible investment report, where a conceptual design of the process is defined and a financial viability report is obtained. An environmental impact report establishes the degree of harm to the environment. The economic viability study considered costs related to capital and operation to process 5000 tons of shrimp shells each year. On the other hand, a life cycle assessment was performed to obtain the environmental impact for 1 kg of chitosan produce, where a cradle-to-gate approach was established. Results showed that this new industry has a net present value of 10.38 million USD, a rate of return of 67.31%, and a payback period of 3.13 years. Additionally, it was calculated that the environmental impact with a higher normalized value was the human noncarcinogenic toxicity. It is concluded that the production of chitosan in Guayas-Ecuador is economically viable and cost-competitive in the market, and it represents an industrial activity with no considerable environmental impacts.

Effect of Acetic Acid on Compressive Strength and Geometric Texture of the Surface of C20/25 Class Concrete

Concrete is a highly alkaline material; therefore, the presence of organic acids (acetic, butyric, lactic) from agricultural sewage constitutes a threat to the concrete and the environment. The investigations were aimed at simulating the influence of highly concentrated organic acids on concrete elements of livestock buildings. Cubic samples 100 × 100 × 100 mm of the ordinary concrete were immersed in 10% acetic acid for 270 days. Then, the compressive strength and mass decrement of the samples were determined as well as using SEM images and a 3D-profilograph to profile the surface roughness and depth of changes evoked in the structure of the samples by penetrating acid. The results were compared with those for a control sample (not subjected to the effects of aggressive agents) as well as for samples placed in a neutral and alkaline environment. The compressive strength of the samples stored in the acidic environment was 22.23% lower than that of the control sample, whereas the compressive strength of those samples stored in an alkaline environment were 44.27% higher. Conclusions from these investigations can be of innovative importance in the preparation of environmental impact reports, which are necessary for obtaining permission for the construction and use of livestock buildings, and afterward in the reduction of the impact of these buildings on the environment and surface and underground water resources.

Environmental Vulnerability in Pre-Salt Oil and Gas Operations

The objective of this work is to analyze disturbances in the environment caused by anthropic activities in the oil and gas extraction sector. Methodologically, focusing on environmental vulnerability (EV), hydrocarbons (oil and gas) are considered through a qualitative and quantitative analysis of environmental impacts, including the research of Environmental Impact Studies and procedures like EIA/RIMA (institutional Environmental Impact Reports in Brazil). This study focuses on the operation and demobilization of the offshore drilling activity and the installation and operation of the Santos Basin pre-salt oil and gas production (Stages 1, 2, and 3). The criteria addressed in the EIA/RIMAs are used, focusing on those that correlate with EV and oil and gas extraction. Impacts for long-term, permanent, partially reversible, or irreversible disturbances are filtered, totaling 53 impacts (31 effective/21 potential). We concluded that the criteria and methodologies of EIAs vary between stages. At times, the variation is so drastic that the same impact can have a completely different rating from one stage to another, despite referring to the same area. This condition makes it impossible to define a single vulnerability index for the pre-salt venture. This work does not offer a concrete resolution, but exposes the EV issue and its inconsistencies.

Embracing Environmental Sustainability: The Case of Microsoft Corporation

With the expansion of the scope of business responsibility of corporations to include the concept of ‘Environment, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG)’, there is a need for strong sustainable business strategies that causes minimal environmental damage. Microsoft Corporation having launched its first annual Environmentally Sustainability Report, ‘A Year of Action’, this is a case study of the corporation's business strategies that seek to take the growing environmental concerns into account. Their environmental impact reports covering aspects about sustainable actions and solutions, is a way towards mitigating climate change.

A urgência de monitorar remanescentes florestais em áreas urbanas situadas na restinga

Desde a colonização, o manejo da Mata Atlântica no Brasil, em especial da vegetação de restinga localizada nas zonas costeiras, representa um desafio a ser enfrentado por toda a sociedade costeira. Os dados são alarmantes e ratificam a perda de áreas de florestas nestes cinco séculos de história, concomitante ao aumento da urbanização nas regiões costeiras, comprovando a dificuldade em conciliar ocupação humana e preservação florestal. Este trabalho preenche um hiato legal, recorrente em áreas urbanas ou de expansão urbana localizadas nas regiões costeiras, relacionado à convivência entre os remanescentes florestais e as áreas antropizadas, situados na mesma propriedade em consequência das determinações legais vigentes no país, através de Diretrizes para Aplicação de Faixas de Amortecimento Privativas - FAPs na Restinga, destinadas a empreendimentos com maior impacto ambiental, licenciados através de RAP – Relatório Ambiental Preliminar ou EIA RIMA – Estudo de Impacto Ambiental e Relatório de Impacto Ambiental. Objetivou-se a definição de técnicas interdisciplinares para localizar, dimensionar e monitorar o remanescente florestal preservado na propriedade, além de aferir impactos que ocorrem durante e após a supressão de vegetação, na implantação e operação da atividade licenciada. Este trabalho concluiu pela viabilidade das FAPs, após análise e discussão dos resultados, das legislações, normas, notas e pareceres técnicos relacionados às Áreas Verdes Remanescentes na Propriedade, de Preservação Permanente e as Unidades de Conservação. Este último assunto foca a gestão e dimensão das Zonas de Amortecimento, técnicas de Biomonitoramento e conceitos de Planejamento Estratégico, Ecologia da Paisagem, Dupla Territorialidade, Sistemas Sócio Ecológicos, Manejo Adaptativo e Serviços Ecossistêmicos.

Mineronegócio e Riscos no Brasil: A Irracionalidade do Licenciamento Ambiental e a Responsabilidade por Desastres

Este artigo busca apresentar os problemas relacionados ao licenciamento ambiental e como estes impactam no aumento de desastres provocados pelas atividades do mineronegócio. Por um lado, a atividade minerária é apontada como essencial para o desenvolvimento econômico e tecnológico, por outro, ela detém um significativo potencial ocasionador de desastres e explorador da natureza. Desse modo, com objetivo de compreender o processo de apropriação da natureza realizada pela atividade minerária e os instrumentos de controle e prevenção de desastres instituídos pelo Estado, este trabalho fará uso do materialismo histórico dialético enquanto método de interpretação da realidade, ancorado em pesquisas bibliográficas, legislativas e documentais. Em uma análise jurídica, com base no direito ao meio ambiente ecologicamente equilibrado, resta claro que o poder público tem a potencialidade de criar instrumentos de prevenção, como é o caso dos estudos prévios de impacto ambiental (EIA) e dos relatórios de impacto ambiental (RIMA), que compõem o processo de licenciamento ambiental. Infere-se que, para além da repressão, a manutenção de um equilíbrio ambiental, por meio de ações preventivas, é o principal meio de controle da ação do homem para além da perspectiva econômica. Entretanto, a ineficácia do licenciamento ambiental gera desastres ambientais e sociais irreparáveis. Portanto, é essencial a criação e o rearranjo de medidas preventivas e repressivas, racionalizando os seus procedimentos em favor do bem comum. A legislação, juntamente com a fiscalização, tem papel fundamental para que outros desastres não venham a ocorrer e, se porventura ocorrerem, que seus impactos sejam moderados.

Sustainability Challenges of Wind Power Deployment in Coastal Ceará State, Brazil

Sustainable and socially just decarbonization faces numerous challenges, owing to high land demands for wind farms and weak economic and political institutions. In Brazil, a leader in the Global South in terms of rapid installation of wind power capacity since the 2001 electricity crisis, firms have built wind farms near host communities that are politically and economically marginalized, giving rise to numerous forms of subtle contention and overt opposition. We aimed to better understand the licensing materials for wind farms and the content of the host communities’ concerns about wind farms. We analyzed 18 “simplified” environmental impact reports, which created a legal path for wind farm construction, and conducted qualitative interviews in host communities in coastal Ceará state in northeastern Brazil. Our analysis reveals how firms appropriated and manipulated “crisis” in their environmental impact reports. Interviews with host community members reveal themes of ecological damage, fear, privatized land, employment, migrant workers and noise, in addition to evidence of active resistance to wind farms. These findings corroborate previous work on the overall nature of host community perceptions, add additional insight on the content of the licensing materials and expand the number of host communities analyzed for emerging sustainability challenges. More rigorous licensing procedures are needed to reduce corrupt practices, as well as the offering of avenues for community participation in the decision-making processes and eventual benefits of the wind farms.

Attributes and Magnitude of the Socio-Environmental Impacts in Environmental Impact Study and Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR) of two small Hydroelectric Power Plants

Both SHPs selected for this study SHP Cabuí (southeast of Minas Gerais state) and SHP Caiçara (northern Minas Gerais state) are located in low-income regions. This study aimed to evaluate the approach used to describe the socio-environmental impacts - through the analysis of attributes and magnitude of impacts - of these two projects and for this, consultations were carried out on the Environmental Impact Studies (EIS) presented by these SHPs, as well as the technical opinions available on the website of the agency responsible for environmental licensing (IBAMA). It was verified that the socio-environmental approaches of the SHPs differed in some aspects. PCH Cabuí, whose previous license was deferred, used more attributes to describe the socioeconomic impacts and the explanation of the impact assessment was more detailed and easy to understand, while the EIS of the Caiçara SHP (previous license rejected) was more succinct in its attributes for the description of the socioeconomic impacts, not adequately presenting the valuation and meaning of its impacts. There is also evidence of the need to improve public participation in both projects.

Multi-criteria analysis of transport infrastructure projects

Planning, construction and operation of transport infrastructure are associated with a multitude of adverse effects on the environment. The Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) are important legal instruments of the European Union's environmental policy that allows for identifying, predicting, preventing, and mitigating and or compensating for these adverse effects. As part of the environmental impact assessment, variants of planned activities and investment projects are considered in order to select the option, which is the most favourable from the environmental point of view. The primary goal of this work is to examine the possibility of using multi-criteria methods in order to select the route variant most favourable for the environment. In the first stage, a review of global literature from 2010 to 2019 was conducted on the subject of MCDM/MCDA (Multi-Criteria Decision Making/Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis) methods used in transportation. Based on the review, it was proven that the most popular methods used to solve multi-criteria decision problems in the field of transport are respectively: AHP with modifications, TOPSIS, DEMATEL, as well as methods encompassed in the so-called European trend, i.e. PROMETHEE and ELECTRE. Four selected methods were used in the empirical part of this work. They were used to select the variant of the expressway section in north-eastern Poland and compare the result of the analysis with the choice made in the analyzed environmental impact report.

A qualitative content analysis of environmental impact assessment in Indonesia: a case study of nickel smelter processing

ABSTRACTEnvironmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in Indonesia has been established for over 36 years. During this time, the EIA system has evolved to reflect both political and bureaucracy changes. However, the current implementation and effectiveness of the EIA process have not yet to be fully understood. This study aims to review the current implementation of EIA, to assess the effectiveness of EIA process procedurally, and to provide recommendations. In order to examine the effectiveness of EIA, we evaluate and compare the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) of nickel smelters against criteria. The results indicate that the screening and scoping process encountered problems in terms of scientific database availability, cost, and time of the study. Public participation was not effective due to the constraints of information channeling and weaknesses of the discussion process. We found insufficient synchronization between the evaluation and monitoring processes. EIA reporting indicated redundancy, inconsistency, and ambiguity. We recommend the political reinforcement of the will of the government to establish sustainable policy in terms of budgeting, human resources, and procedure of decision-making process in EIA.

CEQA and housing production: 2018 survey of California cities and counties

California is facing a severe housing shortage and needs to substantially increase housing production above current production levels to dampen soaring prices. Legislators have considered legal and policy changes to support increased production, including a range of incremental to sweeping changes to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) regarding its application to housing projects. There has been limited empirical analysis of how CEQA affects housing production. This study, which seeks to build empirical data, presents results from a survey of California municipalities about the choices made to conduct CEQA environmental review for housing projects proposed between 2015 to 2017, including the use of several types of streamlining and exemptions. The survey, sent to all 541 of California’s cities and counties, yielded 46 responses (9% response rate). These participating jurisdictions accounted for 54% of all multi-family residential (5+ units) building permits issued between 2010 and 2017. Survey responses indicated the Streamlining/Exemptions category was the predominant category of environmental review followed by Mitigated Negative Declarations. Only 6% of projects were reviewed by Environmental Impact Reports. Respondents selected CEQA relatively infrequently among factors constraining new supply, with high development costs, neighborhood opposition, lack of sites, and lack of affordable housing funding as more common constraints to expanding supply.

The quality of environmental impact reports for projects with the potential of affecting wetlands in South Africa

In South Africa certain development activities, which may have a substantial detrimental effect on the environment, require an environmental impact assessment (EIA), including projects with the potential of affecting wetlands. A key element of the EIA process is the submission of an environmental impact report (EIR) for review in order to determine whether the report is adequate and / or whether a greater quantity of information is required before the project can be authorised. The information available to decision-makers in the EIR is a major determinant in the outcome of wetland protection and / or destruction. The quality of 4 environmental impact reports of large projects with the potential of impacting on wetlands was assessed using an EIA report quality review checklist. It is concluded that the quality of the 4 reports was generally satisfactory but certain areas were found to be poorly performed, i.e. identification and evaluation of impacts to the potential detriment of the wetlands for which the EIAs were performed. To improve the quality of the reports for projects with the potential of affecting wetlands it is recommended that a quality review checklist be used by EIA practitioners and authorities as an additional tool to the EIA regulations and the integrated environmental management series. This should assist in ensuring that key aspects are addressed before submission to the relevant authority, and will also contribute to establishing a baseline of EIR quality for evaluation of wetlands EIA practice under the new regulations promulgated in 2006.