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- 1. LAS Department UNIT 1 BASIC CONCEPTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT (EIA) 5/18/2023 . By WONDIM ALEMU 3rd YEAR
- 2. 1.1 Brief Definition of Environmental Impact Assessment Environmental impact assessment (EIA) is a process or an instrument used to forecast and consider both positive and negative environmental and social consequences of a proposed development project. EIA can be defined in the following ways:- systematic & interdisciplinary identification, prediction & evaluation, mitigation & management of impacts from a proposed document & its reasonable alternatives. 2
- 3. Definition cont 3 an activity designed to identify and predict the impact on the bio-geophysical environment and on mans health and well-being of legislative proposals, policies, programs, projects and operational procedures, and to interpret and communicate information about the impacts a procedure designed to provide information about the potential impact on the environment of a proposed new development, before planning decisions are made a mechanism for all interested parties to be consulted and provide a framework within which agreement may be reached between the developers causing the impacts and those who are affected by the impacts
- 4. Definition cont 4 From the developer's point of view, the preparation of an environmental statement in parallel with project design provides a useful framework within which environmental considerations and design development can interact. Environmental analysis may indicate ways in which the project can be modified to avoid possible adverse effects, for example through considering more environmentally friendly alternatives. For the planning authority and other public bodies with environmental responsibilities, environmental impact assessment provides a basis for better decision making.
- 5. 1.2 Guiding principles of EIA 5 To date, EIA has been applied primarily at the project-level. This first generation process is now complemented by SEA of policies, plans and programs, and both EIA and SEA are being adapted to bring a greater measure of sustainability assurance to development decision making. These trends have brought new perspectives on what constitutes EIA good practice and effective performance. The three core values on which the EIA process is based: Integrity the EIA process should meet internationally accepted requirements and standards of practice; Utility the EIA process should provide the information which is sufficient and relevant for decision-making; and Sustainability the EIA process should result in the implementation of environmental safeguards which are sufficient to mitigate serious adverse effects and avoid irreversible loss of resource and ecosystem functions.
- 6. Guiding principles cont Operating principles describe how the basic principles of EIA good practice should be implemented. These principles provide initial guidance on how to undertake EIA and what results practitioners should aim to deliver. When applying these operating principles, reference should be made to the framework of EIA legislation, procedure and guidance that is in force in a country or jurisdiction. In certain countries, the relatively early stage of EIA process development or limited resources may constrain the application of some of the operating principles.
- 7. Guiding principles cont Some of the basic principles that underlie the objectives of EIA are: Early Application: Proactive consideration and integration of environmental concerns at the earliest stages of the conceptualization of the projects, programs or policies. Participation: Appropriate and timely access and opportunity to the process for all interested and affected parties (IAPs) Issues Based: The focus of an EA is on the resolution of major issues of significant impacts.
- 8. 8 Alternatives: All feasible options to a project, policy, program or their components like site, processes, products, raw materials, designs etc should be considered. Accountability: Refers to responsibility of proponent, consultant and environmental agencies for their respective roles and responsibilities. Credibility: Assessments and reviews are under taken with professionalism and objectivity.
- 9. Definition cont 9 Time and Cost Effectiveness: The assessment process, its outcomes and decision making will ensure environmental protection at the least cost and within reasonable time. Transparency: All assessments, decisions & their basis should be open & accessible to the public. Practicality: The information and out puts provided by the assessment process are readily usable in the decision making and planning. Conservation Based: The EIA process should strive to promote conservation based development.
- 10. 1.3 Benefits of EIA 10 Reducing the burden of environmental impacts is necessary if development is to become sustainable. EIA has become of ever increasing importance as a tool for development decision-making. This role is formally recognized in Principle 17 of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development: Environmental Impact Assessment, as a national instrument, shall be undertaken for proposed activities that are likely to have a significant adverse impact on the environment and are subject to a decision of a competent national
- 11. Benefits cont. 11 Benefits of EIA include: environmentally sound and sustainable design better compliance with standards savings in capital and operating costs reduced time and costs for approvals increased project acceptance better protection of the environment and human health
- 12. 1.4 Responsible Bodies and Their Roles 12 The major actors in an EIA process are the following: 1.5.1. Proponent The proponent is the project applicant. The proponent is responsible for complying with the requirements of the EIA and for all associated costs incurred in the EIA process. The first responsibility of the proponent is to appoint an independent consultant who will act on the proponents behalf in the EIA process. The proponent must ensure adequate participation of the competent agency and interested and affected parties and the public in general in the EIA process.
- 13. Responsible cont 13 Two hard copies and one electronic copy of the EIA study report should be submitted to the reviewing bureau. After the 12 days of submission of the first draft copy of EIA report the proponent should take comments from the competent agency and resubmit four hard copies and one electronic copy of the corrected final documents to the competent agency for approval. The proponent is responsible to declare the document and implement his project based on the report.
- 14. 1.5.2. Environmental Consultant 14 The independent environmental consultant acts on behalf of the proponent in preparing the EIA report complying with the EIA process. The environmental consultant is responsible for employing appropriate professional experts that best fit in preparing readable and informative EIA report in compliance with endorsed policies, legislations and guideline. Furthermore, he/she should ensure that all of this information is made available to the Competent Agency via the proponent.
- 15. 1.5.3. Interested and Affected Parties (IAPs) IAPs are key actors of a successful EIA and are responsible for providing input and comments at various stages in the EIA process. The input from interested and affected parties should be sought in all EIA process. 1.5.4. Competent Agency The Competent Agency is responsible for ensuring that the proponent/consultant complies with the requirements of the EIA process and the bureau through a regular and effective communication between the bureau and the proponent to provide general guidance on procedure, information and reports required by involving other responsible authorities. 15
- 16. The Competent Agency must not conduct an EIA in order to avoid significant conflict of interest in the decision-making process. The Competent Agency should: Ensure that the evaluation/review and decisions provided are done efficiently and within reasonable time, and that the proponent is informed of any delays that may be incurred through the review process; and Ensure that the proponent is informed of any shortfalls in the process as identified through the reviews. The legal bureau that monitor compliance, and apply enforcement action is the Ethiopia is EPA 16
- 17. 1.5 The overall objectives and aims of EIA 17 Overall Goal To promote environmentally sound and sustainable livelihood development i.e. to Objectives EIA objectives can be categorized into long-term and short-term objectives The long-term objectives include:- Conservation and sustainable use of natural resources; Protection and enhancement of the quality of all life forms; and Integration of environmental considerations in development planning processes
- 18. The short-term objectives include:- To assess the nature, intensity and duration of influence, positive and/or negative, of proposed development project; To promote local community and public participation in the EIA processes of a project; To promote social and cultural considerations in project design: and To provide a methodology for prevention and mitigation of expected impacts due to the presence of a project. 18
- 19. 19 1.6 The Nature and Scope Of Environmental Impact Issues What environmental problems have you observed? What key characteristics criteria can you use to categorize environmental impacts of a given land development project?
- 20. 20 Numerous reports on the state of the world indicate the environmental problems facing society. The Global Environmental Outlook (GEO) prepared by UNEP provides an authoritative statement of the major issues and their regional variations. In the GEO report, UNEP advises that full scale emergencies now exist on a number of issues, including water scarcity, land degradation, tropical forest clearance, species loss and climate warming. Some of these issues, such as climate warming and biodiversity loss, are global or so pervasive that they affect all countries. Other environmental problems are concentrated regionally and thus affect only certain countries or are more serious for some than others.
- 21. Major Environmental Issues in Developing Regions 21 Africa: The continent has the world's poorest and most resource dependent population. It also carries the highest health burden due to severe environmental problems. These include desertification and soil degradation, declining food security, and increasing water scarcity and stress in north, east and southern Africa Asia and the Pacific: The region has high population densities in Southern and South East Asia. Rapid economic growth, urbanization and industrialization have helped in poverty alleviation but also increased pressure on land and water resources, widespread environmental degradation and high pollution levels. Mega-cities are a particular focus of environmental and health concerns.
- 22. Major Environmental 22 Eastern Europe and Central Asia: Despite progress with economic restructuring and environmental cleanup, there is a legacy of industrial pollution and contaminated land. In many areas, emissions of particulates, SO2, lead, heavy metals and toxic chemicals continue to expose the residents to health risks, and, in the Balkans, war and regional conflict have exacted a heavy environmental and social toll
- 23. Major Environmental 23 Latin America and the Caribbean: Approximately three-quarters of the population live in urban areas. Many cities are poor, overcrowded, polluted and lack basic infrastructure. The major green issue is the destruction of tropical forests and consequent loss of biodiversity, which is especially serious in the Amazon basin. Middle East: Most land is either subject to desertification or vulnerable to deterioration from saline, alkaline and/or nutrient deposition. Water resources are under severe pressure and groundwater sources are in a critical condition. Rapid and uncontrolled urbanization has caused worsening air and water pollution in urban centers.
- 24. Major Environmental 24 many small island states and delta regions of larger countries are vulnerable to natural hazards and threatened by sea level rise due to climate warming. Other countries are likely to experience increases in water scarcity and associated environmental stresses as a result of climate change.
- 25. Major Environmental 25 One way of subdividing environmental issues is to group them under green and brown agendas. The green agenda focuses on natural resource management and environmental protection issues, such as rural land and water use, forestry and fisheries and habitat and species conservation. The brown agenda is concerned with issues of industrial pollution, waste management and urban development.
- 26. Major Environmental 26 When undertaking EIA, a comprehensive view should be taken of the linkages and interactions among the issues under review. Also, the EIA should identify both the benefits and costs of development. In practice, EIA often focuses on the adverse environmental impacts of proposed actions. This is done by reference to certain key characteristics, which establish the potentially significant effects.
- 27. Major Environmental 27 The impacts of a development proposal examined in EIA can be direct, such as the effect of toxic discharge on air and water quality, or indirect, such as the effect on human health from exposure to particulates or contaminants, which have built up in food chains. Other environmental and social impacts are induced, for example by a new road opening up an undeveloped area to subsequent settlement or by involuntary resettlement of people displaced by the construction of a large reservoir. Certain adverse impacts may appear relatively insignificant when considered in the context of an individual action or proposal but have a cumulative effect on the environment when added to all other actions and proposals; for example, deforestation resulting from plot by plot clearance for subsistence agriculture.
- 28. Major Environmental 28 An impact or effect can be described as the change in an environmental parameter, which results from a particular activity or intervention. The change is the difference between the environmental parameter with the project compared to that without the project. It is predicted or measured over a specified period and within a defined area. In general environmental impacts of a given land development project or any project can vary
- 29. Major Environmental 29 Typical parameters to be taken into account in impact prediction and decision-making include: Type biophysical, social, health or economic Nature positive, negative, direct or indirect, cumulative, etc. Magnitude or severity high, moderate, low Extent local, regional, transboundary or global Timing immediate/long term Duration temporary/permanent or during construction, operation, decommissioning, immediate, delayed, rate of change); Uncertainty low likelihood/high probability Reversibility reversible/irreversible Likelihood- (probability, uncertainty or confidence in the prediction)