Quiz #1 (Slides 1-3) Flashcards
What are some things that caused awareness in American for EA
In the 1960s, concern for the environment received a more public and global impetus as a result of population growth, urbanization, industrialization and the resultant pressures on natural resource
Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring (published in 1962) critiqued technology and the harmful effects it has on the environment and sustainabi
This new awareness continued throughout the sixties and eventually led to the evolution of the practice of Environmental Assessment and Managem
Why was the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) signed?
The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) was signed into law in the US in 1970 as the result of a number of factors including public concern regarding the quality of the environment and the lack of environmental and social considerations in the decision making process for major project development
How did NEPA effect federal agencies
NEPA required federal agencies to integrate environmental values into their decision-making processes by considering the environmental impacts of their proposed actions and reasonable alternatives to those actions.
Required proponets to carry out environmental impact assessment
Impacts of NEPA
NEPA was the first environmental law that required Environmental Impact Statements (EISs) of proposed projects that would significantly affect the quality of the human environment.
EISs were intended to be the mechanism to change the way government decision making was conducted in the US
What did the United Nations World Commission on Enviromental Development say about sustainable development?
Sustainable development is: development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
Impacts of U Conference (Earth Summit) 1992
Urged governments to rethink economic evelopment and stop destruction of planet
The Earth Summit resulted in the adoption of three major agreements (focused on changing traditional thoughts and approaches to development) and two legally binding Conventions (to prevent global climate change and the destruction of biological diversity (p. 10 chart for specifics)
What is Agenda 21?
An agreement that resulted from Earth Summit, Set of principles providing guidance on achieving sustainable development.
It was global blueprint but not legelly binding.
Evolution of EA
Early on, EAs mainly focused on biophysical impacts of proposed projects (i.e. water and air quality, flora and fauna, climate and hydrology, etc.)
- As the process matured, the range of aspects increased, and today social, health, and economic issues are also examined
- The integration and linking of biophysical and socio-economic impacts does not occur everywhere, however, and to the same extent
- In some countries, social impacts are only given limited consideration, while in others, the EA process is supplemented by social and health impact assessments, thereby limiting the extent of integration
Current state of EA
Today, EA is applied in over 100 countries, by all development banks, and by most international aid agencies
- Most funding agencies, from the World Bank through to the Asian Development Bank, require some form of environmental assessment of large projects to determine the possible adverse environmental impacts that may result from these projects
- EA has also evolved substantially as a result of improvements in laws, procedures, and method
EA in Canada
In the late 1960s, Canada was under pressure to create EA legislation
•The government didn’t want to encourage litigation or have its decision making authority too constrained by courts
- EIA was formally introduced in Canada in 1973 by the federal Environmental Assessment and Review Process (EARP)
- Required federal departments and agencies to carry out EA for projects that might have significant effect
- Implementation was left to discretion of authorities
- Few departments effectively implemented EA provisions
- No penalties for non-compliance, and as a result there was little to no compliance by proponents
- EARP requirements were generally interpreted to be guidelines for development
- A 1989 court decision (Rafferty-Alameda case) in Saskatchewan determined EARP “guidelines” to be mandatory requirements
- This led to redrafting of EA legislation and in 1992, the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act was proclaimed as law to replace EARP and to strengthen EIA in Canada
- The Act came into force in 1995
Why use EA?
To balance development and conservation.
With EA, a comprehensive assessment of the linkages and interactions among the issues under review can be conducted, along with the identification of the costs and benefits of development
Purpose of using EA
- The main purposes of EA are to ensure that projects do not cause significant adverse environmental effects and to encourage actions that promotesustainable development
- The EA process consists of both short-and long term goals and objective
Short term goals of EA
The short-term goal of EA is to inform decision makers of the potentially significant environmental effects and risks associated with development proposals
Long term goals of EA
The long-term goal of EA is to promote sustainable development by ensuring that proposed projects do not undermine critical resources and ecological functions, or the well being, lifestyle, and livelihood of the communities and peoples who depend on them
Three principle of EA
The EA process is based on three core values, as identified by the International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA) and the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA):
- Integrity - the EA process should meet internationally accepted requirements and standards of practice
- Utility - the EA process should provide information that is sufficient and relevant for decision making
- Sustainability - the EA process should result in the implementation of environmental measures that are sufficient to avoid the irreversible loss of resource and ecosystem function, as well as mitigate serious adverse effects
