Handbook of Environmental Impact Assessment, Volume 1

by Petts, Judith

• ISBN13: 9780632047727
• ISBN10: 0632047720
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1999-08-10
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
• More Book Details
• Purchase Benefits

Summary

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a significant, anticipatory, environmental management tool. International debate focuses on its enhancement to meet the challenges of sustainable development, not least demands for scientifically robust integrated and participative decision-making. This Handbook hopes to improve practice by contributing an international, multidisciplinary, ready-reference source to this debate.This first volume addresses EIA principles, process and methods. Part 1 maps the EIA process and its impact on decision. It positions EIA in the context of sustainable development and relative to other decision tools, including economic valuation. It also positions strategic environmental assessment (SEA) in a similar way. Part 2 addresses the elements of the EIA process and significant impact assessment topics - air, water, ecological, social, risk, landscape and visual - not only in terms of good practice but also methodological evolution. The volume concludes by addressing cumulative impact assessment and SEA methods.Volume 2 provides a unique consideration for EIA implementation and practice - in Europe, Africa, the Far East, South America and North America. It uses a number of project types to provide 'how-to-do' guidance and addresses practice in policy and plan assessment.This book should be ready by legislators, decision makers, economists, developers, industrial managers and consultants involved in this significant field.

Author Biography

Judith Irene Petts CBE is the Vice-Chancellor of Plymouth University. She graduated from the University of Exeter and Loughborough University.

Table of Contents

List of Contributors	ix
Preeface	xi
Part 1: Environmental Impact Assessment as a Decision Tool	1	(198)
Environmental Impact Assessment---Overview of Purpose and Process	3	(9)
Judth Petts
Introduction	3	(1)
Terminology problems	4	(1)
The environmental impact assessment process	5	(2)
Is strategic environmental assessment something different?	7	(1)
Impact prediction tools and approaches	8	(1)
What is significant?	9	(1)
What should environmental impact assessment achieve?	10	(2)
A Framework for Environmental, Sustainability Assessment and Assurance	12	(21)
Barry Sadler
Introduction	12	(1)
Environmental impacts of human activity--limits to growth revisited	13	(4)
Principles and rules of thumb of sustainability	17	(11)
The argument for impact compensation	28	(1)
Implications for environmental impact assessment and strategic environmental assessment	29	(2)
Concluson	31	(2)
Environmental Impact Assessment Versus Other Environmental Management Decision Tools	33	(27)
Judith Petts
Introduction	33	(2)
Decision tools versus decision processes	35	(1)
The nature of the impacts	35	(1)
Technology assessment	36	(1)
Cost-benefit analysis	37	(4)
Risk assessment	41	(3)
Life-cycle assessment	44	(4)
Environmental auditing	48	(3)
Integration potential and process development	51	(4)
Conclusion	55	(5)
Strategic Environmental Assessment---Principles and Potential	60	(14)
Maria R. Partidario
Introduction	60	(1)
Background to the developmental of strategic environmental assessment	60	(3)
Strategic environmental assessment: definition and guiding principles	63	(1)
Dimensions of strategic environmental assessments systems	64	(3)
Strategic environmental assessment--a bridge from project environmental impact assessment to sustainability	67	(1)
Future trends--potential in, and for, strategic environmental assessment	68	(3)
Conclusions	71	(3)
Criteria and Standards for Assessing Significant Impact	74	(19)
Rob Sippe
Introduction	74	(1)
Political and jurisdictional interpretations	74	(1)
The meaning of environmental significance and its application in environmental impact assessment	75	(6)
Criteria and standards for assessing environmental significance	81	(5)
Conclusions and future directions	86	(7)
Environmental Impact Assessment, Cost-Benefit Analysis and the Valuation of Environmental Impacts	93	(28)
Ian J. Bateman
Introduction	93	(1)
Contrasting cost-benefit analysis with environmental impact assessment	93	(4)
Monetary evaluation: theory and debate	97	(7)
Methods for the monetary evaluation of environmental preferences	104	(11)
Conclusions	115	(6)
Environmental Impact Assessment---Impact on Decisions	121	(24)
John Glasson
Introduction	121	(1)
Relevant terms and concepts	121	(7)
Impact on decisions--generic/international studies	128	(5)
Specific case studies	133	(4)
The particular case of the United Kingdom	137	(4)
Conclusions: retrospect and prospect	141	(4)
Public Participation and Environmental Impact Assessment	145	(33)
Judith Petts
Introduction	145	(1)
Defining participation	146	(2)
Defining objectives	148	(1)
Defining the public and public interests	149	(3)
Environmental impact assessment legislative requirements	152	(2)
Participation in the environmental impact assessment process	154	(4)
Participation in strategic environmental assessment	158	(1)
Criteria of effective participation	159	(2)
Methods and techniques	161	(4)
`New' participative approaches	165	(3)
Integrating participation and assessment	168	(2)
Barriers to effective participation	170	(2)
Conclusions--the future	172	(6)
Environmental Impact Assessment and Information Technology	178	(21)
Mary McCabe
Fiona Jinman
Introduction	178	(1)
Electronic communication	179	(3)
Geographical information systems	182	(2)
Multimedia and video	184	(4)
Simulation modelling	188	(1)
Expert systems	189	(4)
Group decision-support systems	193	(1)
Further support for the environmental impact assessment process	194	(5)
Part 2: Environmental Impact Assessment: Process and Methods	199	(266)
Screening, Scoping and consideration of Alternatives	201	(28)
Carys E. Jones
Introduction	201	(1)
Terms and concepts	201	(3)
Screening	204	(6)
Scoping	210	(9)
Consideration of alternatives	219	(5)
conclusions	224	(5)
Environmental Impact Assessment Monitoring and Auditing	229	(23)
Jos Arts
Sibout Nooteboom
Introduction	229	(1)
Causality and feedback	230	(3)
Monitoring and auditing and project decision-making	233	(3)
Objectives	236	(2)
Administrative systems	238	(1)
Implementation	239	(6)
Problems in monitoring and auditing	245	(2)
Alternatives	247	(2)
Conclusions	249	(3)
Air Quality Assessment	252	(21)
D. Owen Harrop
Introduction	252	(1)
Air quality management	252	(1)
Sources and impacts	253	(4)
Scoping	257	(1)
Baseline monitoring	258	(1)
Impact prediction	259	(2)
Impact significance	261	(7)
Mitigation	268	(1)
Case study	269	(1)
Application of air quality assessment	270	(1)
Conclusions	271	(2)
Water Impact Assessment	273	(28)
Sam Atkinson
Introduction	273	(1)
Overview of definitions and terminology	273	(9)
Water law, standards and parameters	282	(1)
Framework for water impact assessment	283	(2)
Step 1: identifying water quantity and quality issues	285	(1)
Step 2: identifying water laws, regulations and legal structures	286	(1)
Step 3: describing existing water conditions	287	(1)
Step 4: predicting water impacts	288	(7)
Step 5: identifying mitigation measures	295	(1)
Step 6: assessing impact significance	295	(1)
Conclusions	296	(5)
Social Impact Assessment	301	(26)
Frank Vanclay
Introduction: what is social impact assessment?	301	(2)
What are social impacts and what causes them?	303	(5)
What is the social impact assessment process or methodology?	308	(3)
What are the primary benefits of social impact assessment?	311	(1)
Are there guidelines or principles governing social impact assessment?	312	(1)
What are the limitations to social impact assessment?	313	(3)
What are the key issues in social impact assessment?	316	(6)
How could social impact assessment be improved?	322	(1)
Conclusion: what needs to be remembered?	323	(4)
Ecological Impact Assessment	327	(20)
Pete Wathern
Introduction	327	(1)
Initial tasks	327	(2)
Baseline ecological studies	329	(6)
Ecoological impact prediction	335	(5)
Impact mitigation	340	(1)
Impact evaluation	341	(1)
Translocation	342	(2)
Restoration	344	(1)
Conclusions	345	(2)
Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment	347	(27)
Moira Hankinson
Introduction	347	(1)
The European planning and legal framework	348	(1)
Structure of the assessment	349	(1)
Project initiation	350	(1)
Scope of the assessment	351	(3)
Baseline studies	354	(5)
Design options and primary mitigation	359	(3)
Project description and secondary mitigation	362	(2)
Landscape and visual assessment	364	(6)
Monitoring	370	(2)
Conclusions	372	(2)
Risk Assessment	374	(31)
Gev Eduljee
Introduction	374	(2)
The practice of risk assessment	376	(4)
The risk assessment process	380	(7)
Risk assessment in option evaluation	387	(2)
Risk assessment in facility siting	389	(1)
Risk assessment in process definition	389	(3)
Risk assessment during operation and post-closure	392	(3)
Dealing with uncertainty	395	(1)
Challenges and developments	396	(9)
Cumulative Effects Assessment	405	(36)
Larry Canter
introduction	405	(1)
Definitions of key terms	406	(1)
Types of cumulative effects	407	(1)
The cumulative effects assessment process	408	(2)
Special issues in cumulative effects assessment	410	(5)
Cumulative effects assessment methods	415	(8)
Prediction methods for cumulative effects	423	(7)
Monitoring of cumulative effects	430	(1)
Strategic environmental assessment and cumulative effects assessment	431	(1)
Cumulative effects assessment case studies	432	(1)
Barries to cumulative effects assessment	432	(2)
Guidelines for cumulative effects assessment	434	(1)
Summar and conclusions	435	(6)
Methods of Strategic Environmental Assessment	441	(24)
Riki Therivel
A. Lex Brown
Introduction	441	(1)
Strategic environmental assessment principles which affect strategic environmental assessment methods	441	(4)
The overall strategic environmental assessment process	445	(2)
Pupose of the strategic environmental assessment and who should carry it out	447	(2)
Collection of background information	449	(1)
Identifying objectives, topics, targets and indicators	450	(4)
Describing the environment and related constraints	454	(1)
Testing for compatibility and internal consistency	455	(4)
Prediction and evaluation of environmental/sustainability impacts	459	(3)
Monitoring	462	(1)
Conclusions	462	(3)
Index	465