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Question 1

9 planetary boundaries?

Answer 1

1. Climate change
2. Biodiversity loss
3. Biogeochemical
4. Ocean acidification
5. Land use
6. Freshwater
7. Ozone depletion
8. Atmospheric aerosols
9. Chemical pollution

Question 2

EIA?

Answer 2

Environmental impact assessment (EIA) is dealing with the identification, analysis and assessment of environmental impacts of certain (infrastructure) projects; it is involving the public; it is reporting its results, which serve as support for the (elected) decision-makers.

Question 3

Env. issues in EIA?

Answer 3

A description of the aspects of the environment likely to be significantly affected by the proposed project, including, in particular population and human health; biodiversity; fauna; flora; land; soil; water; air; climate; material assets, cultural heritage and the landscape; and the interaction between the above factors.

Question 4

describe austrian EIA process?

Answer 4

Competent authority checks both permit application and project proponent‘s environmental statement
Providing those two documents to different stakeholders for getting their comments
Sending all documents to the municipality concerned, where these are publicly available
Elaborating the environmental report (ER)
Providing the ER to project proponent, authorities concerned, general public and other stakeholders, opportunity to comment on the documents
Public hearing
Decision-making
Approval of project before operation phase starts
Monitoring

Question 5

what’s the histrorical development of EIA?

Answer 5

• First EIA Act worldwide introduced in…
• … the United States: NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act [of 1969]), came into effect on 1 January 1970
• In particular, NEPA regulates procedural requirements for all federal government agencies in order to prepare Environmental Assessments (EAs) and Environmental Impact Statements (EISs), which try to predict and assess the environmental effects of proposed federal agency actions
• 1970 CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act)
• 1974 Australia
• 1976 France
• 1985 EU (then European Community)
• 1994 India
• Today, the most countries on our planet have introduced EIA legislation. However, often there is gap between legislation on the one hand and implementation/enforcement on the other hand!

Question 6

what is NEPA? describe?

Answer 6

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is a United States environmental law that promotes the enhancement of the environment and established the President’s Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). The law was enacted on January 1, 1970.

• Six objectives in Sec. 101 (b)
• The NEPA process contains the typical elements/stages of any EIA process, so it’s worth to have a closer look to it
• Key terms: Screening; scoping; public involvement; EIS/environmental report

Question 7

(! )Desctibe EIA process?

Answer 7

The EIA process makes sure that environmental issues are raised when a project or plan is first discussed and that all concerns are addressed as a project gains momentum through to implementation. Recommendations made by the EIA may necessitate the redesign of some project components, require further studies, suggest changes which alter the economic viability of the project or cause a delay in project implementation. To be of most benefit it is essential that an environmental assessment is carried out to determine significant impacts early in the project cycle so that recommendations can be built into the design and cost-benefit analysis without causing major delays or increased design costs. To be effective once implementation has commenced, the EIA should lead to a mechanism whereby adequate monitoring is undertaken to realize environmental management. An important output from the EIA process should be the delineation of enabling mechanisms for such effective management.

The way in which an EIA is carried out is not rigid: it is a process comprising a series of steps. These steps are outlined below and the techniques more commonly used in EIA are described in some detail in the section Techniques. The main steps in the EIA process are:

• screening
• scoping
• prediction and mitigation
• management and monitoring
• audit

Figure 1 shows a general flow diagram of the EIA process, how it fits in with parallel technical and economic studies and the role of public participation. In some cases, such as small-scale irrigation schemes, the transition from identification through to detailed design may be rapid and some steps in the EIA procedure may be omitted.

• Screening often results in a categorization of the project and from this a decision is made on whether or not a full EIA is to be carried out.
• Scoping is the process of determining which are the most critical issues to study and will involve community participation to some degree. It is at this early stage that EIA can most strongly influence the outline proposal.
• Detailed prediction and mitigation studies follow scoping and are carried out in parallel with feasibility studies.
• The main output report is called an Environmental Impact Statement, and contains a detailed plan for managing and monitoring environmental impacts both during and after implementation.
• Finally, an audit of the EIA process is carried out some time after implementation. The audit serves a useful feedback and learning function.

Question 8

Desctibe EIA steps (5)? how many, meaning of each?

Answer 8

The main steps in the EIA process are:

• screening
• scoping
• prediction and mitigation
• management and monitoring
• audit
• Screening often results in a categorization of the project and from this a decision is made on whether or not a full EIA is to be carried out.
• Scoping is the process of determining which are the most critical issues to study and will involve community participation to some degree. It is at this early stage that EIA can most strongly influence the outline proposal.
• Detailed prediction and mitigation studies follow scoping and are carried out in parallel with feasibility studies.
• The main output report is called an Environmental Impact Statement, and contains a detailed plan for managing and monitoring environmental impacts both during and after implementation.
• Finally, an audit of the EIA process is carried out some time after implementation. The audit serves a useful feedback and learning function.

Question 9

Describe EU EIA Directive?

Answer 9

Structure: 16 articles plus 5 annexes. Important:
•Article 2.1 (main goal); Article 3 (environmental factors to be considered); Article 4 (projects that have to undergo an EIA or that might be subject to an EIA; refers to Annex I and Annex II); Articles 5 to 9 (EIA process); its elements: E.g., information to be provided by the developer (= project proponent), EIA report (Art. 5); public participation (Art. 6); impact on other Member States (Art. 7); decision (Art. 8a)
•As already mentioned, the Directive has to be implemented by Member States (deadline 16 May 2017)

• “The results of consultations and the information gathered pursuant to Articles 5 to 7 shall be duly taken into account in the development consent procedure”. (but do not substitute the decision-making; see Art. 8);
• Annex I and Annex II with list of projects and thresholds corresponding  screening
• Annex IIa: Information to be provided by developer for Annex II projects
• Annex III: Screening criteria for Annex II projects
• Annex IV: Information for EIA Report, to be elaborated by the developer

Question 10

Describe Austrian EIA Act?

Answer 10

• Transposition of the requirements of the EIA Directive into Austrian legislation
• Difference EU Directive/EU Regulation

•Annex I of the Austrian EIA Act for screening, covers 89 different types of projects
•Distinguishes between full EIA (column 1) and simplified EIA (column 2 and column 3)
•Different thresholds, different procedure, different time scale, certain protected areas for column 3
 Too specific, so no further details

Question 11

what is Espoo Convention?

Answer 11

The Espoo (EIA) Convention sets out the obligations of Parties to assess the environmental impact of certain activities at an early stage of planning. It also lays down the general obligation of States to notify and consult each other on all major projects under consideration that are likely to have a significant adverse environmental impact across boundaries (see some examples).

The Convention was adopted in 1991 and entered into force on 10 September 1997

• EIA in a transboundary context
• http://www.unece.org/env/eia/eia.html
• Deals with obligations of countries concerning major projects under consideration that are likely to have a significant adverse environmental impact across boundaries

Question 12

Link b-n World Bank and EIA?

Answer 12

• Key document: Operational Manual (OP) 4.01 - Environmental Assessment (as of February 2011)
• Crucial for projects funded by development aid/development assistance/development co-operation

Question 13

EIA: Technical terms: Describe Screening?

Answer 13

•Screening
–Whether or not an EIA is required; can be done with thresholds (like Austrian EIA Act), case-by-case analysis, checklist (like Annex 1 and Annex 2 of EU EIA Directive as of 2014)

Question 14

EIA: Technical terms: Describe Scoping?

Answer 14

–the important issues/environmental factors/significant effects to be considered in an EIA
–the appropriate time and space boundaries of the EIA
–methods and indicators to be used
–any alternatives for the proposed project including the do-nothing one

Question 15

EIA: Technical terms: Describe Impact prediction?

Answer 15

•Impact prediction
–Magnitude of impact (none, some, major, irreversible)
–Temporal distribution (short, medium or long term)
–Direct or secondary, …

Question 16

EU EIA Directive requirements?

Answer 16

To identify, describe and assess in an appropriate manner, in the light of each individual case, the direct and indirect significant effects of a project on (…), considering the items listed in Annex III, issue 3

Question 17

EIA: Technical terms; last slide

Answer 17

Impact assessment
–Often done with a table/matrix
–Example:
–http://www.forestry.gov.uk/pdf/nee-14a-impact-assessment-tables.pdf/$FILE/nee-14a-impact-assessment-tables.pdf
•Decision-making (often approval, but mitigation measures required)
•Monitoring
•All, some or at least one stage/s including public involvement

Question 18

what are the benefits of EIA?

Answer 18

•EIA ensures that environmental considerations are taken into account as early as possible in the decision-making process and that those are as important as economic aspects
•Secondly, by involving the public, the EIA ensures more transparency in environmental decision-making and leads to (more) acceptance
•Thirdly, benefits of EIA cannot be expressed in monetary terms, but studies available concluded, that the benefits of carrying out an EIA outweigh the costs of preparing an EIA
Typical EIA costs: Range from 0.1% for large projects to 1.0% for small projects compared to the total project costs. These costs provide an initial perspective but obviously do not take into consideration other costs (e.g. subsequent amendments, reporting, delays).
•Fourthly, EIAs have improved the project design
•Fifthly, EIA has created specific national dynamics (such as more stringent provisions, guidance, …)

Question 19

EIA: what are Requirements for reporting?

Answer 19

•Example: EU EIA Directive, Article 5 and Annex IV

(a) a description of the project comprising information on the site, design, size and other relevant features of the project;
(b) a description of the likely significant effects of the project on the environment;
(c) a description of the features of the project and/or measures envisaged in order to avoid, prevent or reduce and, if possible, offset likely significant adverse effects on the environment;
(d) a description of the reasonable alternatives studied by the developer, which are relevant to the project and its specific characteristics, and an indication of the main reasons for the option chosen, taking into account the effects of the project on the environment;
(e) a non-technical summary of the information referred to in points (a) to (d); and
(f) any additional information specified in Annex IV relevant to the specific characteristics of a particular project or type of project and to the environmental features likely to be affected.

Question 20

EIA: Requirements for reporting.
In order to ensure the completeness and quality of the environmental impact assessment report: developer should? competent authroity?

Answer 20

In order to ensure the completeness and quality of the environmental impact assessment report:

(a) the developer shall ensure that the environmental impact assessment report is prepared by competent experts;
(b) the competent authority shall ensure that it has, or has access as necessary to, sufficient expertise to examine the environmental impact assessment report; and
(c) where necessary, the competent authority shall seek from the developer supplementary information, in accordance with Annex IV, which is directly relevant to reaching the reasoned conclusion on the significant effects of the project on the environment.

Question 21

EIA: Requirements for reporting.

what are the charactersitical descriptions and summaries involved?

Answer 21

1. A description of the project, including in particular: (…)
2. A description of the reasonable alternatives (for example in terms of project design, technology, location, size and scale) studied by the developer (…)
3. A description of the relevant aspects of the current state of the environment (…)
4. A description of the factors specified in Article 3(1) (…)
5. A description of the likely significant effects of the project on the environment resulting from, inter alia: (…)
6. A description of the forecasting methods or evidence, used to identify and assess the significant effects on the environment, including details of difficulties (…) encountered (…)
7. A description of the measures envisaged to avoid, prevent, reduce or, if possible, offset any identified significant adverse effects on the environment (…)
8. A description of the expected significant adverse effects of the project on the environment deriving from the vulnerability of the project to risks of major accidents and/or disasters which are relevant to the project concerned. (…)
9. A non-technical summary of the information provided under points 1 to 8.
10. A reference list detailing the sources used for the descriptions and assessments included in the report.

Question 22

how many Finnish EIA steps contains?

Answer 22

–EIA procedure
–Screening
–Scoping
–Assessment

Question 23

Summarize EIA characteristics?

Answer 23

• Life cycle approach, as the phases of construction, use and disposal of the project have to be considered in terms of their environmental effects
• Precautionary principle
• Environmental effects are of the same value as economic and social ones
• Meanwhile, more than 40 years of experiences gathered (established assessment tool)
• Almost all countries of the globe do EIAs (but please have the implementation/enforcement gap in mind)
• Thinking in alternatives, EIA supports to identify the BEO, but does not substitute the decision / is not equal with the consent itself  tool to assist policy-making, including public participation

Question 24

what are the 3 levels of public participation (PP) in EIA and other IA?

Answer 24

Not only for EIA, but also for SEA and other procedures
•In general, three levels can be distinguished:
–Information (one-way communication)
–Consultation (two-way communication)
–Participation beyond these two basic levels (such as round table)

Question 25

who are the actors in public involvement?

Answer 25

Actors: General public; authorities; citizens’ groups; further stakeholders, such as chamber of commerce, trade union, churches, etc.

Question 26

what are the legislative characteristics of PP?

Answer 26

Requirements from EU EIA Directive:
•Cf. its Article 6 
•6.1 on involvement of authorities, 6.2-7 on various arrangements of involving the public (6.2 and 6.3 on what has to be made available; 6.4 on “early and effective opportunities”, “… entitled to express comments and opinions when all options are open to the competent authority or authorities before the decision on the request for development consent is taken”; 6.5 explains that details are regulated by Member States; 6.6 and 6.7 on “reasonable timeframes”, minimum 30 days)

Question 27

what is SEA - strategic?

Answer 27

SEA deals with plans and programmes and policies (PPP), not with projects, thus, it covers the strategic level.

• In principle, SEA consists of the same procedural stages as EIA
• However, there are a lot of differences between EIA and SEA
• Analogue to the Espoo Convention for EIA, there is also a Convention on SEA in a transboundary context, the so called Kyiv Protocol;
• Analogue to EIA, there is a Directive from the EU on SEA (2001/42/EC)

Question 28

what are some of the case examples of SEA on global scale?

Answer 28

SEA case studies (global scale):
•OECD (2012): Strategic Environmental Assessment in Development Practice - A Review of Recent Experience including chapter on Bhutan; Vietnam; Namibia; Mauritius; Benin; Ghana; Sierra Leone; Honduras; Montenegro (different sectors, cf. p. 13 in the executive summary)
•World Bank (2012): Strategic Environmental Assessment in the World Bank - Learning from Recent Experience and Challenges,

Question 29

what is the Relationship between EIA/SEA?

Answer 29

•EIA’s key goal: Optimised design of an infrastructure project in terms of site, technology, …  solution
•SEA’s key goal: Optimised strategy (plan or programme) in order to implement its most environmentally friendly option  concept
•E.g. levels of transport planning:
–Transport policy (such as tax issues, parking policies, speed limits)
–Network plan (e.g., multi-modal development options for a certain transport network for meeting transport policy’s objectives)
–Programme level (different options to connect A with B)
–Project level (such as highway construction)

•Generally, SEA follows EIA principles (such as transparency or participation), but it has larger boundaries than EIA in terms of time, space and subject coverage
•SEA can suggest changes within the proposed
plans or programmes or for EIAs for future projects (“tiering”), or SEA can recommend improvements in co- ordination between agencies or regarding new cross- sectoral interventions
At the top of the decision-making pyramid, there is the environmental assessment of legislation and policies

Question 30

define Health IA?

Answer 30

A tool that puts human health into the center: Health impact assessment
•Definition: “HIA is a systematic process that uses an array of data sources and analytic methods and considers input from stakeholders to determine the potential effects of a proposed policy, plan, program, or project on the health of a population and the distribution of those effects within the population. HIA provides recommendations on monitoring and managing those effects.“

Question 31

what is the WHO statement re HIA?

Answer 31

“Economic sectors such as transport, agriculture and housing have profound impacts on health. For instance, transport is a major factor in traffic injuries, air pollution and noise. But ‘healthy transport policies’ can help reduce these risks, as well as promoting walking and cycling. In agriculture, fertilizers and pesticides may boost crop yields. But wise use is important to protect farm workers and consumers from excessive chemical exposure.”

Question 32

HIA? what is the holistic definition of health? what are the main units to br concerned?

Answer 32

The well known holistic definition of health is as follows:
”Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”
Preamble to the Constitution of the WHO as adopted by the International Health Conference, New York, 19-22 June, 1946
HIA has a big interest on how different groups (vulnerable) of people and communities are affected by the PPPPs; spatial distribution of effects on health important
Human beings/health was one of the issues to be considered in EU’s EIA and SEA Directives (human beings in EIA Directive; human health and population in SEA Directive)
Crucial for the HIA concept  Determinants of health:

Question 33

The procedural stages of HIA?

Answer 33

The procedural stages are similar to those of EIA and SEA.
a six-step framework as a clear way to organize and describe the critical elements of an HIA. The steps can be described as follows:

1. Screening - determines whether a proposal is likely to have health effects and whether the HIA will provide information useful to the stakeholders and decision-makers.
2. Scoping - establishes the scope of health effects that will be included in the HIA, the populations affected, the HIA team, sources of data, methods to be used, and alternatives to be considered.
3. Assessment - involves a two-step process that first describes the baseline health status of the affected population and then assesses potential impacts.
4. Recommendations - suggest design alternatives that could be implemented to improve health or actions that could be taken to manage the health effects, if any, that are identified.
5. Reporting - documents and presents the findings and recommendations to stakeholders and decision-makers.
6. Monitoring and evaluation - are variably grouped and described. Monitoring can include monitoring of the adoption and implementation of HIA recommendations or monitoring of changes in health or health determinants. Evaluation can address the process, impact, or outcomes of an HIA.

Question 34

HIA: Case studies

Answer 34

The Mayor’s Ambient Noise Strategy (called “Sounder City”) as nice case study for LONDON
The Aphekom project
•Improving Knowledge and Communication for Decision-Making on Air Pollution and Health in Europe (2008-11)
•Sixty Aphekom scientists have worked on that for nearly three years in 12 countries across Europe (cf. p.7) to provide new information and tools that enable decision-makers to set (i) more effective European, national and local policies; (ii) health professionals to better advise vulnerable individuals; (iii) and all individuals to better protect their health
•E.g., see p.2 (PM2.5), p.5 (SO2), p.8 (how inhalation of particulate matter effects human health)

Question 35

define Sustainable IA? careful similar to Social IA

Answer 35

Sustainability Impact Assessments (SIAs) are a trade-specific tool for supporting trade negotiations. They provide the Commission with an in-depth analysis of the potential economic, social, human rights, and environmental consequences of ongoing trade negotiations and are a prime opportunity for stakeholders in both the EU and the partner countries to share their views with negotiators.

SIAs are essential for the conduct of sound, evidence-based and transparent trade negotiations.

• Different from “Social Impact Assessment”, often abbreviated by “SIA”, too
• I am using “SIA” for Sustainability IA
• Sustainability impact assessment covers the three pillars of SD  integrated ass. tool

Question 36

what are the 2 main functions of SIA? Sust,

Answer 36

Two main functions of SIA:
–Methodological /policy instrument/ to develop integrated policies which take full account of all sustainable development dimensions and which include cross-cutting, intangible and long-term considerations
–/Process/ for assessing the likely economic, social and environmental effects of PPPPs before they have been formulated

Question 37

describe process and steps of SIA?

Answer 37

Process of SIA:
•1. Screening the proposal: deciding whether an SIA is needed
•2. Scoping: deciding the extent of the assessment to be conducted
•3. Selecting tools or methodologies to match the scoping
•4. Ensuring stakeholder participation: deciding on the role of stakeholders
•5. Analyzing the economic, environmental and social impacts
•6. Identifying synergies, conflicts and trade-offs across these impacts
•7. Proposing mitigating measures to optimize positive outcomes
•8. Presenting the results and options to policy makers

Question 38

what is Technology IA?

Answer 38

is a scientific, interactive, and communicative process that aims to contribute to the formation of public and political opinion on societal aspects of science and technology.

• Dealing with all positive and negative effects and consequences of a (new) technology, thus TA is an integrated assessment like SIA. TA is a comprehensive assessment and evaluation process.
• Tackling, e.g., economic, social, environmental, cultural, institutional aspects/dimensions
• Pioneer: OTA (U.S. Congressional Office of Technology Assessment, 1972-1995)

Question 39

what are the types of TIA?

Answer 39

•Types of TA:
–Parliamentary TA (PTA): TA activities whose addressee is a parliament. PTA may be performed directly by members of those parliaments or in practice on their behalf by related TA institutions or organizations
–Expert TA (often also referred to as the classical TA or traditional TA concept): TA activities carried out by TA and technical experts. Input from stakeholders and other actors is included via written statements, documents and interviews.
–Participatory TA (pTA): TA activities which systematically and methodologically involve various kinds of social actors, such as different kinds of civil society organizations, representatives of the state systems, individual stakeholders and citizens (lay persons) or technical experts. Standard pTA methods include consensus conferences, focus groups, scenario workshops etc.
–There are more types on the literature, such as Constructive TA; Discursive TA/ Argumentative TA

Question 40

waht are the other classifications of TA types?

Answer 40

•Other classification of TA types:
–Problem induced TA (identify solutions for given societal problems and compare those in terms of advantages and disadvantages)
–Technology induced TA (Assess an already existing technology or its prototype)
–Innovative versus reactive TA (first starts asap; latter starts, when R&D is more or less completed or even introduction on the market has already begun)

Question 41

what are the phases of TIA?

Answer 41

• Definition and structuring
• Assessment
• Evaluation
• Decision making

Question 42

describe first 2 stages of TIA - definition of structuring and assessment?

Answer 42

•Definition and structuring:
–Boundaries, context (in terms of economy, ecology, politics etc.), information and data needed, criteria/indicators for assessment and evaluation
•Assessment:
–Analysis of impacts (based on experiences and forecasting); use of scenario techniques, extrapolation of trends etc.; often high degree of uncertainty! Consider indirect and unintended effects, if possible.
– mainly a descriptive TA phase

Question 43

define evaluation and decision making steps in TIA?

Answer 43

•Evaluation:
–Evaluation of expected impacts of all alternatives analyzed, often combined with weighting processes
•Decision-making:
–Justified decision for a preferred technology option/alternative, taking into account different value systems, assumptions etc.

Question 44

TIA case study

Answer 44

Case study: “What happens during a blackout - Consequences of a prolonged and wide-ranging power outage”, Office of Technology Assessment at German Parliament, final report, Berlin 2011
•Methods: Commissioned expert reports, literature survey
•Report’s contents: Introduction; system of crisis management in Germany; consequences of a prolonged and widespread power black out; vulnerability, options for coping and need for action - conclusions.

“As far as can be seen (…) the possible consequences of such an event have not yet been subject to an in-depth, systematic analysis in the literature or in official documents. The analyses conducted by the TAB reveal that the consequences of such a power blackout could at least be akin to a national disaster. All internal and external civil protection forces would need to be mobilised in order to at least mitigate the effects.
The TAB report indicates how the resilience of critical infrastructures could be strengthened and how possible courses of action within the national system for disaster management could be improved.”