An environmental impact assessment
is a formal process used to predict the environmental consequences (positive or
negative) of a plan, policy, program, or project prior the implementation
decision, it proposes measures to adjust impacts to acceptable levels or to
investigate new technological solution. Although an assessment may lead to
difficult economic decisions and political and social concerns, environmental
impact assessments protect the environment by providing a sound basis for
effective and sustainable development.
The purpose of the assessment is to
ensure that decision makers consider the environmental impacts when deciding
whether or not to proceed with a project. The International Association for
Impact Assessment (IAIA) defines an environmental impact assessment as
"the process of identifying, predicting, evaluating and mitigating the biophysical, social, and other relevant effects
of development proposals prior to major decisions being taken and commitments
made."EIAs are unique in that they do not require adherence to a
predetermined environmental outcome, but rather they require decision makers
to account for environmental values in their decisions and to justify those
decisions in light of detailed environmental studies and public comments on the
potential environmental impacts.
History
Environmental impact assessments
commenced in the 1960s, as part of increasing environmental awareness.[notes 1] EIAs involved a technical
evaluation intended to contribute to more objective decision making. In the
United States, environmental impact assessments obtained formal status in 1969,
with enactment of the National
Environmental Policy Act. EIAs have been used increasingly around
the world. The number of "Environmental Assessments" filed every year
"has vastly overtaken the number of more rigorous Environmental
Impact Statements (EIS)."[3] An Environmental Assessment is a
"mini-EIS designed to provide sufficient information to allow the agency
to decide whether the preparation of a full-blown Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) is necessary."[4][5] Eia is an activity that is done to find
out the impact that is done before development will occur.
Methods
General and industry specific
assessment methods are available including:
- Industrial products - Product environmental life cycle analysis (LCA) is used for identifying and measuring the impact of industrial products on the environment. These EIAs consider activities related to extraction of raw materials, ancillary materials, equipment; production, use, disposal and ancillary equipment.[6]
- Genetically modified plants - Specific methods available to perform EIAs of genetically modified organisms include GMP-RAM and INOVA.[7]
Fuzzy logic - EIA methods need measurement data to
estimate values of impact indicators. However many of the environment impacts
cannot be quantified, e.g. landscape quality, lifestyle quality and social acceptance.
Instead information from similar EIAs, expert judgment and community sentiment
are employed. Approximate reasoning methods known as fuzzy logic can be used.[
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