Environmental Impact Assessment: Definition, Roles and

Classification!
Definition:
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) can be defined as the systematic identification and

evaluation of the potential impacts (effects) of proposed projects, plans, programs or legislative

actions relative to the physical, chemical, biological, cultural and socio-economic components of

the total environment.

The primary purpose of the EIA process is to encourage the consideration of the environmental

issues in planning and decision making and to ultimately arrive at actions which are more

environmentally compatible (L. Canty, 1996).

The potential scope of a comprehensive EIA system is considerable and could include the

appraisal of policies, plans, programmes and specific projects.

EIA, as it has developed in many countries, involves a number of procedures and stages:

a. Screening to determine which projects or developments require a full or partial

impact assessment study;
b. Scoping to identify which potential impacts are relevant to assess (based on
legislative requirements, international conventions, expert knowledge and public
involvement), to identify alternative solutions that avoid, mitigate or compensate
adverse impacts on biodiversity (including the option of not proceeding with the
development, finding alternative designs or sites which avoid the impacts,
incorporating safeguards in the design of the project, or providing compensation for
adverse impacts), and finally to derive terms of reference for the impact assessment;
c. Assessment and evaluation of impacts and development of alternatives, to
predict and identify the likely environmental impacts of a proposed project or
development, including the detailed elaboration of alternatives;
d. Reporting the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) or EIA report, including
an environmental management plan (EMP), and a non-technical summary for the
general audience.
e. Review of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), based on the terms of
reference (scoping) and public (including authority) participation.
f. Decision-making on whether to approve the project or not, and under what
conditions; and
g. Monitoring, compliance, enforcement and environmental auditing. Monitor
whether the predicted impacts and proposed mitigation measures occur as defined in
the EMP. Verify the compliance of proponent with the EMP, to ensure that
unpredicted impacts or failed mitigation measures are identified and addressed in a
timely fashion.

The result of an EIA is assembled in a document known as an Environmental Impact Statement

(EIS) which looks at all the positive and negative effects of a particular project on the

environment. This report is just one component of the information required to aid decision

makers in making their ultimate decision about a project.

EIA can be considered as a mechanism which maximizes the efficient use of natural and human

resources. It can also reduce costs and time taken to reach a decision by ensuring that

subjectivity and duplication of effort are minimized, as well as identifying and attempting to

evaluate the primary and secondary consequences which might require the introduction of

expensive pollution control equipment or compensation and other costs at a later date.

“Environment” in EIA context mainly focuses physical, chemical, biological, geological, social,

economical, and aesthetic dimensions along with .their complex interactions, which affects

individuals, communities and ultimately determines their forms, character, relationship, and

survival.

Sustainable development is built on three basic pillars: economic growth, ecological balance and

social progress. Economic growth achieved in a way that does not consider, the environmental

concerns, will not be sustainable in the long run.

However, sustainable development needs careful integration of three constituents—

environmental, economic, and social needs in order to achieve both an increased standard of
living in the short term, and a net gain or equilibrium among human, natural, and economic

resources to support future generations in the long term. “It is necessary to understand the links

between environment and development in order to make development choices that will be

economically efficient, socially equitable and responsible, and environmentally sound.”

EIA have two Roles: legal and educational:

1. The legal one is quite straight forward to ensure that development projects such as a housing

estate, a road/bridge or some such construction project has a minimal impact on the environment

in its entire ‘lifecycle’ – i.e. during design, construction, use, maintenance, and demolition. Many

countries now have laws stipulating that unless an EIA study is carried out particularly for large

infrastructure projects, permission for construction will not be granted by the local authority.

2. The educational role is equally important to educate everyone involved both professionals and

users. We need to look at all our daily actions as eventually and cumulatively affecting the

environment. This includes our daily choices, where a delicate balance between financial and

environmental considerations needs to be made automatically without thinking.

There is a need to emphasize and to promote the new paradigm of preventive the management to

protect the environment in the process of development of the nation. Various tools of preventive

management be classified into following three groups.

Management based tools Process based tools Product based tools

Environmental management Environmental technology Industrial ecology

system Assessment

Environmental performance Toxic use reduction Extended producers

evaluation Responsibility

Environmental audits Best operating practices Eco-labeling

Environmental reporting and Environmentally best practice Design for environment

communication

Total cost accounting Best available technology Life cycle assessment

 
Law and policy Pollution prevention

 
Trade and environment Cleaner production

 
Environmental economics Cleaner technology

   
Eco-efficiency

Indicators can be classified in to environmental performance indicators and environmental

condition indicators. The environmental performance indicators can be further divided into two

categories namely, operational performance indicators and management performance indicators.

The operational performance indicators are related to the process and other operational activities

of the organization, and would typically address the issue of raw material consumption, energy

consumption, water consumption in the organization, the quantities of waste water generated,

other solid wastes generated, emission from the organization.

Classification of EIA:
EIA can be classified based on the purpose and the theme of development. EIA can be climate

impact assessment, demographic impact assessment, development impact assessment, ecological

impact assessment, economic and fiscal impact assessment, health impact assessment, risk

assessment, social impact assessment, strategic impact assessment, technology assessment.

In addition to this list, EIA is also categorised based on systematic analysis of environmental

parameters, geographical region, carrying capacity limitations and sectoral planning. They are

strategic EIA, regional EIA, sectoral EIA, project level EIA and life cycle assessment.

Strategic EIA (SEIA):

Strategic EIA refers to systematic analysis of the environmental effects of development policies,

plans, programs and other proposed strategic actions. This process extends the aims and

principles of EIA upstream in the decision- making process, beyond the project level and when

major alternatives are still open. Strategic EIA represents a proactive approach to integrate

environmental considerations into the higher level of decision-making.

Regional EIA:

EIA in the context of regional planning integrates environmental concerns into development

planning for a geographic region, normally at the sub- country level. Such an approach is

referred to as the economic-cum- environmental (EcE) development planning. This approach

facilitates adequate integration of economic development with management of renewable natural

resources within the carrying capacity limitation to achieve sustainable development.

It fulfills the need for macro-level environmental integration, which the project-oriented EIA is

unable to address effectively. Regional EIA addresses the environmental impacts of regional

development plans and thus, the context for project-level EIA of the subsequent projects, within

the region. In addition, if environmental effects are considered at regional level, then cumulative

environmental effects of all the projects within the region can be accounted.

Sectoral EIA:

Instead of project-level-EIA, an EIA should take place in the context of regional and sectoral

level planning. Once sectoral level development plans have the integrated sectoral environmental

concerns addressed, the scope of project-level EIA will be quite narrow. Sectoral EIA will help

to address specific environmental problems that may be encountered in planning and

implementing sectoral development projects.

Project Level EIA:

Project level EIA refers to the developmental activity in isolation and the impacts that it exerts

on the receiving environment. Thus, it may not effectively integrate the cumulative effects of the

development in a region.

Life Cycle Assessment:

A broader approach to deal with environmental impacts in manufacturing is called life cycle

analysis. This approach recognizes that environmental concerns enter into every step of the

process with respect to the manufacturing, of the products and thus examines environmental

impacts of the product at all stages of the product life cycle.

This includes the product design, development, manufacturing, packaging, distribution, usage

and disposal. LCA is concerned with reducing environmental impacts at all these stages and

looking at the total picture rather than just one stage of the production process. Through utilizing

this concept, firms minimize the life cycle environmental costs of their total product system.

LCA gives sufficient scope to think about the. alternatives which are lower at cost.