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Environmental Impact Assesment and Its Advantages
Environmental Impact Assesment and Its Advantages
Environmental Impact Assesment and Its Advantages
The term "baseline" refers to the collection of background information on the biophysical,
social and economic settings proposed project area.
Baseline data are collected for two main purposes:
to provide a description of the status and trends of environmental factors (e.g., air pollutant
concentrations) against which predicted changes can be compared and evaluated in terms
of importance, and
to provide a means of detecting actual change by monitoring once a project has been
initiated
ADVANTAGES
Modify and improve design
Ensure efficient resource use
Enhance social aspects
Identify measures for monitoring and managing impacts
Inform decision-making
Provide justification for a proposal
Lower project costs in the long-term
Avoided impacts and violations of laws and regulations.
Increased project acceptance
Avoided treatment/clean-up costs.
SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE AND ENVIRONMENT – NOTES, LIMA M.T.
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EIA can aid the most suitable site in terms of benefit maximization and
reduction of harmful effects.
Facilitates informed decision making by providing clear, well-structured dispassionate
analysis of the effect and consequences of proposed projects.
Pre-emption or early withdrawal of unsound proposals.
Assists in the selection of alternatives, including the selection of the best practicable and
most environmentally friendly option.
Results in best practice prediction and mitigation of adverse effects of projects.
Influences both project selection and design by screening out environmentally unsound
projects, as well as modifying feasible projects - Mitigation of negative environmental and
social impacts.
Guides formal approval, including the establishment of terms and conditions of project
implementation and follow- up.
Mitigation of negative environmental and social impacts.
Serves as an adaptive, organizational learning process, in which the lessons of experience
are feedback into policy, institutional and project design - Enhancement of positive aspects
DISADVANTAGES
Time consuming
Costly
Little public participation in
actual implementation
Unavailability for reliable data
(mostly in developing countries
Too focused to scientific analysis
(sometime)
Compliance monitoring after EIA
is seldom carried out.
Delay in implementation (risk)
Introduction of EIA might disrupt
current planning and decision
process.
Security & commercial risks in
context of certain types of
actions
Resource requirements are high
Accurate assessments for impact
may not be possible
Gaps in knowledge and database
in certain aspects.