The document discusses environmental impact assessments (EIAs), which involve preparing an environmental impact statement (EIS) to identify the implications of a proposed development project. The EIS must include a full project description, analysis of likely environmental interactions and impacts, justification in terms of environmental considerations, and measures to mitigate impacts. It is usually prepared by consultants hired by the project proponent, and is made available for public comment. Key steps in the EIA process include identifying impacts, analyzing and evaluating their significance, developing impact management plans, and monitoring programs to track impacts.
The document discusses environmental impact assessments (EIAs), which involve preparing an environmental impact statement (EIS) to identify the implications of a proposed development project. The EIS must include a full project description, analysis of likely environmental interactions and impacts, justification in terms of environmental considerations, and measures to mitigate impacts. It is usually prepared by consultants hired by the project proponent, and is made available for public comment. Key steps in the EIA process include identifying impacts, analyzing and evaluating their significance, developing impact management plans, and monitoring programs to track impacts.
The document discusses environmental impact assessments (EIAs), which involve preparing an environmental impact statement (EIS) to identify the implications of a proposed development project. The EIS must include a full project description, analysis of likely environmental interactions and impacts, justification in terms of environmental considerations, and measures to mitigate impacts. It is usually prepared by consultants hired by the project proponent, and is made available for public comment. Key steps in the EIA process include identifying impacts, analyzing and evaluating their significance, developing impact management plans, and monitoring programs to track impacts.
preparation of EIS by corporation & then reviewed by the authorities. EIS=Prepared by the proponent in support of the proposal. It requires to identify & explain the implications of the proposal. Contents of EIS: 1)Full description of the designated development 2)Statement of objectives 3)Description of the existing environment 4) Analysis of the likely of the likely interactions between the development & environment 5)Analysis of the likely EI 6)Justify the proposed development in terms of E,E & S consideration 7)measures taken to protect the environment & Energy requirements 8)Any feasible alterna 9)why should the project be carried out 10)other, appropriate system boundary & establishment of needs & cumulative impacts (existing & future activities). Who should prepare the EIS. The proponent that is required by law. Advantage-forces consideration of EI at early stages. Disadvantage-public perception of bias&lack of credibility. OR independent consultant OR An authority (Govt example). Study Teams. Proponent can assign EIS consultant, who can then assign subcontractors, meetings can be in presence of proponent. Community participation. EIS should be put on public exhibition for a min. period & decision makers looks at the comments that have come in. Additional- Information provision OR consultation (survey,CCC,public meetings) OR participation (CCC,site selection,impact mitigation design). HOW? The consultant can take: (PR,modeling community,open & niave approach (ask decision makers&ask what they want)). Techniques: Establishment of the need & constraints. Private or public sector. Explain economics not part of the of the substantiation of the project. Plicy, strategy documents: planning policy for a region, waste management strategy for a region, & resource assessment commission. Site Selection. No issue if the project is site determined (mining, highways, HTP). Use the method of constraint mapping, avoid the black&grey areas & choose the white areas, avoid: church, institutional values, resedintial areas, national park, recreational values. METHOD of constrain mapping: 1)eliminate the unsound areas, or areas outside brief 2)highlight promising areas 3) assess promising sites in detail which can be done by listing all of the routes&then assigning #s based on opinions but no weights are assigned, we then choose the best of all alternatives. All of the above information would be placed in the EIS&the interested parties could then say whether they agree or not. Identification of Impacts. Here we are just looking at the interaction between the project component & the environment component. The proponent should send a letter to the decision maker asking for advice/requirements. The department of planning (decision maker) will tell what aspects are required. The proponent will have study brainstorm & then a community consultation which includes: workshops, shopfront & general mail out news letter. METHOD:1)checklist table from Dee et.al, we have to work our way through the checklist to make sure that we dont forget anything. The numbers are weighted&the weighting can be changed when talking to stakeholders. 2)Interaction matrix, X, tick off what is relevant in project actions & ,Y, the environmental characteristics. After collecting the information we draw the interaction matrix. Analysis & evaluation of impacts. (all r bullets).Aim is to identify the significance of the identified impacts. Needs to be explicit & transparent in the EIS. Dont use a lot if of expert opinion. May be descriptive, but try to be quantitative. Can use simulation modeling (eg. Qualitative modles, source->pathway- >target concept OR numerical models OR sensitivity models). Evaluation can be done with weighted scoring systems, where we come up with a # relative comparison from environmental impact index. THE HIGHER THE EI index THE BETTER, EI= w[with-without]. Management of impacts. (bullet points). Report mitigation facilities, procedures, measures. Design monitoring program. Develop a contingency plans, to be implemented if monotiring shows adverse, unexpected impacts. EMS Sustainability :Sustainability Aims: 1) Conserve resources, both renewable & non- renewable resources. Conserve the input into the metabolism of our economy, the anthroposphere. 2)Protection of the environment from the output of materials, so we can have a good quality of life. Sustainablity from a materials flow view: we have natural flows of metals & organics, then mining materials/feeding them into the metabolism of the anthroposphere. This causes some higher amounts to get outside our economy into aour air,soil & water (receiving environment). Sustainability: policy, criteria & implementation. Esd principles- >controls resource utilization (renewable, nonren & carrying capacity of the environment(materials accounting tools). EMS. Managing the input of materials & operation of our labour force to produce goods of a particular quality. It has to be written & documented. We want to integrate EMS into our usual business procedures,¬ a separate document. Procedure for doing ISO14001 EMS. 1)CEO initiation,Environmental review, if existing, EIS, if new. 2)Environmental policy, 1 page max, the environmental policy statement should be on the corporate website & in a frame in the reception for everyone to read. 3)Planning. Writing out environmental aspects & identifying the legal & other requirements. Also, what we will do to minimize environment impact. 4)implementation&operation. Who is responsible & their job description related to environment performance. Employers can also be trained to know how to work. 5)checking & corrective actions. Are we meeting out objectives/targets & what to do if we are not. 6) Management review. Review the outcomes of the audit & check that it has been met, if not to be able to put more resources to try to get the environmental performance closer to the objectives & targets. If met then reset&set stringent objectives. Method for environmental review. 1)Collect information prior to site visit.(from flow chart)&team selection, made out of independent person from outside, someone that does not know anything about the steel making but was involved in the EM, who deliberately asks dumb questions. 2)Visit the site. Speak to senior management, do site interviews, prepare summary of report. 3)prepare detailed site report 4)compile division & company wide summaries 5)usefull hints: look in remote sheds/bins & ask for locked doors to be opened. Ask the same question to different levels in the organization. Go on the weekends where superintendents are away. Look for drains & see where they go. Look & ask where waste goes. Outcomes Environmental review. 1) Awareness raised amongst all people working in the company & the employees are happy that they are working in a company that takes care of the environment. 2)Networks established 3)organizational structure reviewed 4)Environmental policy developed. Environmental Reporting. What to report on: the resources that are going into the environment, the stock built up in the economy, & the emissions. Guidelines for ER: 1)investigate the rationale for the PER (y r we doing it) 2)Identify key stakeholders 3)Identify key environmental aspects 4)Develop environmental performance indicator 5)Set objectives & targets 6)Measure & evaluate 7)strengthen communicability 8)publish,use & review. National SoE. We want to reduce the input so that we reduce the output, but at the same time we want to increase the liveability without producing waste (dematerialized economy). P-S-R EM framework. Currently, we start with the checking the SoE,&then making a response to reduce the pressure from the economy. What we SHOULD do it that we start with pressure,&predict what will happen, then check the state, so that we avoid having a response. Sustainability:monitoring & control Current situation. In the SoE report, a lot is reported on the SoE. If there was something wrong then we have to respond to it & fix it up. We then find that the pressure has reduced&the SoE has improved. Sustainability:monitoring & control NEEDS. We should put emphasis on the consumption of the substances from the environment & their path way through the economy, that continues to put a loading onto the receiving environment & then anticipate the problems & then fix up our use of substances in our economy. EF. Define EF: is an accounting tool that enables us to estimate the resources consumption & waste assimilation requirements of a defined human population or economy in terms of corresponding productive land use. Assumption: 1)Current industrial harvests are sustainable. 2)Only includes basic services of nature(renewable resources, waste absorption, extraction of non renewable resources) 3)Do not double count 4)8 land categories 5)recycling included. METHOD: 1) for every item of material or energy consumption, a certain amount of land, of one or more categories, is required. 2) select major categories 3)avg per capital consumption 4) prod+ imports-exports 5)calculate the appropriated area 6) calculate the EF per person (sum aa) 7)Calculate EF in a region/population. Types of land: Energy land, area we need to set aside associated with burning of fossil fuels, to soak up the CO2. Consumed land. What we build over. Currently used land. Gardens, pasture and crop land. Land of limited availability. Not allowed to be consumed (national parks). MFA Aims:1)fundamental & holistic understanding of pollution problem (we will not put a filter but will instead solve the problem upstream) 2)where to concentrate resources (what the prioritise are) 3)predicitive ability (predict what will happen in the future) 4)Input to human toxicology & ecotoxicology. Procedure:1)Problem definition (eg. Provide nutrition to the community) 2)System definition, selection of substance 3)Determination of mass flow 4)Balancing of goods 5)Determination of concentrations in each good until the end of life 6)Balancing of substances (amount of substance in rach of the goods) 7)illustration & interpretation. Units: Flow= Kg/day OR m3/hr flux=Kg/m2.day OR Kg/capita in year. Downside of P: Eutrophication, when there is no sunlight the algae die & this causes bacteria to increase taking O2 from the water which causes the fish to die. LCA Few more steps beyond the MFA & we are looking at the EI. Waste production: is the component in the cleaner production, it is within the manufacturing facility & consumption process. Reduce the amount of waste we produce in the manufacturing of the good & in the consumption phase (when the radiator bursts we take it out & the cu & steel are recycled. Cleaner Production: includes & goes beyond WM, & start making deliberate decisions in raw material extraction, i.e what will we make the body of the car out of. CP is in the production & use. DEFINE LCA: is a holistic environmental accounting procedure which quantifies & evaluate all wastes discharged to the environment & energy & raw materials consumed throughout the entire life cycle, beginning with sourcing raw materials from the earth through manufacturing & distribution to consumer use & disposal. How to achieve CP. Making the product durable, recyclable, smaller goods & leasing not purchasing. How to achieve WM. Change materials that have toxic impact to non toxic ones, source control (input material changes, technology changes, good operating practices, & recycling. AIMS OF LCA: 1)assist in new goods & process design (compare alternatives) 2)Improve existing goods 3)Improve EM process 4) Eco- labelingstandardized 5)marketing information. LCA METHOD (has 3 parts). i)SCOPING & INVENTORY ANALYSIS. 1)Define the purpose & scope of the inventory (functional unit definition, what will it be used for, & what is left out to make life easier) 2)Define system boundries ( how far back into the system) 3)Devise inventory checklist (to tell client what we have done) 4)Peer review initiation (to find out if we have left things out) 5)Gather region specific data 6)Use software (GaBi5) 7)Present results (in tables & graphs). ii)IMPACT ASSESSMENT. If we cant make a decision from the inventory analysis. It is done so the decision maker can make a decision. 1)Classification: classify the inventory data into impact groups 2)Characterization: putting a quantitive #, (e.g kg equivilant of CO2) 3)Valuation: Placing a weight for each of the groups. Be able to multiply the important weight by the potentials to get the overall EI. The more we are worried about something, the higher the weighting. This will help us to achieve a single # that will help us to compare between alternatives & choose the one with the smallest #. iii)Improvement Analysis. Not formally developed. We look @ the #s & identify the major potentials that are coming from. & what can we do to improve the design/production of the good to minimize the potential to reduce the aggregated #s. MIPS proxy= doesnt exactly measure the environmental index. The higher the #, the higher the EI. Factor 4. Reduce the material consumption by 4 to provide the same service or half our material consumption & double the welfare we get. Factor 10. Target to decrease the absolute resource use of industrialized countries by a factor of 10 within 1 generation. Define MIPS: is cradle to grave material inputs per unit of service obtained from a good. Advantages: 1)mass & energy are in the same units 2)prelim. tool for LCA because its quick & cheap. 3)can be used for a planning tool/index 4)can be used as a monitoring tool/measure. Material Flow accounts. Define: MFA provides a physical bases to national economy, in previous lectures we went through scales of individual substances. Here we dont look at the money flows. We are looking @ the national flow of gross materials. INPUT: TMR= DMI+HMF, DMI= flow of natural resources coomdities. HMF= its a portion of the TMR that never enters the economy. In Australia we have higher material flow because we mine a a lot. In the US its more technology based. Germany=unification. Germany= burning brown coal to generate electricity (not good). Japan has low HMF because they import most of the fossil fuels. US has a high HMF because they are more self sufficient. Y is HF higher than TMR? When we use up the good ores with the high concentration of the material in them, what is left over is the poorer ores with low concentration tailing hidden flows associated with the, so we expect that the quality of ores to decrease, so higher HF. Output: Total Domestic output= Domestic processed output + domestic HF Describe how the above approach was used for managing the mercury problem in Minamata. What were the problems associated with this approach? How could a different framework be developed to avoid these problems? The management approach entirely focused on monitoring the State of the environment, with Chisso actively trying to invent other reasons to explain the Minamatta disease. When the Pressure causing the upset in the State of the Environment (Minamatta disease) was finally recognised as the Hg from the Chisso factory, there was then a Response that tried (in an unsatisfactory way) to compensate victims, and to develop a response by initially installing an unsatisfactory treatment plant. The problems with this reactive response, was that there was no cure for Minamatta disease, and the contamination of the bay with Hg could not be cleaned up. It has now been filled in, but some of the Hg contamination is still beyond this bunded filled-in bay, causing ongoing Hg disease concerns. A proactive anticipatory approach as is possible using material flow analysis, and deciding on an appropriate final sink for the Hg before the Chisso factory commenced operation is a better approach.Provide a one sentence description of each of the ESD principles. Illustrate each principle with an example from an activity in your household, such as transport, nourishment, and shelter.Intergenerational Equity: Current generation ensures current resources and quality of the environment can be enjoyed by future generations and have the same opportunity to have a similar quality of life, if not better- .e.g. reduce the amount of household consumption, energy use, food, and waterIntragenerational Equity: Equal access to resources and quality of the environment within the same generation. e.g. money back scheme for people residing in the outer west and travelling to the CBD using the M5 (and previously the M4) Precautionary Principle: Where there are risks of serious environmental damage and there is a lack of scientific certainty if it will occur or not we should take action to prevent possible environmental damage. e.g. the enhanced green house warming potential of fossil carbon emissions.Conservation of Biodiversity: Try to restrict our loss of species and conserve species diversity for human consumption benefits but also for other value systems.Global Issues: Local use of goods, for example cfcs, having a global environmental impact, hole in the ozone layer-increased UV rays.Valuing the Environment: Including the environment in a cost benefit study rather than letting the environment be unquantifiable, give the cost to the environment a dollar value Q: Which OECD countries consume less land from their domestic consumption than if available to them?A: Australia, CanadaQ:Are these OECD countries sustainable from the viewpoint of a global reference?A:No, we have a global economy, the Ecological Footprint is not a country specific indicator, it looks at globally available land area for the supply of materials and the absorption of fossil carbon emissions. Q:Is the current consumption of all countries at the global level sustainable? If not, what global options are possible over the next 100 years?A:No, current global EF consumed is more than is available. Here I am interested in your ideas on solutions over the next 50 years.Q: Define the terms "anthroposphere" and "geogenic".A: Anthroposphere is the physical infrastructure that supports our economy. Geogenic are the natural flows of materials associated with natural geologic processes, such as volcanoes, bushfires.Q: Describe what is meant by "metabolism of the anthroposphere" and explain what drives this metabolism.A: Here, the society is analogous to an organism, that takes in food (materials), transforms them, adds some to stock, and has emissions. It is driven by human needs and wants Is there any evidence that the bio-capacity of the globe is being exceeded by the demand from human consumption, as is indicated by the Ecological Footprints calculations?The CO2 concentration in the atmosphere has risen from 250ppm prior to the industrial revolution, to now about 370ppm; and the effects of atmospheric warming and climate change are being observed. (Matt mentioned the current concentration was about 405ppm in the discussion, but the point here is just that it's increasing, you know...) What will 2050, in 40 years time look like? ie undertake a futures study to propose what future you will create for yourself when you are 65 - 75 years old. Use the Ecological Footprints measure to describe this situation, and how it will be achieved. This is an open ended question, without a correct answer; I am interested in seeing the divergence of views from catastrophic; to more of the same; to more equitable and sustainable societies across the globe. What is happening to the stock of Pb in the process household in the given year of 1990?Declining by 0.35t per year; because leaded goods such as lead drainage pipes in houses, lead sheet water protection in houses, are being replaced by goods with less or no lead, such as (respectively) PVCWhat will be the stock of Pb in the following processes in the Year 2000, and 2100? Forest soil 156t; 216 t Agricultural soil 249t; 339 Urban soil 32t; 52t Landfill +600t; +6600t River -10.1t; -111.1t (ie river includes sediment, and bottom with lead minerals is eroding) or if 1.01t of lead is leaching from landfill, then zero change in stock in river (ie only the water column defined as river). This gives a range of values, the correct answer will lie in this range. Is this sustainable? No; the agricultural and urban soils are being loaded with Pb well beyond their geogenic rates, and this will eventually overload the capacity of the soils and human and animal toxicity will result. What are the implications for environmental management in the region? See above on sustainable How could the MFA for Pb in the region be used in the EIA for a lead-acid battery manufacturing plant proposal? Will need to improve sustainability of existing Pb use before new facility with more emissions is allowed. Need to, in a staged manner: -Ban leaded petrol -Ban burn off of white paint -Stop application of sewage sludge to land -Improve trade waste discharge from industry -Improve emissions from households by changing goods in side household (eg lead drainage pipes) -Return sewage sludge to soil (is no other problems) For emission regulations that you are familiar with ( e g incinerator gaseous emissions ); determine which approach was used to derive the numerical limits. What advantages and disadvantages result when compared to use of alternative approaches?Incineration emission regulations are derived from a Best Available Technology approach.Advantages: It is a simple approach; and is substantiated by saying we are doing the best technically possible Disadvantages: The regulations may be too good; going beyond what is necessary to maintain good health for people and the ecosystem. We could better spend the wasted money on improved hospitals, education or transport systems. The regulations may not be good enough, and we could be endangering health. In this case we may be better doing something else other than incineration until one of the other methods provide us with more sound regulations. Explain how leasing rather than purchasing a photocopying machine leads manufacturers to the provision of a cleaner production service.The manufacturer is now paid on say 2.3 cents per page copied; and is now responsible for repairing the machine within a certain time frame (eg 24 hours), and retains ownership of the machine at the end of its useful life. They therefore have an incentive to make the machine more durable; easier to repair; more able to re-use components at the end of life of the machine, and to recycle materials from remaining components. See the Fuji-Xerox example. Consider the general service provided by a pen, and define a functional unit for this service so that a range of information transfer sets of goods can be compared in a LCA.General service: conveying information from one person to many people. Functional Unit: convey 10,000 words from one person to 10 people. Explain how MIPS could be applied to the problem of designing a transport system for a city.The Wuppertal Institute has proposed a MIPS reduction of ten fold for developed economies, in order to move to a sustainable global economy. How could this reduction be achieved? (Generally and provide some examples for this transport system example).The Service in MIPS could be defined, for example, as provision of 10,000km travel per person each year in Sydney. The transport system is composed of the road; the vehicle and the energy supply material. We can reduce the Material Inputs as follows: Make a road that conveys more people per m 2 (and thereby the associated material to make the road) Use a vehicle that conveys more people per unit mass of vehicle -Use a vehicle that is most efficient in consumption of - energy materials per person kilometer travelled. -This can be done by moving from single person occupied large 4WD high petrol consuming vehicles to: -Car pools using smaller more fuel efficient cars such as hybrids -Improved public transport systems (train, tram, bus, ferry) -Electric motorbikes or bicycles charged with solar electricity -Bicycles Explain why the SPI is conservative approach in relation to the use of fossil organic material (for fuel or plastics); and the area required to dissipate toxic or stable synthetic substances. Compare this to MIPS approach. SPI entails making new carbon deposits via eg peat beds, which require land in the SPI unit of measure (area of land); and does not allow any increase in CO2 concentration in the atmosphere. Similarly, there is no allowed increase in the concentration of toxic organics or metals in soilswe have to create new soil from compost to absorb these substance emissions, and this requires land area. MIPS does not include outputs; only gross material inputs which are not differentiated. Environmental Reviews and Audits may be undertaken by consultants, internally or by a combination. How was the BHP Environmental Review undertaken; what were the key advantages and outcomes of this method? It was undertaken by a core team of 4 people; 3 from various devisions in BHP, one an external environmental consultant. Key advantages and outcomes: Awareness raised..positive attitude to env protection Networks established Organisational structure reviewed, environmental responsibilities clarified Environment Department as support function, prime responsibility with operators Environmental policy developed EMS system could be developed with : - organisation in place - priorities identified Browse through the environmental reports in the web sites and on the CD, select a few of interest to you to gain an impression of where the emphasis of monitoring and reporting is; is it at (1) in the above diagram, or also at (2) and (3). Provide a comment on where future environmental reports at each scale should place increased emphasis .Most look at the State of the Environment; and then develop Responses to this by altering the Pressure when an upset is observed. To avoid the lag with fixing problems, and not being able to fix some problems (the mercury poisoned people in Minamatta); we need to measure the inputs (1) and the residence in goods within processes (2) and anticipate, then avoid future problems by taking preventative action Describe the advantages of having the EIS being prepared by the proponent, and alternatively by some independent authority. Give your opinion on the preferred procedure. Describe at what stage and what influence you believe a community consultation committee should have in a project.Example: some companies will sell ISO14001 approved cars & therefore will benefit from selling cars to customers that worry about the environmental performance of the car. The car company can set easy targets & therefore meet them, it can state this in the PER, this will only increase the overheads, and hence the price of the car. But in reality we have not done anything. ON THE OTHER HAND, it might also force the company to define stringent objectives so that the people comparing the environment performance of 2 steel companies that supply for cars, also there can be a publicly available website that allows people to see the top 100 companies related to their environment performance. & part of that ranking system relates to that if they have a environmental public report that has a EM system. This will then allow to compare companies in the same industry. Stake holders that will have effect: -local council insurance company shareholders competitors community environment NGO Media programs (expose). Employees of the corportation (dont belong to companies......) Figure 1 shows TMR per capita for Germany , the Netherlands , Japan and theUnited States ;Why has the US generally been declining and the Netherlands and Germanyincreasing over the past 20 years?Restructuring of economy away from heavy industry and manufacturing to finance, consulting, design of goods, information technology services. Germany and the Netherlands still have a major oil refinery and car manufacturing as part of their economy.Why is Japan much lower than the other 3 OECD countries?Japan imports semi-finished materials of metal concentrates for smelting; has (until recent shut-downs of nuclear reactors) significant nuclear and hydro power; and is increasingly outsourcing manufacturing of Japanese designs to China, Thailand and Malaysia.Why did Germany increase significantly in 1990 - 91 ? Re-unification of east and west Germany, with inclusion of the heavy industry from east Germany.Figure 2 shows the primary contributions to TMR in 1991. Comment/explain the relative contributions among countries.USA and Germany have high fossil carbon use for energy; with brown coal fired power stations in Germany at that time; and USAs use of fossil carbon for cars and electricity generation.Finland has a large use of forests for paper and construction timber making and exports.Netherlands has high oil import from the North sea for refining and export. Figure 3 and 4 show the proportions of Direct inputs and hidden flows, and domestic and foreign components. Do these make sense from your general knowledge of these economies ? ( explain )The high hidden flows are associated with mining open cut coal, and other mining, especially gold mining in Australia.Figure 5 and 6 show material intensity trends, mostly showing good improvements. Why is this same trend not shown in TMR and DMI graphs ? What does this mean for sustainability achievement over the next 20 - 30 years ?When the population and/or GDP grow faster than the efficiency improvements (TMR per person or per $GDP) then the overall TMR will grow. We want both; and many international targets, such as the Kyoto Protocol, and independently set CO2eq targets for 2020, are set on total (TMR type) amounts. This makes it very difficult for Australia to reach 5% reduction in CO2 by 2020; but easier for Japan