Environmental Planning for sustainability

Environmental Impact AssessmentSathaa A SathasivanEnvironmental Planning for sustainabilityDevelopment and EnvironmentFacts:Economic development is needed to satisfy human needs.Economic development activities may be harmful to the environment.

Concern for vulnerability of environmentWe may not be able to meet our needs or not be able to maintain a minimum acceptable quality of life.World Conservation Strategy (IUCN 1980).Brundtland CommissionBrundtland Commissions report Our Common Future (WCED 1987) led to widespread acceptance for sustainable development policies.At a minimum, sustainable development must not endanger the natural systems that support life on Earth: the atmosphere, the waters, the soils, and the living beings. (WCED)Economic development is unsustainable if it increases vulnerability to crises. (WCED)

SD Definition: Globally acceptedSustainable Development (SD) means development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. (Brundtland Commission /WCED 1987, p.87)

SD Definition: Australian versionEcologically sustainable development (ESD) means using, conserving and enhancing the communitys resources so that ecological processes, on which life depends, are maintained and the total quality of life, now and in the future, can be increased. (Commonwealth Govt of Australia1990,quoted in Beder 1993, p.3)

Australias ESD PolicyThe main principles of ecologically sustainable development (Commonwealth of Australia) are:integrating environmental and economic goals in policies and objectives,ensuring that environmental assets are appropriately valued,providing for equity within and between generations,dealing cautiously with risk and irreversibility, andrecognising the global dimension.Some SD Guidelines - ExamplesEcological, Economic, Social and ManagementPrevention is better than cureSafer if we assume that an activity is environmentally damaging unless proven otherwise. This puts the onus onto the potential polluters. (FoE 1989) Nothing stands aloneEverything is connected to everything else.

Application: Environmental & Social Impact Assessment

Some SD Guidelines contd..Minimise waste; use renewable and recyclable materialsReduce, Re-Use, Recycle, RecoverWastage minimisation applied to the whole life-cycle of product from raw material extraction - production - product use - its disposal

Application - Urban Land - land fill sitesInternalising environmental costs and ensuring social acceptability of policiesMake the market work for the environment. No free goods or environmental commons (ref. Hardins The Tragedy of the Commons).

Applications - road tolls, congestion tax, water abstraction fee, pollution licenseBrings in debate between Efficiency and Equity considerationsNon-discrimination and equal rights of hearingPolluters should pay and be liable for compensations to victims across the border.

Application - Transfrontier pollution controls - international agreements re: global environmental concerns

Sustainability for Planners ..Planning involves decision-making, generating options, consensus building, establishing regulations and controlsAll aspects of Planning should be guided by SDLocal Agenda 21, Rio Earth Summit 1992

Sustainability and PlanningThe environment must be translated into policy but how to consider environmental concerns/ sensitivity?Environmental neutrality can no longer be assumed by PlannersESD policy requires Planners to consider environmental protection in ALL policies/ plansPlanners have taken the stand to support SD (AICP)Definition of Sustainable Developmentambiguity of definition remainsskeptics remain: SD is an oxymoronHow to balance prioritiesEnvironmental, Economic, Social?13Planners TrianglePlanners aim: Trade-off? Compromise?

(Source: Scott Campbell)Regional Planning and SustainabilityRegional Planning takes on SD approachSSS: State Sustainability StrategyEIA Requirements Triple Bottom Line ReportingMust consider plans/ policies w.r.t. economic, social and environmental performance (costs and benefits) Triple? Quadruple ? add one governance, democracy/ public participation, culture, ethical commitment, spiritualityEnvironmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in AustraliaSathasivan, A.Conflict of Interest in DevelopmentsMost projects have many urgent needs and objectives, some of which are mutually conflicting. Resources are always insufficient to do everything at once.Immediate economic gains require the degradation of environmental quality Environmental Impact AssessmentEIA is the formal (continuous) process used to predict the environmental consequences of a proposal or decision to introduce legislation, to implement policies and plans, or to undertake development projects.EIA in contextUsually the EIA is done only after commitments were made in regard to site, design, and technologies.Changes or additions to plans in order to avoid environmental damage are considered disruptive, delaying, and are seen to be extra costs.Projects that had proceeded without concern for the environment, however, often resulted in unacceptable damage to air and water quality, valuable plants and animals, and human health. In some case irreversible harm such as pollution of ground water or gross soil erosion has occurred. Some projects were suspended or terminated on the basis of unforseen adverse consequences. EIA is a process and it does not make decisions.Problems in Implementing EIALateness in development sequence: If EIA is begun only after major decisions are made it would be seen as causing delays.Lack of follow up during development: If not followed up environmental concerns would be forgotten and newly uncovered concerns would not be taken into accountIf there is no post audit or monitoring, implementation of mitigating measures and verification of predictions may not occur.Problems continuedBeneficial Impacts are ignored: EIA should reveal opportunities and benefits, not simply raise warnings.Lack of consideration of alternatives can weaken the effectiveness of EIA.Bias in the tone and language of the EIA reportsParticipation of all interested parties and affected parties in the EIA is essential.Mitigation measures are often not affordable, do not reflect appropriate standards for the level of development, and are unrealistic as to maintenance requirements or operating costs.Private sector usually resists EIA.Communication of EIA results are often awkward and unclear. ( Usually voluminous reports and often not available when decisions are made)The ad hoc, project-by-project approach of EIA makes regional and national environmental planning difficult. EIA should be integrated with planning.Problems of EIA continued..Economic valuation of impacts is inadequate.Modelling of ecosystems is inadequateUncertainties are not treated explicitly. Risk assessment built on EIA can remedy thisEnvironmental Impact Assessment

EarlyIntegratedAlwaysThe systems approachEIA is based on understanding how the natural world is constructed, how it functions, and how social, technological, and economic forces interact with the environment and resources.Understanding allows prediction of the consequences of development.Environmental Law Practiced in AustraliaInternationalCommonwealth/FederalStateLocalActs and DutiesCommonwealth/FederalEnvironmental Protection (Impact of Proposals) Act, 1974Air Quality eg. Ozone Protection Act 1989Hazardous Substances/Organisms eg Industrial chemicals (Notification & Assessment) Act 1989Nuclear Activity eg. Atomic Energy Act 1953Conservation eg. Endangered Species Act 1991Heritage Protection eg Aboriginal & Torres Protection Act 1984Procedure in NSWAll development proposals except for the developments designated as State significant development must contain sufficient information for a decision maker to make an informed decision.Development which falls within the category of designated development or State significant development require an environmental impact statement (EIS)Detailed procedure can be found here http://www.edo.org.au/edonsw/edonsw/site/pdf/factsheets/Topic2_2_5.pdf

History, National PolicyParallel development with USAIn US, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), 1970 sets up the guiding principles of EIABy 1973, Australian Environment Council sets up a working party to investigate the implementation of EIABased on recommendations, the Environmental Protection (Impact of Proposals) Act was passed in 1974. This is denoted as EP(IP)A.In 1999, this was replaced with Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act. EP (IP) Act 1974To ensure to the greatest extent practicable, that matters affecting the environment to a significant extent would be fully examined and taken into consideration before decisions were made as to whether a development captured under the act could proceed.In the mid 1990s this is changed to take into consideration of Protection of the environment through the application of the principles of ecologically sustainable developmentEnvironment broadly defined as all aspects of the surrounds of humans.Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC), 1999After several reviews and friction between state and federal government a new direction is set to identify the roles of each body.Most EIAs are still local/state level although projects that is of national environmental significance (NES) or significant impact on commonwealth land are covered by EPBC.Process is parallel with State government although part of works done for state government could be considered.Bilateral agreementBetween commonwealth and state/territory governmentsTo accredit the state/territory process.In this case Minister will use EIS resulting from this accredited state/territory to make decision. Public involvementPublic involvement is the crucial part of the EIA process. Well embedded in the national and state process.

Different levels of EAStrategic Environmental Assessment: At policy or planning levelsCumulative Environmental Assessment: To incorporate multiple small impacts Project oriented: Initial purposeSocial Impact Assessment: To study the social consequences of a project, policy, or proposalHealth Impact AssessmentEcological SustainabilityThree guiding aspects:EconomicEnvironmental Social

Social Impacts

Steps in EIAIdentify study goals*Screening Level Assessment (identify the need for a detailed assessment)Scope (identify significant impacts)*Measure baseline conditions Test effect of actions on the environment Revisit scoping if neededPredict effects and likelihood of actionsSummarize and analyse findings Evaluate significance of findings* (Evaluation)Modify proposed actions (Alternative, Mitigations)Communicate findings and recommendations*Decide on proposed action*Monitor effects of action*Further modify and mitigate the action* Public participation consideredAssessment and Decision Making Impact TypeWeightScheme AScheme B(w)Score (a)(aw)Score (a)(aw)NoiseLoss of floraAir PollutionTotal343512154625132312621 Score is base on very high to low scheme (Very high being 5)Weighting is to weigh between different impactsThis can vary depending on the environment of concernGuiding principles of designing a monitoring programCost effective (right frequency)Monitoring significant impacts to evaluate predictionShould inform remedial action

Role of Post Auditing

Consider two of the following examples and consider the negative and positive environmental and social impactsRoad development in a city or an area through a forestUrban developmentAn airport developmentA mining company developmentWhat/how often do you need to monitor to understand if your prediction is right?