ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

ASSSESMENT (EIA)
What is EIA and its purpose?

Is a procedure that involves the

systematic identification and evaluation of the
impacts on the environment caused by a
proposed project. It assess the significant
effects of a project or development proposal on
the environment. EIA’s make sure that project
decision makers think about the likely effects on
the environment at the earliest possible time
and aim to avoid, reduce or offset those effects.
 • Prior to the 1970s, environmental concerns
were raised in the context of major
industrial projects, particularly with the
advent of large-scale infrastructure
development. However, the evaluation of
environmental impacts was largely informal.
ORIGINS Pre-1970s
• Early examples of environmental protection
OF EIA and assessment can be traced to the
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
1960s in the U.S. and similar laws elsewhere,
although comprehensive EIA as a formal
process was not yet developed.

1970s
 • The 1960s marked the start of modern
environmental movements, with the
Pre-1970s publication of Silent Spring by Rachel
Carson (1962), which raised awareness
about the harmful effects of pesticides on
the environment, especially on wildlife.
ORIGINS 1960s
• A key turning point was the 1969 "Santa
OF EIA Barbara Oil Spill" off the coast of California,
one of the largest oil spills in U.S. history,
which significantly increased public concern
1970s about industrial projects and their potential
environmental consequences.

1980s-1990s
 Pre-1970s • The real institutionalization of EIA came
with the United States' National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), signed
1960s
into law on January 1, 1970. NEPA required
that all major federal projects in the U.S.
undergo an environmental review before
proceeding. It mandated the preparation of
ORIGINS an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
OF EIA 1970s to assess the potential environmental
effects of proposed actions.

• NEPA’s implementation began in the early

1970s, and it quickly became the model for
1980s-1990s
environmental assessment processes
worldwide.

2000s
 1960s
• Following NEPA, many countries around
the world began adopting similar laws or
1970s
frameworks requiring environmental
assessments for major projects.

• 1987 – "Our Common Future" Report

ORIGINS (Brundtland Report): This report by the
OF EIA 1980s-1990s World Commission on Environment and
Development (WCED) popularized the
concept of "sustainable development" and
highlighted the need to balance economic
growth with environmental protection. The
2000s
report helped to reinforce the importance of
EIA as a tool for sustainable planning.
 1970s

• As global awareness of climate change and

environmental degradation has grown, so
1980s-1990s
too has the importance of EIAs in mitigating
negative impacts. Environmental
assessment processes have evolved to not
ORIGINS only consider environmental factors but
OF EIA 2000s
also social, cultural, and economic impacts
(known as Social Impact Assessment (SIA)
and Integrated Impact Assessment (IIA)).

• In many countries, strategic environmental

assessments (SEA) have emerged as a
tool for evaluating policies, plans, and
programs, complementing project-level EIA.
Importance 01  Promotes better planning and leads to more responsible decision
making; ensures that renewable and non-renewable resources are

of EIA?
used wisely

02  Evaluates the rationale behind proposed projects and activities; are

there alternatives to a proposed project or activity?

 Assists in pursuing sustainable development by evaluating

03 alternatives means of undertaking proposed projects and activities

 Helps to identify and understand environmental impacts early in the

04 project cycle; predicted impacts can be mitigated before they occur

05  Provides opportunity for input from interested parties; increases

likelihood of public acceptance
Who prepares an EIA?

Depending on the EIA system,

responsibility for producing an EIA will be
assigned to one of two parties:
(1) the government agency or ministry, or
(2) the project proponent. If EIA laws permit,
either party may opt to hire a consultant to
prepare the EIA or handle specific portions of
the EIA process, such as public participation or
technical studies.
 EIA Process Overview

MONITORING
REPORTING
AND
REVIEW COMPLIANCE
IMPACT
SCREENING AND DECISION
ASSESSMENT
MITIGATION MAKING
MEASURES
SCOPING
7
5
3 6
1 4
2
 SCREENING
The screening process determines whether a
particular project warrants preparation of an EIA. The
threshold requirements for an EIA vary from country
to country – some laws provide a list of the types of
activities or projects that will require an EIA, others
require an EIA for any project that may have a
significant impact on the environment or for projects
that exceed a certain monetary value. In some cases,
particularly if the possible impacts of a project are not
known, a preliminary environmental assessment will
be prepared to determine whether the project
SCOPING
Scoping is the procedure for establishing the
terms of reference for the Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS). It is a stage, usually involving the
public and other interested parties, that identifies the
key environmental issues that should be addressed in
an EIA. This step provides one of the first
opportunities for members of the public or NGOs to
learn about a proposed project and to voice their
opinions. Scoping may also reveal similar or
connected activities that may be occurring in the
vicinity of the project or identify problems that needs
to be mitigated or that may cause the project to be
canceled.
 SCOPING
PREPARATION OF AN EIS

One of the important elements of any project is the preparation of

documentation to communicate the findings and conclusions of the study, where
the following considerations need to be addressed:

• Planning
• Purpose
• Audience
• Structure
 SCOPING
Public Participation

Like the EIA itself, the nature, of public involvement varies with different
institutional arrangements. In some countries, formal procedures exist to involve the
public in scoping, while in others public involvement is undertaken at the discretion
of the party responsible for the process, where the following ends are achieved:

1. They provide the panel with questions and concerns expressed by the local
people and other agencies and groups with an interest in the project.
2. They allow the project proponent to explain the details of a project in a non-
adversarial environment.
3. They allow contentious issues to be discussed in an open forum.
IMPACT ASSESSMENT AND MITIGATION
Impact assessment refers to the detailed evaluation of
the environmental and social impacts of the planned project and
identified alternatives, compared to the baseline conditions. This
includes qualitative descriptions such as measuring high, medium
and low impacts, and quantitative descriptions, such as indicating
the cubic metres of water withdrawn, sewage produced, and
pollutants released. This is done for the planned project as well
as the identified alternatives, allowing for comparisons. Once the
detailed assessment is complete, mitigation measures to reduce
or avoid impacts are identified.
Mitigation refers to minimizing or avoiding the described
impacts. Overall, mitigation measures are a response to the
findings of impact assessment; they need to cover all the areas
identified.
IMPACT MANAGEMENT
Essentially, impact management is the creation of a series
of plans and protocols aiming to manage and monitor the
identified mitigation measures and risks that may occur
over the project lifetime, such as technology failures and
natural disasters. Some of the plans are compulsory, such
as an environmental management plan (EMP), which is
required as part of an EIA report in most countries. Other
plans are context-specific and/or depend on guidance
from national legislation. For example, if the project takes
place in close proximity to a community, a resettlement
plan may be needed; if there are no communities close by,
a resettlement plan would not be necessary. Impact
Management begins during the project’s planning phase
and continues on after project implementation.
The EIA Report

The EIA Report is a compilation of several

important project components, including the
project description, the assessment of its
environmental and social impacts, mitigation
measures, and related management and
monitoring plans. During this step, all the
information gathered during the previous steps is
compiled into a comprehensive report that
analyzes and synthesizes the data, structuring it
as stipulated in the terms of reference (TOR).
Review & Licensing
Review and Licensing is the final check on the quality of
the EIA report submitted to obtain a project license. Once the EIA
report is submitted, designated authorities will usually go through
it thoroughly, weighing the methods used, data, interpretations,
measures and conclusions to assess the impacts of the planned
development. Their review will determine whether or not the
project adequately addresses major environmental and social
impacts and other risks, and whether or not to grant a licence to
the project proponents, or to request project changes. This means
that a good quality EIA might still lead to the planned development
not being permitted to go ahead based on the identified impacts.
Often, the review process leads to a requirement for additional
information on potential impacts, mitigation measures or other
aspects.
 Monitoring
Monitoring provides data on the environmental and social impacts of the project for the
whole project lifecycle. As part of their operations, most development projects involve regular
monitoring of indicators (including such things as quantity of ores extracted, materials processed,
energy used and sewage released, etc.). More specifically, the information collected during
monitoring activities helps to ensure that the priorities listed in the Environmental Management Plan
(EMP), mitigation measures, and contingency plans are properly implemented, and that these plans
and measures are effective in addressing the project’s impacts.
 Challenges and Limitations
BUDGET CONSTRAINTS
essentially the limitations placed on the
financial resources available for a project. Safety
The potential hazards that could lead to
accidents or health risks on project sites.
TIME CONSTRAINTS
factors that limit projects in terms of time.
This includes deadlines, workload SLOW PROGRESS
management, and resource allocation. Too much paperwork generated and an
overly cautious approach to assessing
DATA GAPS impacts
refers to missing data in a EIA project. Data
gaps are a problem for organizations of all LACK OF MONITORING
sizes. They are costly, frustrating and time A lack of monitoring of the forecasted
consuming to fix. impacts or mitigation, with many proposed
mitigation measures either not being
implemented as proposed or being
ineffective.
MULTIDISCIPLINARY
TEAM
MANAGEMENT
 Conducting an environmental impact study and preparing
the environmental statement requires time, expertise, and
careful management. Specialists must focus on gathering
relevant data and analyzing the most significant
environmental effects, rather than addressing every potential
impact. Effective project management, especially when
multiple consultants are involved, is crucial for ensuring the
study stays on track and meets deadlines. In large projects,
having two project managers—one overseeing the overall
process and another handling technical quality—can improve
efficiency and ensure the assessment's credibility and
thoroughness.
 Project Management Framework
Certain tasks must be undertaken to implement a project within an
environmental study framework. Project implementation can be
divided into four main tasks:

 Selection of study team and leader

 Study approach.

 Study management

 Report preparation and review

 Project Management Framework
Certain tasks must be undertaken to implement a project within an
environmental study framework. Project implementation can be
divided into four main tasks:

 Selection of study team and leader

Four questions should be addressed before the

study team and team leader(s) are selected:
1. What are the key experience requirements?
2. Should the team be inter- or multidisciplinary?
3. Are any special studies required?
4. What tasks are required of the team leader?
 Project Management Framework
1. What are the key experience requirements?
- Key experience requirements are detailed by the characteristics of both the project
and environment

2. Should the team be inter- or multidisciplinary?

- This decision is influenced largely by the characteristics of the project and the
environment

3. Are any special studies required?

-The likelihood of specialist studies is a major determinant of the skill requirement of
an assessment study team

4. What tasks are required of the team leader?

- the tasks of the team leader helps to establish the most appropriate team member
for this task
 Project Management Framework
4. What tasks are required of the team leader?

The following are typical functions that a team leader would fulfil:

 The development of specific work schedules and project targets

 Co-ordination with the project client
 Expenditure monitoring and budget management
 The review of progress and revision of schedules
 Planning and initiation of team meetings (frequency, agenda,
short-term/long-term targets, etc).
 STUDY
APPROACH
 Any study, whatever its nature, can be divided into four
basic steps:

1. the acquisition of information

2. the analysis of information
3. the communication of conclusions and ;
4. the selection of appropriate action.

These four components are relevant to environmental assessment

projects as they form the building blocks of an approach that is
both logical and structured
 Description
of Need
 What is the justification
Description
of project for a particular course of
Relevant
action?
information

Identification  Can end objectives be

of Issues
met by other means?
Description of
Affected
Environment
 Description
of project

• What are the physical and

Relevant
information process characteristics of the
project?
Identification
of Issues • What land use requirements,
Description of
emission quantities and types
Affected
Environment
are expected?
• What alternatives
Impact
Prediction
(technology/location) have been
examined?
 Relevant
information

Identification
of Issues
Relevant institutional information
Description of
Affected
Environment
What local, regional, national, or
Impact
international laws, regulations,
Prediction
standards are relevant?
Impact
Assessmet
 Identification
of Issues

Description of
Affected • What bodies and organizations
Environment
(statutory/non-statutory) are
Impact likely to have an interest in the
Prediction
project?
Impact
Assessmet
• What issues or concerns are
expressed?
Impact
Mitigation
 Description of
Affected
Environment  What components of the
environment will be affected or are
Impact
Prediction most relevant to investigate (on the
basis of the previous task)?
Impact
 What baseline data requirements
Assessmet
exist?
 Are physical or chemical data
Impact
Mitigation relevant?
 What sources of data should be
used?
 What literature is available?
 Impact
Prediction

Impact
Assessmet

What components of the project

Impact
Mitigation
and environment will interact?
 Impact
Assessmet
 What is the
Impact importance/significance of an
Mitigation
impact?
 How significant is the change in
waste gas concentration or
noise level?
 How important is the loss of
habitat?
Impact
Mitigation What steps will be taken to
minimize or avoid adverse
environmental impacts resulting
from the proposed project? How
will these be implemented? Who
will be responsible for
implementation? How will their
appropriateness and effectiveness
be ensured?
 Two management tasks need to be addressed:

Study 1. technical
Management serves to guide the project through the collection and
interpretation of information, so that sensible conclusions
can be reached at the end of the study and where the
following tasks below is identified:

 Team meetings and discussions

- During team meetings, progress in the acquisition or
analysis of information can be discussed.
 Meetings with client
- In cases where a project is being undertaken on behalf
of a client or organization, it is invariable that regular
progress meetings will be held.
 Peer review
- It is especially relevant to the prediction and
assessment phases of the study, where conclusions and
interpretation may be modified in the light of other
professional opinions
 2. Financial management
Study is the second important management
Management function. In some cases, responsibility may
lie with the study team leader; in others it
may lie more appropriately with financial
management personnel. Financial
management ensures that project budgets
are not exceeded. Employee time.
materials, travel and subsistence
expenditures, reproduction costs and in
some cases certain overheads should be
recorded and monitored. Complete financial
records must be kept so that the project
budget can be audited and all expenditures
accounted for.
 🤙🤙🤙🤙🤙

EIA Procedures, Case Study and

PART Regulatory Requirements

2 N
 EIA PROCEDURE
Three options to consider in establishing EIA procedures:

• Legislative option
- formal legal approach in which environmental assessment
procedures become law and are enforced by the courts
• Middle ground option
- adoption of environmental assessment principles within
accepted planning procedures
• Policy option
-systems are developed and incorporated within the
administrative machinery of government
 EIA PROCEDURE
The legislative option is the more formal legal approach in which the
EIA procedures become law and are enforced by the courts.
The advantages are:
• Mandatory procedures
• Regulations developed to direct and control activities
• Enforceable requirements
The disadvantages are:
The cost of the bureaucratic machinery required for administration
The time lost when the law is challenged in the courts
•The loss of flexibility in dealing with unique types of projects and or
environments
 EIA PROCEDURE

The policy option as a basis for EIA procedures

means that systems are developed and incorporated
within the administrative machinery of government.
Under this option the rules and regulations are not
enforceable in a legal sense.
 EIA PROCEDURE
The advantages are:
• Greater direct control over the process
. More opportunity to alter procedures in the light of experience
• Less administrative costs
• Avoidance of long delays on projects due to legal arguments
The disadvantages are:
• The entire system is more vulnerable to political whims.
. It may be difficult to force agencies to take responsibilities
seriously and the concerned public may not be able to directly
challenge a final decision with which they disagree.
 EIA PROCEDURE

The middle ground option clearly takes elements of

both the legislative and policy options as outlined
above.
 Regulatory Frameworks
(international)
World Bank EIA Guidelines
Operational Policies Monitoring and Evaluation

Screening Public Consultation

Mitigation Measures: Integration with Project Design

Assessment Scope

UNESCO Principles

Environmental Education and

Cultural Heritage Protection
Awareness

Sustainable Development Interdisciplinary Approach

Public Participation Global Standards

 Regulatory Frameworks
(national)
KEY LEGISLATIONS

Republic Act No. 8749 (Clean Air Act of 1999):

01  This law aims to achieve and maintain air quality standards and
includes provisions for EIA in projects that may affect air quality.

Republic Act No. 9003 (Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000):
02  This law mandates the proper management of solid waste and
requires EIAs for projects that generate significant waste.

Republic Act No. 9275 (Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004):

03  This act focuses on water quality management and requires EIAs for
projects that may affect bodies of water.

Presidential Decree No. 1586 (EIA Law):

 This is the primary law that institutionalizes the EIA process in the
04 Philippines. It requires proponents of projects to prepare an EIA to
identify potential environmental impacts.
 Regulatory Challenges
Inconsistencies in EIA quality and
public participation

Inconsistencies in the quality of

Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs)
and levels of public participation can lead
Variations in regulations across to inadequate environmental protection
jurisdictions and disregard for local community input,
undermining the effectiveness of the
Variations in Environmental Impact decision-making process. This lack of
Assessment (EIA) regulations across consistency can result in overlooked
jurisdictions can significantly affect project environmental risks and community
requirements, public participation, review concerns, ultimately compromising the
processes, and enforcement, leading to effectiveness and legitimacy of the EIA
inconsistencies in environmental process and hindering sustainable
protection and compliance. For instance, development initiatives.
some jurisdictions may necessitate
comprehensive stakeholder engagement
and detailed consideration of alternatives,
while others may adopt a more
streamlined approach
EXAMPLE OF
PROJECT EIS
 Every environmental impact statement
is unique. While professional guidelines
exist, site location, nature of project and
interest group concerns combine to
produce a matrix of issues that are
unique to each project. The elements of
an EIS framework, however, can be
described with general comment on
project type variation.
Wastewater Treatment Projects

• Installations for the disposal of industrial

and domestic wastewater
• Sludge deposition sites

The problem is to try to balance positive

impacts of wastewater treatment with
potentially negative impacts such as below:
• Health hazards through biotic factors
• Visual and landscape impacts
• Nuisance of odour, vermin, traffic
Project description Checklist of items to be described:
• Construction
- Access
- Traffic
- Site preparation
- Landscaping
• Operation (including available alternatives)
- Hours of operation
- Capacity of facility
- Safety and hazard control
- Pest and odour control
- Perimeter security
- Monitoring facilities
- Quality of waste
- Management procedures
Environmental effects Typical significant impacts likely to
affect:
• Human beings
- Health and safety
- Disposal of sludges
- Handling of sludges
- Transportation of sludges
- Nuisance
- Residential amenity
- Overall benefit of treatment of wastewater-higher quality of
water entering outfall area, with little
• Flora
risk of polluted waters
• Fauna
Possible mitigation options
• Site alternatives
• Site layout to minimize proximity to sensitive
receptors
• Landscaping
• Monitoring
• High standards of site management including
control of waste acceptance
CASE STUDY
EXAMPLE
Swedish Environmental Control Programme for a
proposed combined road/rail bridge across the
Straits of Öresund between Denmark and Sweden

In this case study an environmental control

programme has been prepared by the proponent
and monitoring started in parallel to the final project
planning and EIA. It is an example of what was
considered to be the main issues and content of a
monitoring programme designed and started before
final project approval.
In order to obtain data in the pre-project situation,
monitoring was started by the consortium who
were responsible for the project. The consortium
started construction work before the end of 1993.
The key issues, where control of environmental
impacts is necessary, are considered to be:
• Impacts on marine life
• Impacts on marine environment
• Impacts on groundwater
A hydrological control programme, covering
about ten wells, has been ongoing since
September 1992. It provided basic data
concerning:

• Natural variations in the position of the salt

front
• Natural variations in the chemical
composition of the groundwater (with
regard to its interaction with the waters of
the Öresund)
• Natural variations in the groundwater level
The programme will provide basic data which may be
needed in case of any possible future dispute about
groundwater quality in the area.
Monitoring of the marine environment has also started.
It includes:

• Pelagical investigations (biota, chemical situation)

• Benthical fauna and sediment
• Benthical flora
• Coastal birds
• Seals
• Environmentally poisonous substances
• Fish health
An oceanographical programme has
also begun in accordance with the EIA
statement. A fishery control programme
has been started by the Fishery
Authorities in order to collect statistical
data.
Future Trends in EIA
01 Incorporation of climate change assessments.
- Integrating climate change assessments into EIAs enhances the
understanding of potential impacts, promotes sustainable development,
and ensures projects are resilient to future climate conditions. By following
these steps, decision-makers can make more informed choices that
contribute to long-term environmental sustainability.

Use of technology (e.g., GIS, modeling).

02
- The use of technology, such as Geographic Information
Systems (GIS) and environmental modeling, enhances
Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) by facilitating data
collection, visualization, and analysis, allowing for more
informed decision-making regarding potential environmental
impacts, spatial relationships, and cumulative effects.

03 Increased Focus on Social Impact Assessments (SIA)

- An increased focus on Social Impact Assessments (SIAs)
recognizes the importance of understanding and addressing
the social dimensions of projects, such as community well-
being, cultural heritage, economic effects, and social equity,
ensuring that stakeholder perspectives are integrated into
decision-making processes for more sustainable and socially
responsible outcomes.
 Conclusion
The EIA process plays a vital role in ensuring that development projects are conducted
responsibly, balancing economic growth with environmental protection. Through key case
studies, we see both the strengths and weaknesses of EIA practices, emphasizing the
need for rigorous implementation and continuous improvement of regulatory frameworks.
By fostering public participation and informed decision-making, EIA contributes to
sustainable development and the safeguarding of environmental and community health. As
environmental challenges grow, the importance of effective EIA processes will only
increase, making them an essential tool for achieving sustainable futures.

In conclusion, EIA is an indispensable tool for fostering sustainable development. By

promoting informed decision-making, stakeholder engagement, and proactive
environmental management, EIA helps balance economic growth with ecological integrity.
As the world faces increasing environmental challenges, strengthening and expanding EIA
practices will be essential for achieving a sustainable future that respects both people and
the planet.
THANK YOU