However,
as environmental sustainability gradually became the widely acceptable goal
of environmental management, much of the post 1990 attempts could be noted
to integrate EIA to environmental sustainability.
Roe et al. (1995) has defined EIA as a process to improve decision making
and to ensure that the project/ programme options under consideration are
environmentally and socially sound and sustainable'. However, perhaps the
most succinct yet simple definition of EIA would be 'a process of environmental
planning that provides a basis for resource management to achieve the goal
of sustainability' (Smith 1993).
Unfortunately EIA procedures have, so far, largely been viewed as a sub-ordinate
activity dealing with assessment of likely environmental impacts of a project
within a short-term framework. As a result, most frequently, EIA excluded
those long-term aspects upon which sustainable development depends. The concept
of environmental sustainability has been elucidated in the previous chapter.
Sustainability can be regarded as a desired goal for resource management.
Smith (1993) presented an integrative framework for sustainable resource management.
The framework sought to link the various problems involving problem identification,
resource management and sustainable development. According to him EIA is essentially
a component of environmental planning. Smith (1984) presented a hierarchy
of environmental planning (Figure 3.1). Whitney and Maclaren (1985) put forward
a scientific approach to the integration of EIA into planning (Figure 3.2).
Smith (1993) attempted to amalgamate the concept of hierarchy of planning
with the scientific approach to EIA (Figure 3.3). As may be seen in Figure
3.1 and 3.3 planning can occur at three different levels, viz., normative
policy level, strategic programme level and operational project level. Scoping,
prediction, significance assessment, evaluation, monitoring and mitigation
are the six necessary activities at each level. Thus EIA 'may be seen as an
engine within the resource management process' (Smith 1993). Long term resource
management within the carrying capacity of the local ecosystems and the biosphere,
on the other hand, is the principal requirement of environmental sustainability.
EIA should therefore, be viewed within a wider frame of reference keeping
environmental sustainability as the desired goal to be achieved. Thus, following
the above discussion EIA can now be considered to comprise the following activities.
1. Assessment of natural environmental capital in terms of resource supplier
and regeneration capacity.
2. Assessment of the natural environments assimilative capacity of the geographical
area.
3. Identification and prediction of the likely changes in the natural resource
stock of the environment due to a proposed human activity.
4. Assessment and evaluation of the quantity and quality of waste to be generated
because of the proposed human activity.
5. Identification and prediction of any possible change in the natural assimilative
capacity due to the impending human activity.
6. Identification of all feasible alternatives to the proposed human action
and conducting steps (3) to (5) for alternatives at the same site and steps
(1) to (5) for other alternatives.
7. Applying sound environmental economic principles to internalise the costs
of changes in supportive capacity and assimilative capacity.
8. Identification of possible mitigation measures (through investment in natural
or manmade resources) to restore natural capital. When restoration of natural
capital is not possible equivalent investment may be made to substitutable
form of capital.
The above set of activities now leads to a revised definition of EIA: -
Environmental Impact Assessment is a systematic, reproducible and interdisciplinary
study for evaluation of the potential changes in the natural capital stock
(in terms of resource supply and waste assimilation capabilities) likely to
occur due to a proposed or impending human activity or any of its feasible
alternatives, and an evaluation of possible mitigation measures to ensure
long-term environmental sustainability.
Figure 3.1 A hierarchy of planning (after Smith 1984)