Critical Evaluation of the EIA Process

This article critically evaluates the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process, discussing its weaknesses and advantages. It covers topics such as the legal basis of the EIA system, the extent of coverage, alternatives in the process, screening of actions, scoping of impacts, report preparation, review, monitoring and auditing, mitigation, consultation and participation, and the cost and advantages of the EIA system.

1
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT
Name of Student
Institution Affiliation

2
Critical evaluation of the EIA process
Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) refers to a process of examining, analyzing and assessing
the planned activities with the main aim of ensuring environmental sustainability development.
EIA is a planning and management tool which is used for identifying the likelihood, type and
magnitude of changes which are likely to happen as a result of the proposed activities and
policies and at the same time to convey this data to the responsible authorities involved in
decision making process(Glasson, and Therivel, 2013). Based on using the Wood Model, the
EIA can be analyzed as shown below. Environmental impact assessment is the projection of the
entire probable effects of human activity on the environment.
Environmental impact assessment cannot meet its sustainability objectives without an organized
way of reexamining its procedures. However the big problem is that the reevaluation programs
aren’t fully applied which leaves the environment at stake.
In this discussion we will analyze the weakness of the EIA scoping procedures and their
advantages.

3
i) Legal Basis of EIA system
EIA process in a territory or a country is usually based on some administrative, legal, political
and socioeconomic circumstances of that given territory or country. According to the model,
each element of Environmental Impact Assessment should be able to achieve two objectives i.e.
Explanatory in that, the EIA process and procedures should be clear in the international
perspective. Analysis. The Environmental Impact Assessment system should offer better
perceptive practices for any given jurisdiction (O'Faircheallaigh, 2010).
ii) The extent of coverage of the EIA process
Developmental activities are of two categories

4
a) Activities which directly causes environmental degradation
b) Activities which has no adverse impacts on the environment.
Environmental Impact Assessment system specifies that all the tasks which do not disturb the
environment need to be passed through the EIA procedures. While all the other activities which
directly or indirectly caused environmental degradation, required to be passed through the EIA
process (Morgan, 2012).
iii) Alternatives in the EIA process
Alternatives to the action are a very crucial step in the Environmental Impact Assessment
procedures. The alternatives may be a procedure, material or change in location as well as when
there is no action in some scenarios which can be able to greatly minimize the impacts caused by
the proposed activities.
iv) Screening of actions
Screening of actions is a process of judgment to determine whether or not to carry out an EIA
process for the proposed work. The process involves the overall importance of the combined
environmental impacts actions. Without carrying out the screening process, a number of
activities would have to be assessed precisely while others will be ignored despite their
importance on the procedure activities (Wathern, 2013).
v) Scoping of impacts
Scoping refers to the process to assess a wide range of issues to be analyzed in the
Environmental Impact Assessment process. The process is usually associated with the
establishment of Terms of Reference (TOR) for the given assessment.

5
vi) EIA report preparation
The environmental reporting process is a very important part of the Environmental Impact
Assessment system. This report must be able to communicate all the proposed actions and the
impact they have on the environment. It must also be able to likely to occur from the
implementation of the actions and at the same time present a non-technical summary which is
suitable for understanding by the non-technical people (.
vii) Environmental report review
The main reason behind the review is to determine if the EIA report offers enough assessment of
the environmental effects and is of sufficient significance in the decision making the process.
viii) Monitoring and auditing
ix) Mitigation of the impacts
x) Consultation and participation
xi) Monitoring the EIA system
xii) Cost and the advantages of the EIA system

6
References
Glasson, J., & Therivel, R. (2013). Introduction to environmental impact assessment. Routledge.
Morgan, R. K. (2012). Environmental impact assessment: the state of the art. Impact Assessment
and Project Appraisal, 30(1), 5-14.
O'Faircheallaigh, C. (2010). Public participation and environmental impact assessment:
Purposes, implications, and lessons for public policy making. Environmental impact assessment
review, 30(1), 19-27.
Wathern, P. (Ed.). (2013). Environmental impact assessment: theory and practice. Routledge.