Environmental Impact Assessment

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Introduction The environment is something being taken for granted and handled as a business instead of being preserved .Environmental Impact Assessments are implemented to distinguish whether activities are merely profitable and destructive or sustainable(Aucamp, 2014). With global summits on environmental problems and how to rectify it, some might say EIA’s came too late to be effective. In this essay we will focus on Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA’s) and why they are crucial in this day and age, as well as what types of EIA’s there are, legislations controlling it and environmental impacts in South Africa that required an EIA. Environmental Impact Assessment There are many ways to describe what an EIA is and what it defines. A EIA…show more content…
It looks at the entire life cycle including the closure of the project. Mitigation- This process identifies how serious environmental impacts can be evaded or reduced to limit destruction to the environment as well as limit cost, this way only benefits can be ensured. (Aucamp, 2014) Reporting – This phase of an EIA is a report comprising of all the findings of the above steps, it is essential so the relevant authorities can make an appropriate decision about the project. Reports are often required after detailed processes to ensure the projects are on track and not falling behind. It is important to note that EIA’s are used in environmental management to be proactive rather than reactive: sustainable development is the key idea in preventing degradation and promoting conservation (Aucamp, 2014). An EIA follows basic procedural steps; although these steps may vary from place to place the most important phases remain the same. These steps are as…show more content…
This is due to it being implemented at local and international levels. The main goal is to use it as a system with a global standard, as the EIA is the only EM tool that has obtained this legal status over the world unlike other assessments. The other is also important but EIA’s easier to enforce due to legislations and guidelines in place. LCA (Life Cycle Assessments) and SEA’s (Strategic Environmental Assessments) are also important in projects but cannot be legally enforced to a higher level. (Aucamp, 2014) EIA principles EIA’s would not be effective if they were not governed by a set of principles. The following principles as stated by Saidi (2010): • “Purposive: EIA seeks to meet its aims of informing decision-making and ensuring an appropriate level of environmental protection and human health. “ • “Focused: EIA seeks to concentrate on signifi cant environmental effects, taking into account the issues that matter." • “Adaptive: EIA seeks to adjust to the realities, issues and circumstances of the project proposals under review. “ • “Participative: EIA seeks to provide appropriate opportunities to inform and involve the interested and affected parties, and their inputs and concerns should be addressed explicitly”. • “Transparent: EIA seeks to be a clear, easily understood and open process with early notification procedures, access to documentation and a public RoD taken, and reasons

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