Critically evaluate the role and effectiveness of Environmental Impact Assessment in ensuring environmentally sound and sustainable development in the UK

Authors Avatar by czarjarvis86 (student)

Critically evaluate the role and effectiveness of Environmental Impact Assessment in ensuring environmentally sound and sustainable development in the UK        

The World Conservation Strategy (WCS) demonstrated in 1980 that development can only be sustained by the integration of development and conservation policies to conserve the resources on which that development depends on (Gilpin, 2000). In 1987, The Brundtland Commission, in its report to the Governing Council of UNEP (Our Common Future), defined sustainable development as: ‘development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’ (WCED, 1987).

In recent times, this definition only forms the basic framework for the concept of sustainable development (Buytaert et al., 2011).The malleability of the concept of sustainable development is a major reason why it has been embraced internationally (O’Riordan, 1993), but paradoxically, that same reason is its greatest challenge. The malleable nature of the concept gives rise to significant conceptual difficulties in operationalizing the concept and evaluating the contribution of decision-aiding tools to sustainable development (Cashmore, 2004).

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is simply defined as “a systematic process to identify, predict and evaluate the environmental effects of proposed actions and projects” (Sadler and McCabe, 2002:103). It was originally intended to be an “action-forcing” device to bring about environmental reform in throughout the US federal bureaucracy (Caldwell, 1982 cited in Petts, 1999:251). It has now become a decision- aiding tool and has evolved greatly over the years (Sadler and McCabe, 2002).

In recent times, environmental Impact Assessment has become internationally recognized as a very important tool to help achieve sustainable development (Lawrence, 2003; Weaver, 2003; Andre et al., 2004). EIA practice is however hindered by certain limitations and structural weaknesses(Dalal-Clayton and Sadler,1999) .Also, according to Craik  (2008: 78), ‘despite the early and continuing identification of the importance of EIA for promoting sustainable development, the precise nature of this linkage has suffered from the conceptual ambiguity of the concept of sustainable development itself.’ Therefore, though the purposive nature of EIA is quite clear as a tool for sustainable development, the exact role and effectiveness of EIA in achieving sustainable development is a subject of un-ending debate.

EIA is one of a number of policy tools that are used for the evaluation of new proposals (Sadler and McCabe, 2002). It is a relatively new method of assessment when compared to the economic appraisal methods. The older economic appraisal methods, such as cost-benefit analysis, did not give any consideration to the environmental and social impacts of major projects. According to Sadler and McCabe (2002), this deficiency in addition to factors like increasing environmentally negative effects of ever-larger development projects and increasing public concern for the environment let to the birth of EIA in the United States of America through the US National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA, 1969). Environmental impact statement was intended to be an action-forcing mechanism, to reform  the manner in which government decisions were made in the USA (Caldwell, 1982 cited in Petts, 1999:251).Today, it is formally recognized as one of the principles for achieving sustainable development (principle 17) in the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development (UNCED,1992). In the initial stages of EIA, only the biophysical impacts of proposals were considered (Weaver, 1999) but over the years, the breadth and methodologies of EIA have evolved greatly. EIA processes are now used to analyse a range of impact types within a single framework. These include social, health, and economic impacts (Sadler and McCabe, 2002).Currently, it is estimated that more than hundred countries have adopted EIA into their legislation (Sadler and Weaver, 1999 cited in Weaver, 2003:2; Craik, 2008). Among countries however, these adaptations differ by process and practice, due to different socio-economic needs and competing theoretical approaches to EIA (Craik, 2008). In some countries, social impacts are given minimal or no consideration at all (Sadler and McCabe, 2002) .Some countries incorporate EIA practice in the form of regulations, others have EIA guidelines, and yet others have systems that are more ad hoc (Weaver, 2002). Even countries with well-developed systems may also lack enforcement in practice (Glasson & Salvador 2000). This shows that though EIA is widespread, it is not uniform universally. These country-level differences have various impacts on its effectiveness in achieving sustainable development within the different countries.

Join now!

Lawrence (2003:7) provides a detailed definition which shows the immense breadth and complexity of EIA in modern times, as the systematic process of:

  • Determining and managing (identifying, describing, measuring, predicting, interpreting, integrating, communicating, involving, and controlling) the
  • Potential (or real) impacts (direct and indirect, individual and cumulative, likelihood of occurrence) of
  • Proposed (or existing) human actions (projects, plans, programs, legislation, activities) and their alternatives on the
  • Environment (physical, chemical, biological, ecological, human health, cultural, social, economic, built, and interrelations)

It is important to note the broad view of ‘environment’ adopted in EIA practice today. The most immediate ...

This is a preview of the whole essay