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"There are many things in the deep waters; and seas and lands may change. And it is not our part here to take thought only for a season, or for a few lives of Men, or for a passing age of the world. We should seek a final end of this menace, even if we do not hope to make one."

1. What is EIA?
2. What is "the environment"?
3. What environmental components are considered in EIA?
4. What is an "environmental effect or impact"?
5. What is Sustainable Development?
6. What triggers EIA?
7. Who conducts EIAs?
8. How is an EIA done?
9. What are the results of EIA?
10. What happens after the decision?
11. What types of development are subject to EIA?
12. Is EIA practised in Trinidad and Tobago?
13. What do you study in a Master's degree in EIA?
14. Does having an M.Sc. in EIA mean that you can conduct an EIA?

Answers

1. What is EIA?

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) or Environmental Assessment (EA) is a tool used in environmental management and development control. Ideally, it is used during the planning stage of development, when it is anticipated that a proposal might affect the environment. EIA attempts to identify and evaluate the effects of the development in the hope of influencing the decision on whether the development should proceed. As such, it attempts to provide the decision-makers with information which will help them do their jobs, and it can be considered an excercise in information management.

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2. What is "the environment"?

Different EIA systems (which can be laws, standards, or an organisation's system) define "the environment" differently, and often specify which environmental components are to be considered in an EIA. In general terms, however, the Environment includes all aspects of our surroundings. This incorporates physical (eg. the atmosphere, the sea), biological (eg. living organisms), and social (eg. people) components.

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3. What environmental components are considered in EIA?

Given the extremely broad definition of the environment, it is unreasonable to expect an EIA to cover all components. Most EIA systems define which components must be considered, and some offer lists of those which may be considered. A few leave the decision to those conducting the Assessment. In fact, best practice demands that for each EIA done, a scoping study is conducted so as to identify which aspects of the environment are most likely to be affected by the proposed development, and therefore which should be given most weight in the EIA.

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4. What is an "environmental effect or impact"?

An Environmental Impact (the term effect is preferred in the UK) is a change in conditions from the original or baseline condition. An impact can be good, bad or neutral, but in either case, EIA attempts to anticipate it before it happens, so as to determine whether it is desirable, tolerable or otherwise.

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5. What is Sustainable Development?

Sustainable Development is the ultimate goal of EIA, and of environmental management. Its objective is described well in the quote at the top of the page. The best known definition of it was provided by the Brundtland Commission:

Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Therefore, achieving sustainable development requires the exercise of control over the consumption of natural resources.

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6. What triggers EIA?

EIA may be requested by an authorising body, such as a Planning or Environmental authority, an agency such as a government ministry, or a lending agency considering funding a development. In either case it is usually triggered by some legislative means. For example, the size of a proposal may exceed a threshold written into EIA law, or the lending rules of a bank, requiring that EIA be conducted. Alternatively, it may be begun voluntarily by the developer, either in anticipation of an authority's decision, or for its own needs. Often an initial screening study may be conducted in order to determine whether EIA is necessary.

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7. Who conducts EIAs?

Under different systems, EIAs are conducted by different parties. In the most common case, they are done by, or on the behalf of, the developers who have made the proposal under consideration. In other cases, they may be done by the authorising body - that is, the organisation that requires the EIA to help in its decision making.

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8. How is an EIA done?

The Screening and Scoping studies described earlier should form the initial stages of an EIA. When it is determined that EIA is needed, and what issues are to be considered, the information gathering begins. First, baseline conditions must be established. That done, the development proposal should be considered, and those impacts likely to occur identified. Impacts should, where possible, be expressed quantitatively, and in as much detail as necessary. There are a number of practical methods available to EIA professionals for these and other tasks. Impacts should be evaluated to determine their significance. This is necessary to enable decision-makers to use the results of the EIA. It is advised that public input be sought during various stages of the process, both to establish their opinions, and to obtain any information they may possess. In addition, the more open the process, the better its image, and the more likely it will achieve its goal, which is to affect planning decisions. Given the results of their various studies, the authors of the EIA may suggest changes to the plans, and should in turn, analyse each suggested change within the EIA. The steps described below are also considered part of EIA.

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9. What are the results of EIA?

When the EIA is completed, a report (the Environmental Impact Statement - EIS or ES) describing the studies conducted and their results is compiled and submitted to the "decision-makers." They consider the EIS along with the development plans, public comments, and any other relevant information and make a decision on whether to allow the development to proceed. Ideally, it should be within their power to identify changes to the proposal so as to improve it in any way. Any changes suggested should again be subject to analysis. The objective of the whole process is to improve the proposed development, so as to make the development sustainable.

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10. What happens after the decision?

In many cases, the EIA process stops here, and the development is either halted, or it goes ahead. Ideally, though, if the development proceeds (whether changed or unchanged), it should be subject to on-going studies in connection with the EIS. Periodical studies should be conducted, to establish whether the development is going ahead as planned, and whether its environmental impact is as predicted. A further, major study - the Post-Development Audit, could be conducted later on, to determine how accurate the EIA was. This is not only important for the individual case, but is necessary for EIA on the whole to improve, by enabling the practitioners to learn from their mistakes.

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11. What types of development are subject to EIA?

Traditionally, EIA has been applied mainly to individual projects - for example, a proposal to build and operate a waste water treatment plant, or a chemical production plant. An EIA should deal with both construction and operation of the development, and, ideally, decommissioning also. Most EIA systems provide lists of types of projects (sometimes with size or production thresholds) which should require EIA, or a screening study. More recently, EIA has been applied to other types of development actions, notably Policies, Plans and Programs (PPPs), such as development plans for a country or region, a policy to favour a particular type of energy source, or a series of similar developments. In such a case (known as Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), the process described above differs somewhat, as do the tools available to practitioners.

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12. Is EIA practised in Trinidad and Tobago?

Yes. EIA has been required by the Town & Country Planning Division of the Ministry of Planning and Development, for certain types of developments, since 1987 in Trinidad & Tobago. EIA has also been required by various international bodies, such as the World Bank, and companies operating in, or funding operations in Trinidad & Tobago. In 1995 the Environmental Management Act was passed, establishing the Environmental Management Authority (EMA), and requiring the development of a number of new procedures. Among these is the Certificate of Environmental Clearance, which is yet to be established, as the necessary subsidiary legislation is yet to be passed. The Certificate will need to be obtained before certain listed types of developments can proceed, and where the EMA deems it necessary, EIA will be requested as part of the information requirements for Certificate application. As a student of EIA, it is my impression that the proposed EIA system defined by the Certificate of Environmental Clearace legislation is better than most national EIA systems. It remains to be seen how well it will be enforced.
My study of the present EIA system in Trinidad & Tobago is available at the EIA Unit Virtual Library.
The proposed Certificate of Environmental Clearance legislation is available at the EMA web site.

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13. What do you study in an M.Sc. in EIA?

The Master of Science degree in EIA at the University of Wales comprises three parts - the 8 Diploma Modules, the Diploma Project and the Master's Thesis. The project and thesis can be on any of a wide range of topics related to EIA, its study and practice. The course Modules are as follows:

• EIA Theory
• Economic and Risk Assessment
• Predicting and Monitoring
• Law related to EIA in the European Union
• EIA Procedures outside the European Union
• UK Environmental Law
• Case Studies
• Sustainable Development and Strategic Environmental Assessment

As such the course provided an introduction to environmental management on the whole, with emphasis on issues with importance to EIA, such as environmental economics and law - EIA and development control must work within legal and economic constraints. A large part of the course was a study of EIA systems in different countries. While the course is largely non-practical, there was some exposure to completed EIA reports (Environmental Impact Statements - EISs) for evaluation. Issues of development control, notably planning authorisation systems, were also covered. Throughout the course, the ultimate goal was the achievement of local, regional and global sustainable development, and in the final module, on Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), this was the major theme.

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14. Does having an M.Sc. in EIA mean that you can conduct an EIA?

Conducting an EIA should (ideally) be a task for a group of professionals, rather than an individual. As it will usually involve a number of studies in quite different fields, it is best to involve people with experience in each of the various areas (such as ecology, hydrogeology, social sciences, etc.) required. Having studied EIA at the Master's level, I believe I am well qualified to form part of an EIA team, either as a Biologist/Ecologist (given my first degree), or as the team leader - co-ordinating the efforts of the different parties invloved. One way of doing this would be to work on behalf of a private company, liasing with an EIA team consisting of contracted specialists. Having had exposure to a number of aspects of environmental management, I would be able to work as a full-time environmental professional within any type of firm - industrial, financial or otherwise. My specific knowledge of EIA would allow me to ensure that the firm meets national and international standards of environmental management. Alternatively, I am able to act in a role in the development and use of EIA systems, or in research on the subject.

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