The document provides an overview of environmental impact assessments (EIA). It defines EIA and lists its guiding principles, including early application, participation, consideration of alternatives, and transparency. The document also outlines the benefits of EIA, including more sustainable design and compliance. It discusses the roles and responsibilities of various bodies involved in EIA, such as the proponent, consultant, interested parties, and competent agency. Finally, it examines the nature and scope of environmental impact issues that may be considered in an EIA.

1. LAS Department
UNIT 1
BASIC CONCEPTS
OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT (EIA)
5/18/2023
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By WONDIM ALEMU
3rd YEAR

2. 1.1 Brief Definition of Environmental Impact
Assessment
Environmental impact assessment (EIA) is a process
or an instrument used to forecast and consider both
positive and negative environmental and social
consequences of a proposed development project.
EIA can be defined in the following ways:-
“…systematic & interdisciplinary identification,
prediction & evaluation, mitigation & management of
impacts from a proposed document & its reasonable
alternatives.”
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3. Definition cont…
3
 “…an activity designed to identify and predict the impact
on the bio-geophysical environment and on man’s health
and well-being of legislative proposals, policies, programs,
projects and operational procedures, and to interpret and
communicate information about the impacts”
 “…a procedure designed to provide information about the
potential impact on the environment of a proposed new
development, before planning decisions are made”
 “… a mechanism for all interested parties to be consulted
and provide a framework within which agreement may be
reached between the developers causing the impacts and
those who are affected by the impacts’’

4. Definition cont…
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From the developer's point of view, the preparation of
an environmental statement in parallel with project
design provides a useful framework within which
environmental considerations and design development
can interact.
Environmental analysis may indicate ways in which the
project can be modified to avoid possible adverse
effects, for example through considering more
environmentally friendly alternatives.
For the planning authority and other public bodies with
environmental responsibilities, environmental impact
assessment provides a basis for better decision making.

5. 1.2 Guiding principles of EIA
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 To date, EIA has been applied primarily at the project-level.
 This ‘first generation’ process is now complemented by SEA of policies,
plans and programs, and both EIA and SEA are being adapted to bring a
greater measure of ‘sustainability assurance’ to development decision
making.
 These trends have brought new perspectives on what constitutes EIA good
practice and effective performance.
 The three core values on which the EIA process is based:
 Integrity– the EIA process should meet internationally accepted requirements
and standards of practice;
 Utility– the EIA process should provide the information which is sufficient and
relevant for decision-making; and
 Sustainability– the EIA process should result in the implementation of
environmental safeguards which are sufficient to mitigate serious adverse
effects and avoid irreversible loss of resource and ecosystem functions.

6. Guiding principles cont…
 Operating principles describe how the basic
principles of EIA good practice should be
implemented.
 These principles provide initial guidance on how
to undertake EIA and what results practitioners
should aim to deliver.
 When applying these operating principles,
reference should be made to the framework of EIA
legislation, procedure and guidance that is in force
in a country or jurisdiction.
 In certain countries, the relatively early stage of
EIA process development or limited resources
may constrain the application of some of the
operating principles.

7. Guiding principles cont…
 Some of the basic principles that underlie the
objectives of EIA are:
 Early Application: Proactive consideration and
integration of environmental concerns at the
earliest stages of the conceptualization of the
projects, programs or policies.
 Participation: Appropriate and timely access and
opportunity to the process for all interested and
affected parties (IAPs)
 Issues Based: The focus of an EA is on the
resolution of major issues of significant impacts.

8. 8
 Alternatives: All feasible options to a project,
policy, program or their components like site,
processes, products, raw materials, designs
etc should be considered.
 Accountability: Refers to responsibility of
proponent, consultant and environmental
agencies for their respective roles and
responsibilities.
 Credibility: Assessments and reviews are
under taken with professionalism and
objectivity.

9. Definition cont…
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 Time and Cost Effectiveness: The assessment
process, its outcomes and decision making will
ensure environmental protection at the least cost
and within reasonable time.
 Transparency: All assessments, decisions & their
basis should be open & accessible to the public.
 Practicality: The information and out puts
provided by the assessment process are readily
usable in the decision making and planning.
 Conservation Based: The EIA process should
strive to promote conservation based
development.

10. 1.3 Benefits of EIA
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 Reducing the burden of environmental impacts is
necessary if development is to become
sustainable.
 EIA has become of ever increasing importance as
a tool for development decision-making.
 This role is formally recognized in Principle 17 of
the Rio Declaration on Environment and
Development:
 ‘Environmental Impact Assessment, as a national
instrument, shall be undertaken for proposed
activities that are likely to have a significant
adverse impact on the environment and are
subject to a decision of a competent national

11. Benefits cont….
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 Benefits of EIA include:
 environmentally sound and sustainable design
 better compliance with standards
 savings in capital and operating costs
 reduced time and costs for approvals
 increased project acceptance
 better protection of the environment and human
health

12. 1.4 Responsible Bodies and Their
Roles
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 The major actors in an EIA process are the following:
1.5.1. Proponent
 The proponent is the project applicant.
 The proponent is responsible for complying with the
requirements of the EIA and for all associated costs
incurred in the EIA process.
 The first responsibility of the proponent is to appoint
an independent consultant who will act on the
proponent’s behalf in the EIA process.
 The proponent must ensure adequate participation of
the competent agency and interested and affected
parties and the public in general in the EIA process.

13. Responsible cont…
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 Two hard copies and one electronic copy of the
EIA study report should be submitted to the
reviewing bureau.
 After the 12 days of submission of the first draft
copy of EIA report the proponent should take
comments from the competent agency and
resubmit four hard copies and one electronic
copy of the corrected final documents to the
competent agency for approval.
 The proponent is responsible to declare the
document and implement his project based on the
report.

14. 1.5.2. Environmental Consultant
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 The independent environmental consultant acts
on behalf of the proponent in preparing the EIA
report complying with the EIA process.
 The environmental consultant is responsible for
employing appropriate professional experts that
best fit in preparing readable and informative EIA
report in compliance with endorsed policies,
legislations and guideline.
 Furthermore, he/she should ensure that all of this
information is made available to the Competent
Agency via the proponent.

15. 1.5.3. Interested and Affected Parties (IAPs)
• IAPs are key actors of a successful EIA and are
responsible for providing input and comments at
various stages in the EIA process.
• The input from interested and affected parties
should be sought in all EIA process.
1.5.4. Competent Agency
• The Competent Agency is responsible for ensuring
that the proponent/consultant complies with the
requirements of the EIA process and the bureau
through a regular and effective communication
between the bureau and the proponent to provide
general guidance on procedure, information and
reports required by involving other responsible
authorities.
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16. • The Competent Agency must not conduct an EIA in
order to avoid significant conflict of interest in the
decision-making process.
• The Competent Agency should:
– Ensure that the evaluation/review and decisions provided
are done efficiently and within reasonable time, and that
the proponent is informed of any delays that may be
incurred through the review process; and
– Ensure that the proponent is informed of any shortfalls in
the process as identified through the reviews.
• The legal bureau that monitor compliance, and
apply enforcement action is the Ethiopia is EPA
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17. 1.5 The overall objectives and aims of EIA
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Overall Goal
 To promote environmentally sound and
sustainable livelihood development i.e. to
Objectives
 EIA objectives can be categorized into long-term
and short-term objectives
 The long-term objectives include:-
 Conservation and sustainable use of natural
resources;
 Protection and enhancement of the quality of all life
forms; and
 Integration of environmental considerations in
development planning processes

18. • The short-term objectives include:-
– To assess the nature, intensity and duration of
influence, positive and/or negative, of proposed
development project;
– To promote local community and public participation
in the EIA processes of a project;
– To promote social and cultural considerations in
project design: and
– To provide a methodology for prevention and
mitigation of expected impacts due to the presence of
a project.
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19. 19
1.6 The Nature and Scope Of Environmental
Impact Issues
 What environmental problems have you
observed?
 What key characteristics criteria can you use
to categorize environmental impacts of a given
land development project?

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 Numerous reports on the state of the world indicate the
environmental problems facing society.
 The Global Environmental Outlook (GEO) prepared by UNEP
provides an authoritative statement of the major issues and their
regional variations.
 In the GEO report, UNEP advises that ‘full scale emergencies now
exist on a number of issues’, including
 water scarcity,
 land degradation,
 tropical forest clearance,
 species loss and climate warming.
 Some of these issues, such as climate warming and biodiversity
loss, are global or so pervasive that they affect all countries.
 Other environmental problems are concentrated regionally and thus
affect only certain countries or are more serious for some than
others.

21. Major Environmental Issues in Developing Regions
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Africa: The continent has the world's poorest and most resource
dependent population.
 It also carries the highest health burden due to severe
environmental problems.
 These include desertification and soil degradation, declining food
security, and increasing water scarcity and stress in north, east and
southern Africa
 Asia and the Pacific: The region has high population densities in
Southern and South East
Asia. Rapid economic growth, urbanization and industrialization have
helped in poverty alleviation but also increased pressure on land and
water resources, widespread environmental degradation and high
pollution levels.
 Mega-cities are a particular focus of environmental and health
concerns.

22. Major Environmental …
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Eastern Europe and Central Asia:
 Despite progress with economic restructuring
and environmental cleanup, there is a legacy
of industrial pollution and contaminated land.
 In many areas, emissions of particulates, SO2,
lead, heavy metals and toxic chemicals
continue to expose the residents to health
risks, and, in the Balkans, war and regional
conflict have exacted a heavy environmental
and social toll

23. Major Environmental …
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Latin America and the Caribbean:
 Approximately three-quarters of the population live in urban
areas.
 Many cities are poor, overcrowded, polluted and lack basic
infrastructure.
 The major green issue is the destruction of tropical forests
and consequent loss of biodiversity, which is especially
serious in the Amazon basin.
Middle East:
 Most land is either subject to desertification or vulnerable to
deterioration from saline, alkaline and/or nutrient deposition.
 Water resources are under severe pressure and groundwater
sources are in a critical condition.
 Rapid and uncontrolled urbanization has caused worsening
air and water pollution in urban centers.

24. Major Environmental …
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 many small island states and delta regions of
larger countries are vulnerable to natural
hazards and threatened by sea level rise due
to climate warming.
 Other countries are likely to experience
increases in water scarcity and associated
environmental stresses as a result of climate
change.

25. Major Environmental …
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 One way of subdividing environmental issues
is to group them under ‘green’ and ‘brown’
agendas.
 The green agenda focuses on natural
resource management and environmental
protection issues, such as rural land and water
use, forestry and fisheries and habitat and
species conservation.
 The brown agenda is concerned with issues of
industrial pollution, waste management and
urban development.

26. Major Environmental …
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 When undertaking EIA, a comprehensive view
should be taken of the linkages and
interactions among the issues under review.
 Also, the EIA should identify both the benefits
and costs of development.
 In practice, EIA often focuses on the adverse
environmental impacts of proposed actions.
 This is done by reference to certain key
characteristics, which establish the potentially
significant effects.

27. Major Environmental …
27
 The impacts of a development proposal examined in EIA can
be direct, such as the effect of toxic discharge on air and
water quality, or indirect, such as the effect on human health
from exposure to particulates or contaminants, which have
built up in food chains.
 Other environmental and social impacts are induced, for
example by a new road opening up an undeveloped area to
subsequent settlement or by involuntary resettlement of
people displaced by the construction of a large reservoir.
 Certain adverse impacts may appear relatively insignificant
when considered in the context of an individual action or
proposal but have a cumulative effect on the environment
when added to all other actions and proposals; for example,
deforestation resulting from plot by plot clearance for
subsistence agriculture.

28. Major Environmental …
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 An impact or effect can be described as the
change in an environmental parameter, which
results from a particular activity or
intervention.
 The change is the difference between the
environmental parameter with the project
compared to that without the project.
 It is predicted or measured over a specified
period and within a defined area.
 In general environmental impacts of a given
land development project or any project can
vary

29. Major Environmental …
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 Typical parameters to be taken into account in impact
prediction and decision-making include:
 Type – biophysical, social, health or economic
 Nature – positive, negative, direct or indirect, cumulative, etc.
 Magnitude or severity – high, moderate, low
 Extent– local, regional, transboundary or global
 Timing – immediate/long term
 Duration – temporary/permanent or during construction,
operation, decommissioning, immediate, delayed, rate of
change);
 Uncertainty – low likelihood/high probability
 Reversibility – reversible/irreversible
 Likelihood- (probability, uncertainty or confidence in the
prediction)