ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIAL IMPACT

DEVELOPMENT

UNIT 1-INTRODUCTION
Impacts of development on Environment

• Development had many positive impacts globally. However, the environment

has suffered degradation due to increased urbanization and industrialization.
• The four most significant environmental issues
are deforestation, pollution, desertification, and the extinction of species.
• The most important environmental pressure points are population
growth, excessive consumption, the growth of capitalism(Capitalism is often
thought of as an economic system in which private actors own and control
property in accord with their interests, and demand and supply freely set prices in
markets in a way that can serve the best interests of society) and the growth of
industrialization.
• Sociologists argue that development is not a new phenomenon - the
industrial revolution of the 19th century also caused environmental
damage, but mainly in Europe. The current environmental
degradation, though, is on a global scale.

• The main contributors to environmental degradation are connected to

global development.
Let's look at some of the specific reasons why development has caused
damage to the environment.
• Growing population
• Economic necessity
• Corruption.
• Debt and poverty
• Increased Western consumption e.g. large-scale use of non-degradable
plastic
• Industrial development
• Higher levels of pollution
• Global warming and climate change
Deforestation
Deforestation refers to the removal of great patches of woodland.
It can happen for many reasons. The three most common are:
• Using the wood for timber.
• Using the land for industrial production or grazing.
• Using the land for human habitation.
• Forests are responsible for carbon dioxide (CO2) absorption and for the
production of oxygen. Deforestation reduces the levels and efficacy of
both processes.
• Processes of deforestation also mean the destruction of the natural
habitat of many animal and plant species, which can lead to
the extinction of those species.
Example

• Huge parts of the Amazon rainforest have been removed due to

deforestation. This puts more than 10,000 species of plants and
animals at high risk of extinction, according to the Science Panel for
the Amazon (SPA).
Pollution

• The most significant forms of pollution today are air and water
pollution. They mainly affect the developing world. The source of
the problem is the increasing number of manufacturing and production
facilities in these developing countries.
Desertification

• Desertification means the process of overusing land, which then

becomes infertile and not suitable for agriculture anymore.
• Food aid sent from developed countries also reduces the prices of local
food items in the developing world. This means that farmers have to
produce and sell more, at increasingly low prices, to make a living. This
process exhausts the land which becomes infertile.
Example:
Africa’s Sahel desert was ‘created’ through desertification. It is also
important to note that while in the 1970s Africa’s population was self-
sufficient in terms of food, just 14 years later, in 1984, one-fourth of the
people in Africa were dependent on food aid.
There are three main theories that assess global development’s impact
on the environment.
Limits Theory:
According to this theory, the degradation of the environment by global
economic development will circle back to economics and affect it
negatively. Sociologists who follow the 'limits' theory believe that
economies will be forced to deal with the environmental damage they
created in order to keep the economy growing.
Example:
If we run out of natural resources, prices will increase, which will
eventually force industries to look for alternatives to natural resources.
New Toxics Theory:

This is a more pessimistic(trending to see the worst aspect of

things) approach. Proponents of this perspective claim that no matter
how well we solve pressing environmental issues, there will always be
new and more pressing ones because that’s just how economic
development is.
The higher the growth rate, the more toxic the output it generates.
According to this view, the problems will just pile up for future
generations who will not be able to deal with them.
Race To Bottoms Theory

• The ‘race to the bottom theory’ claims that it is possible to slow down
environmental degradation after the turning point; however, past
mistakes can not be corrected.
Environmental Impact Assessment
• Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a tool used to assess the
significant effects of a project or development proposal on the
environment. EIAs make sure that project decision makers think
about the likely effects on the environment at the earliest possible time
and aim to avoid, reduce or offset those effects.
Objectives
Identifying, predicting, and evaluating economic, environmental, and
social impacts of development activities. Providing information on the
environmental consequences for decision making.
The long term objectives include the following:
• 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
The short term objectives include the following:
• To assess the nature, intensity and duration of impact of proposed
development projects
• To promote local community and public participation in the EIA processes of
a project
• To promote social and cultural considerations in project design
Types of EIA

• Strategic EIA
• Regional EIA
• Sectoral EIA
• Project Level EIA
• Life Cycle assessment
Sectoral EIA
• Sectoral EIA is an activity and study of impacts on the environment that is
carried out sector wise.
• The reason is that the determination of the EIA (Environmental Impact
Analysis) review is stipulated by the sectoral minister. For example, a toll road
construction project.
• Sectoral environmental assessment (SEA) is a much needed complement to
project-specific EAs in development planning.
• Where project EAs focus on the impacts of specific investments and often treat
sector strategic planning as a given, SEA offers an opportunity for sector-wide
environmental analysis before investment priorities have been determined.
• It also supports integration of environmental concerns into long-term
development and investment planning.
Regional EIA

• EIA in the context of regional planning integrates environmental

concerns into development planning for a geographic
region(demarcated area on earth), normally at the sub- country level.
Such an approach is referred to as the economic-cum- environmental
(EcE) development planning.
Strategic EIA
• Strategic environmental assessment (SEA) is an organized procedure
to assess environmental impact associated with a program, plan, or
policy.
• It also helps in providing a medium to explore overall impacts and
address them properly along with economic and social aspects at the
phase of decision making.
• Using SEA, environmental-related issues and challenges are
appropriately addressed
• SEA can be effectively applied in preparation and execution of
programs and plans for energy sector, industries, transportation, water
and waste management, tourism, forestry, land, fisheries, agriculture,
etc.
Phases
Screening:
Screening is a kind of an examination phase where a program or project is
scanned under the legislation of SEA.
Scoping:
Scoping is related to describe the scope, assumptions, and boundaries
requisite for assessment.
Analysis:
Here comprehensive analysis is performed, which includes
documentation of environmental baseline, evaluation; and assessment of
potential environmental impacts, determination of restraints(measure that keeps
something under control) and opportunities related to environmental issues.
Project level EIA
• Project level EIA refers to the developmental activity in isolation
and the impacts that it exerts on the receiving environment. Thus,
it may not effectively integrate the cumulative effects of the
development in a region.
• The EIA study then recommends appropriate mitigation measures or
monitoring and management plans in the project itself. Examples of
such modifications include:
• Change in the alignment of a highway;·
• Establishment of oil spill emergency operations for a port;
• Reducing the height of a dam
• Providing for resettlement of affected people
Life Cycle Assessment

• Life cycle assessment (LCA), also called environmental LCA, is a

systematic, standardized approach to quantifying the potential
environmental impacts of a product or process that occur from
raw materials extraction to end of life.
• LCA models the environmental implications of the many interacting
systems that make up industrial production

.
PHASES

Product System
The entirety of all activities within the system boundary that are
associated with the functional unit.
Functional Unit
Reference unit for scaling the product system based on the function(s)
provided. You carry out all assessments based on this unit. Examples
include 100 pairs of paper dried (e.g., for paper towels and electric hand
dryers), 1 liter of coffee brewed (e.g., for coffee machines), 1,000 pages
printed (e.g., for office printers).
• Reference Flow
The amount of product needed to provide the functional unit,
expressed in mass, energy, area, volume or any other physical unit. For
LCAs that assess intermediate products or raw materials without a
specified end use, the reference flow may act as the functional unit
(e.g., 1 ton of metal A or chemical B).
• Life Cycle Inventory Analysis (LCI)
Collection and analysis of all data necessary to quantify the inputs
(resource and energy flows) and outputs (emissions and other releases)
into and out of the product system that cross the system boundary.
• Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA)
The evaluation of potential environmental impacts based on the LCI
analysis results using a comprehensive set of impact categories.
• Interpretation
Discussing and evaluating the findings of the LCI and LCIA results to
arrive at a conclusion, to compare scenarios (another fundamental
function of LCA analysis) and to identify existing improvement
potentials.
• Reporting
Documenting the LCA study in a comprehensive and transparent manner
in accordance with ISO 14044 requirements.
• Critical Review
Conformity assessment by one or more independent expert(s) to confirm
adherence to the requirements of ISO 14044, thereby increasing the
credibility and the ability to communicate the results of the LCA study.
The LCA study must be externally reviewed by a panel of three
independent experts if a company intends to disclose to the public claims
of environmental superiority over a competing product.
EIA in Project Cycle
• Screening
• Scoping
• Prediction and mitigation
• Management and monitoring
• Audit
Screening
• Screening often results in a categorization of the project and from this
a decision is made on whether or not a full EIA is to be carried out.
• The output from the screening process is often a document called
an Initial Environmental Examination or Evaluation (IEE). The
main conclusion will be a classification of the project according to its
likely environmental sensitivity. This will determine whether an EIA is
needed and if so to what detail.
Scoping

Scoping is the process of determining which are the most critical issues to
study and will involve community participation to some degree. It is at this
early stage that EIA can most strongly influence the outline proposal.
Scoping is important for two reasons. First, so that problems can be
pinpointed early allowing mitigating design changes to be made before
expensive detailed work is carried out. Second, to ensure that detailed
prediction work is only carried out for important issues.
• Detailed prediction and mitigation studies follow scoping and are carried
out in parallel with feasibility studies.
• Finally, an audit of the EIA process is carried out some time after
implementation. The audit serves a useful feedback and learning function.
Prediction and Mitigation
• Once the scoping exercise is complete and the major impacts to be
studied have been identified, prediction work can start.
• This stage forms the central part of an EIA. Several major options are
likely to have been proposed either at the scoping stage or before and
each option may require separate prediction studies.
• Realistic and affordable mitigating measures cannot be proposed
without first estimating the scope of the impacts, which should be in
monetary terms wherever possible. It then becomes important to
quantify the impact of the suggested improvements by further
prediction work.
Management and Monitoring
• The main output report is called an Environmental Impact Statement,
and contains a detailed plan for managing and
monitoring environmental impacts both during and after
implementation
• The purpose of monitoring is to compare predicted and actual impacts,
particularly if the impacts are either very important or the scale of the
impact cannot be very accurately predicted
• The Environmental Management Plan needs to not only include clear
recommendations for action and the procedures for their
implementation but must also define a programme and costs.
Auditing
• In order to capitalise on the experience and knowledge gained, the last stage of an
EIA is to carry out an Environmental Audit some time after completion of the
project or implementation of a programme.
• It will therefore usually be done by a separate team of specialists to that working
on the bulk of the EIA.
• The audit should include an analysis of the technical, procedural and decision-
making aspects of the EIA.
• Technical aspects include: the adequacy of the baseline studies, the accuracy of
predictions and the suitability of mitigation measures.
• Procedural aspects include: the efficiency of the procedure, the fairness of the
public involvement measures and the degree of coordination of roles and
responsibilities
Legal Framework
MAJOR ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS IN INDIA
1. The Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1974
2. The Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Cess, Act, 1974 as
amended in 1991.
3. The Air (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1981
4. The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986
5. The Public Liability Insurance Act, 1991
6. The National Environment Tribunal Act, 1995
7. The National Green Tribunal Act, 2010
• The Hazardous Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2016
• The Manufacture, Storage and Import of Hazardous Chemicals Rule,
1989 •
• The Bio-Medical Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2016
• The Chemical Accidents (Emergency Planning, Preparedness and
Response) Rules, 1996
• The Recycled Plastics Manufacture and Usage Rules, 2016
• The Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000
• The Solid Wastes (Management and Handling) Rules, 2016
• The Ozone Depleting Substances (Regulation) Rules, 2000
• The Batteries (Management and Handling) Rules, 2001
Stakeholders and their Role in EIA
• There are three principle stakeholder groups involved in any project
undergoing EIA:
• The proponent;
• The regulators; and
• The community.
• Each of these may provide the incentive for under- taking follow-up
programmes and examples of each were presented during the
workshop.
Project Proponent

• If not the most important of all stakeholders, they are definitely the
reason EIAs exist.
• If not for their shameless pursuit of money and disregard for
everything else, there would be no need for EIA and I’d still be
scratching my head thinking of blog ideas.
• The project proponents are any company/entity that want to start a
major project.
• They can be established MNCs or start-ups or even individuals (in case
of building a house, etc).
Government authorities

• They are the monitors of the EIA class, so to speak.

• They oversee the entire process of EIA, step in and alter anything they feel
is not up to the mark, check the EIA report and finally decide whether to
accept or reject the project proposed.
• Without an Environmental Clearance issued by the govt. no project can
proceed from the blueprint stage.
• The level of govt. active in a particular project depends on the scale of the
project.
• Major infrastructure of industrial projects need approval from the Central
Govt., while smaller projects need to get permission from the State Govt.
authorities.
• The state and the central govt. has a branch to deal with EIA and EC
specifically. They come under the Ministry for Environment, Forest
and Climate Change.
Expert Appraisal Committee
• This committee comprises of 15 members who are experts in various
scientific and social fields, and they are the backbone of the EIA study.
• They conduct the study, and determine all possible impacts of the
project, it’s extent and how to mitigate them.
• They compile the final EIA report, which is submitted to the govt. for
approval.
• The project proponents can further include an EIA consultant from
their side to oversee the work of the appraisal committee and ensure
that it is impartial and accurate.
Affected people

• Often the most ignored stakeholder, the people living in the project
area, or people whose livelihoods are directly affected because of a
proposed project are the largest stakeholder in terms of numbers.
• They are generally rural people who lead simple lives and live off the
natural resources that surround them.
• Unfortunately, due to their lack of knowledge and lack of exposure to
the world, they are easily exploited by the project proponents to
ensure they do not pose any roadblocks in the EIA process
Social activist groups

• These groups are important because most times, they represent the
affected people during the EIA process, and ensure that the EIA is
done in the right way and there is no foul play.
• Often, they are opposed to the project entirely, and campaign
tirelessly to ensure the project never gets off the ground.
• The most famous example is a group called Narmada Bachao Andolan
(Save Narmada Campaign) that opposed the building of a dam on
Narmada River in Central India.
Interested public

• Generally nonexistent, they sometimes appear in good numbers if the

project is large and is gaining media attention.
• They are passive observers of the process, unless the situation is
extreme and warrants their active participation.
• In an ideal world, all of the stakeholders together work in the EIA
study and come up with the most suitable plan to ensure the project
is successful and the environment is minimally affected.
• But as I mentioned in Environmental Impact Assessment-Challenges,
all of the stakeholders don’t have an equal say in the process.
• roject proponents are the ones with the most to lose if a project is
rejected, and they use their deep pockets to try and wrestle out a
favorable decision wherever possible.
• On the other end, the affected people and social groups, despite large
numbers are ignored in the name of “economic development” and
are dealt with short term promises.