关于当前环境影响评价工作的几点商榷

自1979年《中华人民共和国环境保护法(试行)》颁布以来,环境影响评价在我国已制度化,环境影响评价(以下简称EIA)工作也有了迅速的发展。我们深信,随着经济建设的发展,我国的EIA工作一定会达到一个新的水平。目前,由于大家刚刚从事这一工作,对EIA的宗旨和目的认识不一,EIA的程序和方法有些刻板化,对EIA的范围、内容和精度心中无底,往往提出不切实际的过高要求。这样,不仅增加了EIA的耗费,延长了EIA的周期,而且影响工程决策,拖了经济建设的后腿。长此下去,势必不利于EIA的开展,也起不到EIA在经济建设中的积极作用。在这里,我想就当前的EIA工作谈几点个人意见,以与同行们商榷。     

论公众参与的环境伦理观

公众参与(Public Participation)是环境影响评价(EIA)和战略影响评价(SEA)的重要内容,也是环境保护事业发展的基础.影响公众参与的因素有环境法律、环境经济、环境文化和环境伦理四个方面,其中环境伦理在公众参与和环境行为方面发挥巨大的作用.本文从伦理学角度论述了人类环境伦理观的形成,环境伦理对公众参与环境保护的影响以及可持续发展的环境道德原则.     

战略环评是实施城市可持续发展战略的重要工具

一、战略环评的功能定位中国的战略环境影响评价(SEA)的理论与技术方法仍远未建立起来,缺乏系统的SEA理论和技术方法,尤其是由于部门分割造成SEA或规划环评的实践效果及有效性仍大打折扣。造成这一问题的根本原因在于对SEA的功能定位不准确,也相应地缺少在恰当定位下的SEA技术方法、实施框架、目标与     

区域政策环境影响评价研究

区域政策对一个区域的环境与发展的影响是持久的项目背后驱动力,引导和决定着该区域内的一切经济行为。对区域政策进行环境影响评价,以判定区域政策在特定时空范围内的宏观影响是实现区域综合决策的科学化、从政策源头落实环境保护基本国策、实施区域可持续发展战略的要求。本文论述了开展区域政策环境影响评价(以下简称EIA)的意义和基础以及评价的原则、程序和指标体系。     

试论目前我国环境影响评价制度中的评价时机和评价收费问题

根据环境影响评价工作的实践经验，对我国环境影响评价中时机和评价收费问题进行了分析总结，深入论述了其对环境影响评价（EIA）有效性能的影响，并提出了建设性的修改建议。     

湿地生态环境影响评价研究的进展

鉴于湿地资源开发的环境影响评价的重要性以及我国目前所处困境,探讨了湿地生态环境影响评价中的重点和难点问题。在分析湿地生态系统特征及其开发利用产生的生态环境问题基础上,论述了湿地资源开发存在的问题:适宜于湿地资源开发环境影响评价(EIA)的生态监测体系尚未建立。文章在分析我国湿地资源开发产生的生态环境问题的基础上,探讨了湿地资源开发可持续环境影响评价(EIA)的理论,研究了开展湿地资源开发可持续EIA面临的困境,并提出了相应的对策。     

区域开发SEA综合评价体系初探

根据区域可持续发展的要求，为了实现区域环境保护从战略酝酿阶段就参与区域国民经济综合评价，本文首次尝试提出了一套实际操作性强的、定量的、着眼于整体的区域可持续性发展SEA综合评价模式，并以成都市羊安工业集中发展区为例，从经济、社会、环境三个子系统出发建立指标体系对其进行综合评价。     

新型太阳能住宅的研究

提出了一种用太阳能加热，地下冷却和空气循环相结合的新型住宅（简称为SEA住宅）。该住宅不公可使室内温度常年维持在比较适合的水平，而且减少了南北侧房间的温度差异。     

为可持续发展作贡献日本政府在环境领域向发展中国家开发援助项目

日本在６０年代经历的经济快速发展之后所遇到并克服的环境问题，目前同样是许多发展中国家正在遭遇的问题。因此，日本在环境领域处于协调国际合作的有利地位。本文介绍日本政府机构在环境领域向发展中国家开发援助项目中的事例，同时反映了日本企业和非政府组织对可持续发展作出的努力。     

垃圾焚烧项目组合式烟气净化工艺浅议

概述了当前垃圾焚烧项目烟气净化系统的发展状况并进行了展望,对其中两种组合式烟气净化系统进行了对比,提出将基于干法的组合式烟气净化工艺应用于生活垃圾焚烧项目的建议。     

EIA application in China's expressway infrastructure: clarifying the decision-making hierarchy

China's EIA Law came into effect in 2003 and formally requires road transport infrastructure development actions to be subject to Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). EIAs (including project EIA and plan EIA, or strategic environmental impact assessment, SEA) have been being widely applied in the expressway infrastructure planning field. Among those applications, SEA is applied to provincial level expressway network (PLEI) plans, and project EIA is applied to expressway infrastructure development 'projects' under PLEI plans. Three case studies (one expressway project EIA and two PLEI plan SEAs) were examined to understand currently how EIAs are applied to expressway infrastructure development planning. Through the studies, a number of problems that significantly influence the quality of EIA application in the field were identified. The reasons causing those problems are analyzed and possible solutions are suggested aimed at enhancing EIA practice, helping deliver better decision-making and ultimately improving the environmental performance of expressway infrastructure.     

Policy and Practice

Saudi Arabia has recently begun to implement its General Environmental Regulations. The main purpose is to ensure that environmental considerations are taken into account at all levels of planning with an emphasis on incorporating EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) into development activities. However, there is a need to develop a broad framework of SEA (Strategic Environmental Assessment) for the proper integration of sustainability into decision‐making processes. This paper reviews and discusses a framework for ensuring sustainability in Saudi Arabia, particularly at the local level. The paper develops guidelines and a framework for implementing the principles of sustainability in Saudi municipalities through SEA.     

EIA,Decision-making Theory and Screening and Scoping in UK Practice

As an aid to decision making Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is seen as a rational and systematic process which is often held to be holistic and proactive in its approach to environmental protection (Glasson et al., 1999). The roots of EIA are firmly located within the 1960s' demand for a more systematic and objective approach to environmental decision making and hence within the rationalist model of decision making theory. This paper examines the key stages of the EIA process to assess how far EIA conforms to the rationalist model today. Most research in EIA decision making has focused on the project authorization process and not the crucial decisions made at the earlier stages of screening and scoping. This study examines those early stages within the context of UK EIA practice. From this examination the paper attempts to locate EIA within decision-making theory.     

战略环境影响评价中公众参与方法研究与案例分析

公众参与有效性是衡量战略环境影响评价质量的一个重要指标,它对于提高环境管理水平具有重要的意义。本文在对比项目环境影响评价的基础上,系统阐述了战略环境影响评价公众参与的内容、对象、方式、时机、实施主体、数据处理及信息反馈,初步建立了战略环境影响评价公众参与的方法与体系,并结合典型案例进行了战略环境影响评价公众参与的过程分析。     

From Poole to Fulham: A Changing Culture in UK Environmental Impact Assessment Decision Making?

This paper examines the role of environmental impact assessment (EIA) in project authorization decision making and the way in which the courts have interpreted its role. The purpose of the paper is to establish whether or not that role has changed over the period between the introduction of EIA in 1988 and 2001. From the evidence reported here, it is argued that while the procedural stages of EIA have been very much strengthened over that period, the importance of EIA as a tool to aid planning authorization decision making remains largely peripheral.     

Strategic Environmental Assessment of Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Options in the Canadian Agricultural Sector

This article presents a methodological framework for strategic environmental assessment (SEA) application. The overall objective is to demonstrate SEA as a systematic and structured policy, plan, and program (PPP) decision support tool. In order to accomplish this objective, a stakeholder-based SEA application to greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation policy options in Canadian agriculture is presented. Using a mail-out impact assessment exercise, agricultural producers and nonproducers from across the Canadian prairie region were asked to evaluate five competing GHG mitigation options against 13 valued environmental components (VECs). Data were analyzed using multi-criteria and exploratory analytical techniques. The results suggest considerable variation in perceived impacts and GHG mitigation policy preferences, suggesting that a blanket policy approach to GHG mitigation will create gainers and losers based on soil type and associate cropping and on-farm management practices. It is possible to identify a series of regional greenhouse gas mitigation programs that are robust, socially meaningful, and operationally relevant to both agricultural producers and policy decision makers. The assessment demonstrates the ability of SEA to address, in an operational sense, environmental problems that are characterized by conflicting interests and competing objectives and alternatives. A structured and systematic SEA methodology provides the necessary decision support framework for the consideration of impacts, and allows for PPPs to be assessed based on a much broader set of properties, objectives, criteria, and constraints whereas maintaining rigor and accountability in the assessment process.     

Development of a Methodology for Strategic Environmental Assessment: Application to the Assessment of Golf Course Installation Policy in Taiwan

Some countries, including Taiwan, have adopted strategic environmental assessment (SEA) to assess and modify proposed policies, plans, and programs (PPPs) in the planning phase for pursuing sustainable development. However, there were only some sketchy steps focusing on policy assessment in the system of Taiwan. This study aims to develop a methodology for SEA in Taiwan to enhance the effectiveness associated with PPPs. The proposed methodology comprises an SEA procedure involving PPP management and assessment in various phases, a sustainable assessment framework, and an SEA management system. The SEA procedure is devised based on the theoretical considerations by systems thinking and the regulative requirements in Taiwan. The positive and negative impacts on ecology, society, and economy are simultaneously considered in the planning (including policy generation and evaluation), implementation, and control phases of the procedure. This study used the analytic hierarchy process, Delphi technique, and systems analysis to develop a sustainable assessment framework. An SEA management system was built based on geographic information system software to process spatial, attribute, and satellite image data during the assessment procedure. The proposed methodology was applied in the SEA of golf course installation policy in 2001 as a case study, which was the first SEA in Taiwan. Most of the 82 existing golf courses in 2001 were installed on slope lands and caused a serious ecological impact. Assessment results indicated that 15 future golf courses installed on marginal lands (including buffer zones, remedied lands, and wastelands) were acceptable because the comprehensive environmental (ecological, social, and economic) assessment value was better based on environmental characteristics and management regulations of Taiwan. The SEA procedure in the planning phase for this policy was completed but the implementation phase of this policy was not begun because the related legislation procedure could not be arranged due to a few senators’ resistance. A self-review of the control phase was carried out in 2006 using this methodology. Installation permits for 12 courses on slope lands were terminated after 2001 and then 27 future courses could be installed on marginal lands. The assessment value of this policy using the data on ecological, social, and economic conditions from 2006 was higher than that using the data from 2001. The analytical results illustrate that the proposed methodology can be used to effectively and efficiently assist the related authorities for SEA.     

The significance of environmental impacts: an exploration of the concept

Since environmental impact assessment (EIA) is concerned primarily withsignificant environmental impacts, the concept of impact significance deserves to be defined and applied rigorously. In this article use of the term over the past 15 years in EIA documentation is reviewed. Some recent attempts at elucidating the concept are summarized. Four perspectives on impact significance that emerged from a series of workshops on the ecological basis for EIA are presented. These perspectives include (a) statistical (related to problems of isolating project-induced changes from natural variation), (b) ecological (related to the importance of project-induced changes from a purely ecological perspective), (c) social (related to the acceptability of project-induced changes in important environmental attributes), and (d) project (related to whether project-induced changes will indeed influence project decision making). The following synthesis is proposed: Any exercise in judging the significance of an environmental impact should thoroughly consider (a) the importance of the environmental attribute in question to project decision makers, (2) the distribution of change in time and space, (c) the magnitude of change, and (d) the reliability with which change has been predicted or measured. The implications of considering these factors are discussed.     

Beyond the Requirements: Improving Public Participation in EIA

Virtually every environmental planner at some time deals with environmental impact assessment (EIA). Public participation is required in most environmental impact assessment programmesaround the world. However, citizen involvement is often reduced to a procedural exercise instead of a substantive process to include the public in environmental decision making. This paper examines public participation in EIA and provides ways to improve its effectiveness. We first examine the rationales for public involvement and its institutionalization through EIA. Next, we analyse the shortcomings and strengths of common approaches to public involvement. Our analysis, supported by two case studies, suggests that going beyond the minimum requirements can benefit the public, the project proponent and the final plan. We conclude with practical steps to improve public participation programmes in environmental planning and decision making.     

The Consideration of Sustainability Aspects in Transport Infrastructure Related Policies,Plans and Programmes: A Comparative Analysis of North West England,Noord-Holland and Brandenburg-Berlin

This paper is based on research conducted in 1997 and 1998 at the EIA Centre, University of Manchester. It examines the extent to which transport infrastructure related policies, plans and programmes (PPPs) in the three EU regions of North West England, the provincie (administrativeregion) of Noord-Hollandand the engerer Verflechtungsraum (EVR, planning region) of Brandenburg-Berlinconsider (environmental) sustainability issues in the form of objectives, targets and related options/measures for action. Furthermore, the role strategic environmental assessment (SEA) appears to play in this context is elaborated. The analytical framework for comparison is based on the sustainable development strategy of the European Commission, the Fifth Action Programme (Commission of the European Communities, 1993).