The social impact assessment model and the planning process

Social impact assessment developed along with environmental impact assessment during the early 1970s as a methodological tool with which to better understand the consequences of environmental alteration and as an input to environmental impact statements. The idea was that if adverse social, economic, and physical effects of development were known in advance, they could either be mediated or eliminated.For the most part, the assessment of biological and economic impacts has become a required input into every stage in the planning process. However, social changes are not always arrayed alongside economic, biological, and landuse changes in the matrix that leads to the final decision.The major difficulty in the application of SIA process has been in identifying and measuring the social impacts that occur with each project. Even if important social impacts were identified, few procedures have been developed for measuring their significance. When either social costs or benefits to local communities are arrayed against regional and national economic goals, social concerns generally finish a distant second. Social science research must establish that the effects on human populations alone are significant enough to alter the outcome of the decision process.     

Assessing the social cost of housing projects on the built environment: Analysis and monetization of the adverse impacts incurred on the neighbouring communities

Construction projects generate serious environmental adverse impacts on the adjacent residents. All those harmful consequences and damages that third parties or the community sustain due to the implementation of construction processes are called social costs. Although, the presence of social costs is widely mentioned in the literature, in the projects' initial cost estimation practices, the social costs are not estimated and included. Whereas since these costs are not compensated, problems can be emerged by the community. It is a truism that the majority of the models proposed to quantify the social costs have been concentrated on construction, repair, and maintenance of the infrastructure projects namely; utilities, roads, and highways. On the other hand, up to the present, a limited number of attempts has been made to quantify residential housing construction associated social costs. Thus, this research aims to expand and/or contribute to the existing body of knowledge via estimating how much social cost society surrounding residential housing construction sites are subjected to. For this purpose, a social cost estimation model is developed to assist industry professionals on how to estimate social costs in residential construction projects. The social cost estimation model is developed to provide guidance for phase by phase monetization of the residential construction associated social costs. In this paper, the model proposed for social cost estimation is validated via a case study in Turkey.     

Assessing Water Quality Improvement Schemes: The Multi-Attribute Technique of the UK's Environment Agency

The Environment Agency for England and Wales is required to take account of likely costs and benefits in carrying out its duties. Given the complex nature of environmental problems, this task requires sensitivity to issues such as uncertainty, multiple objectives and conflicting value systems. This paper describes a multi-attribute methodology used to carry out this duty in one area of the Agency's work, the regulation of the water industry. The method includes nine attributes measuring the benefits from water quality improvement schemes, and one attribute measuring scheme costs. It is a workable method that clearly satisfies the requirements for the Environment Agency to take account of the costs and benefits of its actions. Refinements are suggested to improve the individual attribute scores, the weights used in prioritisation and the incorporation of costs. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Health effects and social costs of particulate pollution – a case study for Oslo

This study analyses health damages from particulate pollution and the corresponding social costs. The analyses, which are based on transferring dose–response functions to Norway, is made within an integrated approach, where the economic impacts of the health damages are handled separately from the non‐economic welfare effects. We find that the social costs of health damages in Oslo are significant, and that the non‐economic welfare effects clearly dominate the cost figure.     

Social cost in construction projects

Despite the fact that completion of construction projects has a direct positive impact on the growth of national and local economies as well as humans' wellbeing, construction projects, especially in the urban areas, generate serious environmental nuisances for the adjacent residents and have unintentional adverse impacts on their surrounding environment. Construction causative adverse impacts on the neighbouring communities are known as the social costs. This study aims to present a state-of-the-art overview of social costs in construction industry in terms of definition, consideration, classification and quantification. Furthermore, it is aimed to bring the construction social cost phenomenon for the agenda of Environmental Impact Assessors.     

The Environmental Implications of Soil Erosion in the United States

Soil erosion has both on-farm and off-farm impacts. Reductionof soil depth can impair the lands productivity, and thetransport of sediments can degrade streams, lakes, and estuaries. Since 1933, soil conservation policies have existedin the United States. Originally they focused on the on-farmbenefits of keeping soil on the land and increasing net farmincome. Beginning in the 1980s, however, policy goalsincreasingly included reductions in off-site impacts of erosion.As a consequence of conservation efforts associated withexplicit U.S. government policies, total soil erosion between1982 and 1992 was reduced by 32% and the sheet and rillerosion rate fell from an average of 4.1 tons per acre per yearin 1982 to 3.1 tons per acre in 1992 while the wind erosion ratefell from an average of 3.3 tons per acre per year to 2.4 tonsper acre per year over the same period. Still, soil erosion isimposing substantial social costs. These costs are estimated tobe about $37.6 billion annually. To further reduce soil erosionand thereby mitigate its social costs, there are a number ofpolicy options available to induce farmers to adopt conservationpractices including education and technical assistance, financial assistance, research and development, land retirement, andregulation and taxes.     

现场监测工况负荷的检查与测量方法探讨

以西安某大学和某居民楼住户的室内声环境为研究对象,针对其地下室噪声对住户室内影响的监测结果,介绍中低频噪声的危害。在实际监测的基础上,参照国家相关标准,探讨监测工作中存在的问题,并提出针对性的建议。     

现场监测工况负荷的检查与测量方法探讨

按各行业从事生产、经营及对社会服务的特点,将建设项目分类,分别介绍了产品生产型、社会公益型和能量产出型项目生产负荷的测量方法。针对缺少供热输出量监控仪表的中小型燃煤锅炉,提出采用含湿量法测定锅炉负荷,经与称重法比较,能满足监测需要。     

Agent-based integrated assessment modelling: the example of climate change

Current approaches to deal with the socio-economic implications of climate change rely heavily on economic models that compare costs and benefits of different measures. We show that the theoretical foundations underpinning current approaches to economic modelling of climate change are inappropriate for the type of questions that are being asked. We argue therefore that another tradition of modelling, social simulation, is more appropriate in dealing with the complex environmental problems we face today.     

The value of the environment – Is it a matter of approach?

This paper discusses why estimates of the benefits of reduced air pollution differ in accordance with the approach used. Estimates based on bottom-up studies of the damage costs related to air pollution usually turn out much lower than estimates based on assessments of the utility of reduced air pollution, obtained for instance by willingness to pay assessments. This is usually explained by the fact that the willingness to pay approach includes the utility aspect of non-market values, and for this reason, it is often preferred to the damage cost approach. This is, however, not the whole story. The paper shows why alternative approaches should not be considered as being in conflict, but rather as means to get supplementary information necessary to put a value on environmental quality. Information from bottom-up assessments of damage costs and from studies of the willingness to pay is used in a macroeconomic model to carry out an evaluation of the social costs of energy saving measures in Hungary.     

碳中和实践进展、实现路径与展望

概述了国内外在碳中和实践与实现路径方面的研究进展,包括能源路径、技术路径、社会路径和政策经济路径。在此基础上,提出了应用实证数据和模型模拟开展碳中和定量评估、通过不同国家碳中和目标的比较和分析来评估全球碳中和能力和成本、加强不同碳中和路径与产业之间的相关性及多路径共同效应研究等建议。     

The Strange Career of the Ringelmann Smoke Chart

The Ringelmann smoke chart was used in the United States to assess smoke emissions in the early twentieth century. In fact, it may have been the most important method for measuring air pollution between the late 1800s and the environmental era. However, the popularity of the Ringelmann chart stood in stark contrast to its lack of precision, which smoke abatement experts recognized and discussed among themselves. However, the critique of the Ringelmann scale rarely left the circle of experts and never jeopardized its use. This article discusses the reasons for this striking phenomenon, pointing out that the Ringelmann chart had strong practical and symbolic advantages: it allowed smoke abatement to be conducted in a public and transparent way. With that, the history of the Ringelmann smoke chart is an instructive model for the social construction of measuring techniques.     

Addressing social aspects associated with wastewater treatment facilities

In wastewater treatment facilities (WWTF), technical and financial aspects have been considered a priority, while other issues, such as social aspects, have not been evaluated seriously and there is not an accepted methodology for assessing it. In this work, a methodology focused on social concerns related to WWTF is presented. The methodology proposes the use of 25 indicators as a framework for measuring social performance to evaluate the progress in moving towards sustainability. The methodology was applied to test its applicability and effectiveness in two WWTF in Mexico (urban and rural). This evaluation helped define the key elements, stakeholders and barriers in the facilities. In this context, the urban facility showed a better overall performance, a result that may be explained mainly by the better socioeconomic context of the urban municipality. Finally, the evaluation of social aspects using the semi-qualitative approach proposed in this work allows for a comparison between different facilities and for the identification of strengths and weakness, and it provides an alternative tool for achieving and improving wastewater management.     

Sustainability impact assessment to improve food security of smallholders in Tanzania

The objective of this paper was to assess the sustainability impacts of planned agricultural development interventions, so called upgrading strategies (UPS), to enhance food security and to identify what advantages and risks are assessed from the farmer's point of view in regards to social life, the economy and the environment. We developed a participatory methodological procedure that links food security and sustainable development. Farmers in four different case study villages in rural Tanzania chose their priority UPS. For these UPS, they assessed the impacts on locally relevant food security criteria. The positive impacts identified were mainly attributed to increased agricultural production and its related positive impacts such as increased income and improved access to necessary means to diversify the diet. However, several risks of certain UPS were also indicated by farmers, such as increased workload, high maintenance costs, higher competition among farmers, loss of traditional knowledge and social conflicts. We discussed the strong interdependence of socio-economic and environmental criteria to improve food security for small-scale farmers and analysed several trade-offs in regards to UPS choices and food security criteria. We also identified and discussed the advantages and challenges of our methodological approach. In conclusion, the participatory impact assessment on the farmer level allowed a locally specific analysis of the various positive and negative impacts of UPS on social life, the economy and the environment. We emphasize that only a development approach that considers social, economic and environmental challenges simultaneously can enhance food security.     

北京市社会化环境监测机构发展现状调查与监管建议

通过多角度调研发现,越来越多的社会化环境监测机构(以下简称社会化机构)投入环境监测行业,且社会化机构的营收、数量、人均产值逐年上升,表明该行业正处于蓬勃发展期且规模效应显著,社会化机构做大做强更有利于其发展.目前,多数社会化机构属于小微企业,近3年的技术人员流动率高达50％,使得社会化机构需在人员要素上投入更多精力与成...     

Protecting Sensitive Coastal Areas with Exclusion Booms during Oil Spill Events

Oil spills at sea remain a serious threat to coastal settlements and sensitive ecosystems. Although the impacts of spills are contingent upon a variety of environmental factors and the chemical composition of the oil itself, spill effects can be long lasting in the pelagic zone with broad impacts on sensitive bacterial, microbial, plant, and animal communities. Efforts to contain, deflect, protect, and mitigate the effects of oil are increasingly important, given the massive social, economic, and environmental fallout connected to large spills. The purpose of this paper is to provide geographic perspective for protecting coastal areas with exclusion booms during oil spill events. Specifically, we introduce a generalized, extendable, spatial optimization model that simultaneously minimizes spill effects on vulnerable shorelines and the total costs associated with dispatching booms. The multiobjective model is solved with a weighting method to produce a Pareto optimal curve that reveals how the costs and protection operations change under different priorities. A simulated tanker spill near Mobile Bay, AL, USA, is used as an illustrative example.

     

Effective monitoring of agriculture: a response

The development of effective agricultural monitoring networks is essential to track, anticipate and manage changes in the social, economic and environmental aspects of agriculture. We welcome the perspective of Lindenmayer and Likens (J. Environ. Monit., 2011, 13, 1559) as published in the Journal of Environmental Monitoring on our earlier paper, "Monitoring the World's Agriculture" (Sachs et al., Nature, 2010, 466, 558-560). In this response, we address their three main critiques labeled as 'the passive approach', 'the problem with uniform metrics' and 'the problem with composite metrics'. We expand on specific research questions at the core of the network design, on the distinction between key universal and site-specific metrics to detect change over time and across scales, and on the need for composite metrics in decision-making. We believe that simultaneously measuring indicators of the three pillars of sustainability (environmentally sound, social responsible and economically viable) in an effectively integrated monitoring system will ultimately allow scientists and land managers alike to find solutions to the most pressing problems facing global food security.     

Evolutionary game analysis of stakeholders' decision-making behaviours in construction and demolition waste management

Continuing industrial development has created large quantities of construction and demolition (C&D) waste, which has led to severe environmental and social problems. The aim of this study was to investigate the decision-making behaviours of stakeholders involved in C&D waste management. Based on evolutionary game theory, stakeholder decision-making behaviours in C&D waste management were analysed, and their influencing factors were identified, including government supervision costs, public participation costs, government penalties, government incentives, government supervisory intensity, probability of contractors conducting illegal dumping, probability of public participation, and probability of illegal dumping being detected. The results also revealed how government penalties and incentives impacted the decision-making behaviours of the contractors and public. Penalties and incentives can effectively reduce illegal C&D waste dumping behaviours, while excessive penalties and incentives have limitations in controlling illegal dumping. The model proposed in this research provides an experimental simulation platform to determine the appropriate values for government penalties and incentives for C&D waste management based on stakeholder decision-making behaviours. In addition, the research results for the stable strategy point of a three-party evolutionary game model demonstrated the importance of public participation in C&D waste management. These results may inform research hypotheses for future empirical studies and provide a simple model for developing appropriate government penalties and incentives in practice.     

Assessment of transport performance index for urban transport development strategies — Incorporating residents' preferences

The performance of urban transport depends on a variety of factors related to metropolitan structure; in particular, the patterns of commuting, roads and public transport (PT) systems. To evaluate urban transport planning efforts, there is a need for a metric expressing the aggregate performance of the city's transport systems which should relate to residents' preferences. The existing metrics have typically focused on a measure to express the proximity of job locations to residences. A Transport Performance Index (TPI) is proposed in which the total cost of transportation system (operational and environmental costs) is divided by willingness to pay (WTP) for transport plus the willingness to accept (WTA) the environmental effects on residents. Transport operational as well as the environmental costs are derived from a simulation of all transport systems, to particular designs of spatial development. Willingness to pay for transport and willingness to accept the environmental effects are derived from surveys among residents. Simulations were modelled of Surabaya's spatial structure and public transport expansion. The results indicate that the current TPI is high, which will double by 2030. With a hypothetical polycentric city structure and adjusted job housing balance, a lower index occurs because of the improvements in urban transport performance. A low index means that the residents obtain much benefit from the alternative proposed. This illustrates the importance of residents' preferences in urban spatial planning in order to achieve efficient urban transport. Applying the index suggests that city authorities should provide fair and equitable public transport systems for suburban residents in the effort to control the phenomenon of urban sprawl. This index is certainly a good tool and prospective benchmark for measuring sustainability in relation to urban development.     

Hare or Tortoise? Trade-offs in Recovering Sustainable Bioeconomic Systems

In this paper, we develop a framework for (a) the study of sustainability of dynamic bioeconomic systems and (b) the definition of recovery paths from unsustainable situations. We assume that the system follows a sustainable trajectory if it evolves over time within a set of multidimensional constraints. We use the mathematical concept of viability to characterize sustainability. Recovery paths are studied with regards to their duration and their acceptability. This general framework is applied to the issue of recovering sustainable fisheries. We define sustainability in a fishery as the requirement that a set of economic, ecological, and social constraints is satisfied at all times. Recovery paths are characterized by the time required to obtain sustainable exploitation conditions in the fishery and by the acceptable recovery costs for fishermen. In particular, we identify the recovery path which minimizes the time of crisis under a minimum transition profit constraint. We then describe the trade-off between speed and accepted costs of recovery paths, by comparing “Hare”-like high-speed–high-cost strategies to “Tortoise”-like low-speed–low-cost strategies. We illustrate our results by means of a numerical analysis of the Bay of Biscay Nephrops fishery.