Evaluating the use of Social Impact Assessment in the context of agricultural development projects in Iran

The utilisation of Social Impact Assessment (SIA) in Iran is analysed in terms of its policy context and its application in practice. Five case studies where SIA was employed in conjunction with Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) for agricultural development projects are evaluated. In addition, the performance of the policy context is assessed. This research revealed that there are legal and institutional constraints to the effective functioning of SIA in Iran, and that there are deficiencies in the operating guidelines. There were serious problems associated with the way SIA was undertaken in all five case studies. Recommendations to improve the policy framework for the conduct of SIA are made. The recommendations advocate for a higher profile of SIA within legislation, for social issues to have greater emphasis in official guidelines for the conduct of EIA and SIA, and for a range of measures to increase the professionalism of SIA practice.     

开展社会影响评价的SWOT分析

社会影响评价(以下简称SIA)是环境影响评价(以下简称环评)的重要组成部分,但目前在我国环评工作中对SIA的重视程度还不够,工作深度还远远满足不了SIA的要求,如缺少评价导则、评价方法、评价标准,难以确定SIA的评价范围等等,本文通过SWOT分析方法初步分析在我国开展SIA评价导则、评价方法及评价范围研究的可行性.     

Assessing the performance of SIA in the EIA context: A case study of South Africa

This article, a theoretical perspective based on a literature study, is a critical evaluation of SIA as part of the EIA process in South Africa against the background of international guidelines and best practices. It includes sections on the historical background of the development of SIA in South Africa, the legal status and requirements of SIA in the country, and a critical evaluation of SIA regulation in South Africa. The conclusion reached in the article is that the persistent problems of SIA practice, experienced in other parts of the world, are also evident in South Africa. Apart from institutional, financial and professional constraints, there are also serious problems associated with approach and methods. This conclusion confirms the findings of empirical studies that SIA in South Africa is neglected, that the practice of SIA in South Africa is not yet on a sound footing, and that it does not receive the professional attention it deserves in a country beset by enormous social challenges. To conclude the article recommendations are made to improve the level of SIA practice in South Africa, and the possible significance of this national case study for international practice is indicated.     

Compilation of reaction kinetics parameters determined in the Key Development Project for Air Pollution Formation Mechanism and Control Technologies in China

A compilation of new advances made in the research field of laboratory reaction kinetics in China's Key Development Project for Air Pollution Formation Mechanism and Control Technologies was presented. These advances are grouped into six broad, interrelated categories, including volatile organic compound (VOC) oxidation, secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation, new particle formation (NPF) and gas-particle partitioning, ozone chemistry, model parameters, and secondary inorganic aerosol (SIA) formation, highlighting the laboratory work done by Chinese researchers. For smog chamber applications, the current knowledge gained from laboratory studies is reviewed, with emphasis on summarizing the oxidation mechanisms of long-chain alkanes, aromatics, alkenes, aldehydes/ketones in the atmosphere, SOA formation from anthropogenic emission sources, and oxidation of aromatics, isoprene, and limonene, as well as SIA formation. For flow tube applications, atmospheric oxidation mechanisms of toluene and methacrolein, SOA formation from limonene oxidation by ozone, gas-particle partitioning of peroxides, and sulfuric acid-water (H₂SO₄-H₂O) binary nucleation, methanesulfonic acid-water (MSA-H₂O) binary nucleation, and sulfuric acid-ammonia-water (H₂SO₄-NH₃-H₂O) ternary nucleation are discussed.     

Automated evaluation of the effect of ionic liquids on catalase activity

An automated assay for the evaluation of the influence of ionic liquids on the activity of catalase was developed. The activity and inhibition assays were implemented in a sequential injection analysis (SIA) system and intended to contribute for the estimation of the toxicity of the tested compounds. The fast developed methodology was based on the oxidation of the non-fluorescent probe amplex red, in the presence of H₂O₂, to produce resorufin, a strong fluorescent compound. Catalase activity was monitored by the decreased of the fluorescence intensity due to the consumption of H₂O₂ by the enzyme. The activity assays were performed in strictly aqueous media and in the presence of increasing concentrations of seven commercially available ionic liquids and sodium azide, a strong inhibitor of catalase. IC₅₀ values between 0.15 and 2.77 M were obtained for the tested compounds, revealing distinct inhibitory effects. This allowed us to perform some considerations about the toxicity of the tested cations and anions. The developed SIA methodology showed to be robust and exhibited good repeatability in all the assay conditions. On the other hand, it proved to be in good agreement with the actual concerns of “Green Chemistry” since it involved the consumption of less than 200 μL of reagents and the production of only 1.7 mL of effluent (per cycle) and at the same time reduced the operator exposure resulting in increased environmental and human safety.     

Coal mining and the resource community cycle: A longitudinal assessment of the social impacts of the Coppabella coal mine

Two social impact assessment (SIA) studies of Central Queensland's Coppabella coal mine were undertaken in 2002–2003 and 2006–2007. As ex post studies of actual change, these provide a reference point for predictive assessments of proposed resource extraction projects at other sites, while the longitudinal element added by the second study illustrates how impacts associated with one mine may vary over time due to changing economic and social conditions. It was found that the traditional coupling of local economic vitality and community development to the life cycle of resource projects—the resource community cycle—was mediated by labour recruitment and social infrastructure policies that reduced the emphasis on localised employment and investment strategies, and by the cumulative impacts of multiple mining projects within relative proximity to each other. The resource community cycle was accelerated and local communities forced to consider ways of attracting secondary investment and/or alternative industries early in the operational life of the Coppabella mine in order to secure significant economic benefits and to guard against the erosion of social capital and the ability to cope with future downturns in the mining sector.