Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management

It has been increasingly recognised that construction activity imposes external costs to the environment. This paper aims to review the benefits and major problems in the implementation of ISO 14000 EMS in the Hong Kong construction industry. This study surveyed major construction firms in Hong Kong to uncover the hindrance factors contributing to the low adoption of ISO 14000. Based on the findings, this paper identifies and ranks the perceived order which hinders the construction firms' adoption of ISO 14000. The case study in Hong Kong serves as a reference point for understanding the problems in the implementation of ISO 14000 in other countries.

Specifically, this study found that the four major obstacles to ISO 14000 implementation are: lack of government pressure; lack of client requirement/supports; expensive implementation cost; and sub-contracting systems, which create difficulties in managing the EMS. Since the government is a very dominant client, the extent to which the Government wishes to restrict its choice of tenderer to those firms that have an environmental management system in place, will demonstrate its commitment to environmentally responsible operations. The public sector clients play a critical role in driving the construction industry to improve its operations through contractual requirements. Education of the end-users is also important to create market demand for environmentally friendly construction. To an extent, professional institutions and other industry bodies can help to instill a greater sense of accountability among industry participants by stipulating acceptable standards of behaviour and establishing a supportive regulatory framework.

The technologies for building environmentally sound homes are well known and have been demonstrated in numerous projects, but are yet to be adopted as standard in the UK. Local authority development plans now include "sustainability" within their principles, but this is applied mainly in the social context. One barrier to achieving sustainable new housing is the lack of a framework to combine the objectives and policies of the urban environment, environmental impacts, resource use, and the design and construction of the houses themselves. This paper describes a framework designed for use by decision-makers (i.e. housing developers and planning officers) to help them address one part of "sustainability", namely eco-efficiency. The theoretical framework is then applied to a case study. Both the development process and the application of the framework reveal interesting points to be considered in the progress towards sustainable housing.

Sri Lanka is an island republic situated off the southern tip of the Indian subcontinent. It has a long and continuous recorded history dating back approximately 2,500 years, and claims to have one of the oldest nature reserves in the world.

However, Environmental Assessment (EA) in the country has a much shorter history. This can be traced back to the early eighties and the dramatic change in economic policies when initial legislation was enacted. The final three amendments to this legislation making EAs mandatory came into force in 1993, although there were some EIAs predating this legislation that were voluntary and prepared for large infrastructure projects. Since then, a number of EAs and Initial Environmental Examinations (IEEs) have been prepared for a wide variety of projects with varying degrees of success. Despite this, the natural environment is still undergoing rapid deterioration, while proper implementation of good EIA practice is still needed.

The research presented in this paper, which is part of a larger study on implementation of EA and Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) in Asia, discusses the current status of environmental assessment in Sri Lanka based on information collected from field visits and interviews, as well as published and unpublished data. EA practices are discussed in the context of investigating the potential for introducing the process of SEA in Sri Lanka.

Two case studies demonstrate the consideration of environmental issues in the development of strategic sectoral policies programmes and plans. These case studies highlight the potential benefits of an effective SEA strategy in Sri Lanka, as well as identifying some of the weaknesses in the current EA system within the country.

Findings from the study suggest that rapid industrialisation combined with poor monitoring, a dearth of technically skilled personnel, the lack of baseline information and the continuing protracted civil war are key factors restricting the successful implementation of the EA process. It is from this perspective that the paper looks at the possible role that SEA may play in overcoming the failings of EA.

This paper, which is based on a recent research project, offers an insight into the experience of integration of Strategic EnvironmentalAssessment (SEA) within government policy-making in Ireland, and Greater Dublin in particular. This is materialised by means of appraising the degree of integration of the Eco-Audit process with the transport policy-making process of the Irish National Development Plan (2000–2006). The recent establishment of the Eco-Audit guidelines by the Irish government in 1999 is the first attempt to institutionalise a type of policy-SEA in Ireland and one of few internationally. Therefore, it can be seen as a "good practice" case study that could potentially provide the context for transference of experience on SEA integration in similar institutional settings in other countries as well in different decision-making levels within Ireland. The paper concludes that this initiative undoubtedly promotes SEA practice at a sensitive government policy level and provides useful ideas for further SEA integration in the future shaping of the Eco-Audit model.

The Lower Camaquã River Watershed is settled within two major geologic systems: the Pre-Cambrian basement and the Southern Brazilian Coastal Plain. Geological, environmental and socio-economic characteristics of this section of the watershed provide a heterogeneous landscape mosaic of interconnected natural and anthropic elements. In this work, the Sapato Creek watershed is used as a case study for an environmental analysis of the Lower Camaquã system. Landscape elements were identified, described and modelled as a way to understand their structure and dynamics. Satellite images (1:100,000) and field checking were utilised in the characterisation of the landscape elements and identification of land use categories. The results supported the characterisation of the structural and functional organisation of the watershed, potential impacts and the suitability of land use for the system. A conceptual methodological strategy is presented as an effective tool for transferring the recommendations produced in this work to decision-makers directly involved with environmental management in the region. The strategy relies on the interaction between scientists, decision-makers and watershed stakeholders to foster the identification of possible educational actions that could lead to a rational use of land and natural resources in the watershed.