Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management

It is argued that under the guise of integrated impact assessment, environmental capacity and quality is being eroded rather than enhanced. This proposition is examined in the context of a World Heritage Area and an integrated impact assessment process for a major energy infrastructure project in Australia known as Basslink. The case study, which charts the negotiations that took place between a proponent, environmental researchers, consultants, regulators and decision-makers for an environmental flow for the iconic Gordon River in Tasmania, describes the 'balance' that was struck in the name of sustainable development. It demonstrates that, while social and economic benefits tend to be identified as one and the same, the environment is constituted as an oppositional "good". We argue that this outcome is the rule rather than the exception and caution that integrated assessments could serve to 'fast-track' the loss of environmental capacity and quality.

This paper examines the environmental disclosure practices of companies that have been prosecuted by the EPA to determine whether the situation has changed since the landmark study conducted by Deegan and Rankin in 1996. The study was conducted by undertaking content analysis of a group of companies that had been prosecuted by the EPA, matched with non-prosecuted companies. Three types of environmental disclosures were considered — positive, negative, and neutral. It was found that companies increased only negative and neutral disclosures if prosecuted, and that disclosures had significantly increased since the Deegan and Rankin (1996) study, the latter finding most likely due to new legislation governing environmental disclosure. However, there was no correlation between the penalty amount and the disclosures that companies made, indicating that penalty amount does not impact on company disclosure practices.

In Sweden, two LCA-based tools for the built environment have been developed the last years: the "Environmental Load Profile" and "EcoEffect". Both are standing in front of an implementation phase and it is therefore important that they may deliver credible and consistent results to end users and facilitate a transition to more environmentally benign building construction and administration. The present study looked at the differences in results that may appear when using the tools and where they come from. Applying the two tools for assessment of a new building on equal basis created differences in results. However, both tools pointed at energy use in the administration phase of the life cycle being the most significant factor for environmental impact, consistent with other studies. The results indicate that: (i) differences in material grouping and life expectancy for the construction materials used, (ii) differences in LCI-data used and (iii) different classification and characterisation models used, give rise to important differences.

New developments in water resource allocation techniques range from local management of green water to international trade in water. A further extension of this is through the virtual water concept, which is the water required to produce a crop or product. The virtual water content of many products is now available at a national and global scale. While these calculations are meaningful in international trade debates, they are not useful to water managers since regional climatic and management conditions are highly variable. The utility of the virtual water concept at a smaller scale is illustrated by a comparison of agricultural crops in the driest and wettest agro-climatic regions in Canada. Results were compared to national and international global calculations. The calculations are highly sensitive to local conditions, and locally collected data needs to be aggregated and compared in order to be made useful to water managers and land use planners.

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) practice in Cameroon has been plagued with many constraints especially from the infrastructure and EIA resource perspective. The present legal and procedural disposition vis-à-vis EIA in Cameroon is monumental and manifest some clarity of exposition with regards to the practical and fundamental steps for EIA practice in the country. However, a number of impediments still prevail that deter the full efficiency of this legislation. In search for explanations to this trend, this study was conducted to examine the current framework governing EIA in Cameroon implemented in February 2005. Content analysis and interviews with stakeholders in the EIA process were undertaken to identify key barriers associated with EIA practice in Cameroon. The paper maintains that inadequate baseline data, procedural flaws in scoping, exorbitant administrative fees, absence of an appeal procedure, unclear proviso, incompetent personnel and over centralisation of EIA powers are key barriers that appear to impede a healthy EIA practice in Cameroon. In conclusion, it is submitted that for a robust EIA practice to prevail in Cameroon, there is an urgent need for a great deal of focus on the recommendations prescribed within the context of the paper.