Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management

Experiences from the Finnish Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Act were studied by surveying 35 SEA processes. Integration of plan or programme preparation and assessment, organisation of assessment, public participation and consultation, treatment of alternatives, scoping, impact assessment methods, effectiveness, environmental reporting, follow-up, effects on plan or programme preparation, assessment costs and consistency of the assessment were examined and evaluated. The results suggest that SEA is not yet used properly in decision-making. Several shortcomings characterised assessment practices in public participation, establishment and comparison of alternatives, definition of environmental problems, recognition of significant impacts and readiness to use SEA as a planning tool to integrate environmental considerations into the planning. In consequence, the assessments had only minor effects on the adopted plans and programmes. The most critical challenges in Finnish SEA practise are focusing on the most significant environmental issues and strengthening the links between planning, participation and decision-making.

While climate change has become an important concern at both regional and global levels, its inherent uncertainties have often been cited as the main reason for delaying many actions to mitigate its potential impacts. Reviews of environmental assessments (EAs) have shown that impacts from climate change have been inadequately addressed within them and that the corresponding uncertainties have been addressed even more poorly. This paper describes several basic approaches for addressing and analysing climate change within the EAs of individual projects with a focus on its uncertainties. Subsequently, the paper describes how the results from this analysis can be effectively and comprehensively communicated to the EA's disparate set of technical and non-technical decision-makers and stakeholders. Based upon this overall approach, the paper proposes a general set of guidelines that enables proponents to incorporate climate change and its uncertainties into project EAs.

The wide adoption of EIA internationally is implicitly or explicitly based on the assumption that the benefits of EIA outweigh the costs. However, there has been surprisingly little empirical research conducted on the "cost" of EIA. The latter has been mostly because of the difficult methodological challenges it presents, which include the difficulties associated with clarifying terminology and disentangling what is meant by "cost". South Africa has been a leading developing country in terms of the introduction of EIA. However, almost a decade of mandatory EIA practice has raised serious questions about unjustified and unnecessary time delays and monetary costs and a desperate need for improved efficiency and effectiveness. In light of the latter the urgent need to gain a better understanding of the "cost" of EIA is evident. This paper presents preliminary results of an empirical study on the "direct EIA cost" in relation to "overall project cost" in South Africa. The data was obtained from a detailed survey of 148 EIAs conducted in the Free State, North West and the Northern Cape Provinces. The research suggests that the average direct cost of EIA within this region of South Africa is particularly low compared to international EIA systems. However, as a percentage of total project cost, EIA in South Africa compares with the higher spectrum of international practice. The latter suggests that within the South African context a large number of EIAs are being conducted for relatively small scale projects and that the main cost burden is placed on small and medium economic enterprise. In conclusion the overall profile of EIA cost in the South African context is described in relation to four broad project categories. To take the debate forward and to allow for regional comparative analysis, it is proposed that the research be expanded to include other provinces.

Research for this paper was undertaken into the relationship between public opinion on wind power and public participation in turbine site planning and design. The research focussed on the contribution of environmental attitude studies to participatory environmental impact assessment of renewable energy policy and land use. A questionnaire survey was undertaken at wind farm sites at three stages in the site planning process and at three public events where the application of wind power was a topic of discussion. The attitudinal data produced was subjected to a series of statistical tests to determine which of the attitudes revealed could be quantified significantly in terms of public opinion. The most significant responses related to the proximity of wind turbines to respondents' homes with the proposition that wind turbine designers should seek community input of the highest significance. Respondents also indicated a preference for traditional turbine structures that blended in with the landscape and remained out of sight. Respondents' personal perception of land use change regarding wind power near them was mostly significant relative to respondent age with younger respondents tending to be more accepting of wind turbine land use whilst older respondents objected. Living place was also found to be significant with urban respondents more accepting of wind power than rural ones. Fundamentally respondents although polarised for or against on certain issues, all shared a wish for more public input and participation in local land use for wind power.

This study aims to assess the outcomes of the transition period in terms of sustainable development in Lithuania in 1990–2004. The author aims to reveal the synergies and contradictions between the period of transition and the progress to sustainability. The research uses the conceptual framework for assessment of progress towards achieving sustainable development (APASD) for economies in transition (Kobus, 2005). The framework is based on three principles of sustainable development: the principle of carrying capacity, the principle of intergenerational equity and the principle of intragenerational equity. A three-tier system has been formed: each principle has been assigned two operational criteria and a number of sustainable development indicators. Finally, the framework has been applied to Lithuania unveiling the situation of sustainability and providing recommendations for policy response. The transition period has moved the national development closer to sustainability according to the principles of carrying capacity and intergenerational equity; however, it has not been so favourable for the principle of intragenerational equity.

The impact of a large asteroid or a nuclear explosion in Black Sea may cause a catastrophic poisonous gas (H₂S) release in the atmosphere. Some effects of this phenomenon are evaluated. The land surface area covered by the H₂S cloud generated by a 1,000 m size asteroid ranges between about 5,760 km² and 9,920 km². This may affect between 1,400,000 and 2,470,000 people. In case of a 70 m size asteroid, the cloud covers between 105 km² and 210 km² and 26,000 to 52,000 people may be affected. The evaluations may be a few times underestimated for some particular wind directions. Nuclear explosions of 1 Mton and 50 Mton TNT may be assimilated to the impact by asteroids of about 33 m and 120 m diameter, respectively. The social effects of these events may be diminished if some general procedures are implemented.