HL 7.1 Exploring EIAs
In this activity, we will explore how EIAs are used around the world to promote sustainable resource management.
This is a free page due to the use of resources with a CC BY NC 4.0 license.
Thanks also to Dominic Pistor for some updated links.
Your first task is to familiarise yourself with the process of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).
Review the slides then answer the quiz questions.
1. Identify the five stages of an EIA?
Screening
scoping
mitigation and report writing
decision making
implementation and monitoring
2. Outline the types of baseline surveys which might be conducted.
ecological - Surveys to identify patterns in vegetation, special sites and unique habitats, important (keystone) species, rare (red-listed) species
Socio-economic - surveys of local populations for viewpoints; economic impact forecasts
3. What are criticisms of the EIA process?
lack of a standard practice or training for practitioners
difficult to define the system boundaries of a project
Ecosystems are complex systems and it is very difficult to predict what will happen when something is changed. This is because they are non-linear relationships and emergent properties are very difficult to predict. This is something that politicians often find very difficult to grasp.
As a class, complete the table, using the links (and others that you may find). Your teacher may ask you to focus on one or two of these Olympics to save time.
Student Task
Research and complete the following table, collaboratively in a Google doc.
Comparison of Olympic EIAs
London Olympics, UK 2012 London Olympics Initial Plans for EIA | Sochi Winter Olympics, Russia 2014 | Rio Olympics, Brazil 2016 | Tokyo Olympics, Japan 2020 Executive summary of Tokyo EIA Environmental technology in Tokyo Olympics United Nations University on Tokyo Olympics | Paris Olympics, France 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transparency | |||||
| Time given to the project | |||||
| Implementation of the project | |||||
| Impact / Effectiveness | |||||
| Mitigation strategies suggested | |||||
| Democratic involvement |