scholarly journals Delayed and Approved: A Quantitative Study of Conflicts and the Environmental Impact Assessments of Energy Projects in Chile 2012–2017

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 6986
Author(s):  
Sebastián Huneeus ◽  
Sergio Toro ◽  
Juan Pablo Luna ◽  
Diego Sazo ◽  
Andrés Cruz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Review Process ◽  
Assessment System ◽  
Environmental Conflicts ◽  
Environmental Decision Making ◽  
Logit Regression ◽  
Environmental Impact Assessments ◽  
Energy Projects ◽  
River Plants ◽  
Run Of River

The Sistema de Evaluación de Impacto Ambiental (Environmental Impact Assessment System—SEIA) evaluates all projects potentially harmful to human health and the environment in Chile. Since its establishment, many projects approved by the SEIA have been contested by organized communities, especially in the energy sector. The question guiding our research is whether socio-environmental conflicts affect the evaluation times and the approval rates of projects under assessment. Using a novel database comprising all energy projects assessed by the SEIA, we analyzed 380 energy projects that entered the SEIA review process between 2012 and 2017 and matched these projects with protest events. Using linear and logit regression, we find no association between the occurrence of protests aimed at specific projects and the probability of project approval. We do, however, find that projects associated with the occurrence of protest events experience significantly longer review times. To assess the robustness of this finding, we compare two run-of-river plants proposed in Mapuche territory in Chile’s La Araucanía region. We discuss the broader implications of these findings for sustainable environmental decision making.

scholarly journals Dialogues between social and natural sciences: contribution to the debate on socio-environmental conflicts

2015 ◽  
Vol 87 (4) ◽  
pp. 2335-2348 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruno Milanez
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Environmental Issues ◽  
Natural Sciences ◽  
Environmental Conflicts ◽  
Environmental Impact Assessments ◽  
The Social ◽  
Mining Projects ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Strong Candidate ◽  
Social Environmental

ABSTRACT In this article, I argue that attempting to solve real problems is a possible approach to bring social and natural sciences together, and suggest that - as Environmental Impact Assessment necessarily brings together social and environmental issues - this debate is a strong candidate for such a task. The argument is based on a general discussion about the possibilities and limitations of Environmental Impact Assessments, the social-environmental impacts of mining activities and three case studies. The analysis of the cases indicates possibilities and limitations of the dialogue between scientists from various areas - and of the collaboration with social movements and affected communities - in avoiding negative impacts of mining projects and, eventually, increasing their sustainability.

Evaluating the Federal Environmental Assessment and Review Process with Special Reference to South Davis Strait, Northeastern Canada

1983 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 293-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janet E. King ◽  
J. Gordon Nelson
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Special Reference ◽  
Environmental Assessment ◽  
Review Process ◽  
Monitoring And Evaluation ◽  
Northern Canada ◽  
Environmental Impact Assessments ◽  
Adequate Information ◽  
Davis Strait ◽  
Made In

A study of the 1978 application for permission to undertake exploratory drilling in South Davis Strait, northeastern Canada, resulted in the identification of problems with the federal Environmental Assessment and Review Process (EARP). These problems have recurred in other environmental impact assessments since 1978 in other parts of northern Canada, and some improvements have been made in approaches to them. However, further progress is needed if the EARP process is to become a more widely accepted method than at present of conducting evaluations of development impacts and the means of managing them in northern Canada.This paper focuses on the procedural rather than the scientific aspects of EARP in northeastern Canada. Recommendations include: 1) applying environmental impact assessment to policies as well as development activities; 2) strengthening socio-economic expertise and approaches; 3) financing of interveners and support for a more balanced range of interests than was displayed in this case; 4) provision of sufficient notification and adequate information; 5) documentation of rationale for decisions; and 6) monitoring and evaluation by the Canadian Federal Environmental Assessment and Review Office (FEARO) to ensure compliance with set conditions and to facilitate the tackling of unforeseen problems.

Of Smoke and Mirrors: (Mis)Communicating EIA Results of Solar Energy Projects in South Africa

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (03) ◽  
pp. 1950014
Author(s):  
Daniel S. Boshoff
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Solar Energy ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Environmental Impact Assessments ◽  
Assessment Tasks ◽  
Energy Projects ◽  
Development Goals

Environmental impact assessments (EIAs) and renewable energy developments are key instruments to achieving sustainable development goals. Additionally, environmental impact assessment reports (EIARs) are vital in communicating the findings of proposed developments to all stakeholders. Yet, the quality of EIARs does not always comply with criteria in a satisfactory manner, thereby compromising sustainability. The quality of 25 solar energy EIARs in South Africa was reviewed with an adapted Lee–Colley Review Package. Based on this review, 68% of EIARs were found to be satisfactorily conducted, whereas 80% of the overall scores were regarded as borderline quality grades. Interestingly, complex assessment tasks — determining impact significance, alternatives, mitigation measures and the communication of findings — were executed unsatisfactorily. The poor communication of environmental impacts to stakeholders is not only an obstacle for EIA processes but also for sustainable development mechanisms as a whole.

Part I Commercial Arbitration in the Energy Sector, 6 Mining Disputes

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heffron Raphael J
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impact ◽  
International Law ◽  
Iron Ore ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
Mining Activity ◽  
Mining Sector ◽  
Commercial Arbitration ◽  
Environmental Impact Assessments ◽  
Energy Projects ◽  
Energy Justice

This chapter looks at recurring questions relating to the mining of natural resources (including coal, uranium, iron ore, and titanium, to name a few) which are important for energy projects around the globe. Despite its long history — international commercial mining activity has been common since the early 1800s — the mining sector has never established its own legal framework or mining-specific international law. Hence, the chapter discusses how mining-related laws, regulations, and disputes are the cross-road of conflicting, and sometimes contradicting, drivers: economics, politics, and environmental protection. It also describes several mechanisms aimed at preventing disputes, and recurrent issues in the mining sector: these include environmental impact assessments, social licences to operate, so-called ‘clean-up obligations’, and increased transparency obligations. Finally, this chapter applies the concept of ‘energy justice’ to disputes in the mining sector.

scholarly journals Novel Application and Validation of a Method to Assess Visual Impacts of Rotating Wind Turbine Blades Within Woodland Areas

2021 ◽  
Vol 89 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
U. Nopp-Mayr ◽  
F. Kunz ◽  
F. Suppan ◽  
E. Schöll ◽  
J. Coppes
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Wind Turbine ◽  
Wind Turbines ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Laser Scanning ◽  
Forest Canopy ◽  
Turbine Blades ◽  
Wind Turbine Blades ◽  
Environmental Impact Assessments ◽  
Independent Field

AbstractIncreasing numbers of wind power plants (WPP) are constructed across the globe to reduce the anthropogenic contribution to global warming. There are, however, concerns on the effects of WPP on human health as well as related effects on wildlife. To address potential effects of WPP in environmental impact assessments, existing models accounting for shadow flickering and noise are widely applied. However, a standardized, yet simple and widely applicable proxy for the visibility of rotating wind turbines in woodland areas was largely lacking up to date. We combined land cover information of forest canopy extracted from orthophotos and airborne laser scanning (LiDAR) data to represent the visibility of rotating wind turbines in five woodland study sites with a high spatial resolution. Performing an in-situ validation in five study areas across Europe which resulted in a unique sample of 1738 independent field observations, we show that our approach adequately predicts from where rotating wind turbine blades are visible within woodlands or not. We thus provide strong evidence, that our approach yields a valuable proxy of the visibility of moving rotor blades with high resolution which in turn can be applied in environmental impact assessments of WPP within woodlands worldwide.

scholarly journals Recycled text and risk communication in natural gas pipeline environmental impact assessments

Energy Policy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 156 ◽  
pp. 112379
Author(s):  
Jacob D. Hileman ◽  
Mario Angst ◽  
Tyler A. Scott ◽  
Emma Sundström
Keyword(s):  
Natural Gas ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Risk Communication ◽  
Gas Pipeline ◽  
Natural Gas Pipeline ◽  
Environmental Impact Assessments

Using Relict Species–Area Relationships to Estimate the Conservation Value of Reservoir Islands to Improve Environmental Impact Assessments of Dams

2021 ◽  
pp. 417-437
Author(s):  
Isabel L. Jones ◽  
Anderson Saldanha Bueno ◽  
Maíra Benchimol ◽  
Ana Filipa Palmeirim ◽  
Danielle Storck-Tonon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Conservation Value ◽  
Relict Species ◽  
Environmental Impact Assessments ◽  
Species Area

scholarly journals Manufacturing Pre-Decisions: A Comparative Analysis of Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) Reviews in Brazil and Portugal

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 3235 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline Fan Rocha ◽  
Tomás B. Ramos ◽  
Alberto Fonseca
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Review Process ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Environmental Impact Statements ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Study Methodology ◽  
Environment Agency ◽  
Review Reports

The review of environmental impact statements (EIS), despite its relevance to impact assessment effectiveness, has received scarce scholarly attention. Few studies have gone beyond the realm of regulatory evaluations to understand the managerial meanders of the review process. This study evaluated the responsibilities, procedures, information inputs, and scope of EIS reviews within two environmental authorities: APA (Portuguese Environment Agency), in Portugal, and SEMAD (State Secretariat for Environment and Sustainable Development), in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. Based on a qualitative multiple-case study methodology informed by participant observation, unstructured interviews, and content analysis of 12 EIS review reports, the study provided what is arguably one of the most detailed characterizations of EIS review to date. While following similar institutional arrangements and broad procedural steps, the EIS review has important differences in APA and SEMAD. Overall, the Portuguese agency was found to have a more structured, participative, interdisciplinary, detailed, and grounded review, thus meeting some of the good practices often cited in the literature. The EIS review reports prepared by APA reviewers were also found to provide a profoundly more complete and transparent account of the review process. The details of the review process revealed in the article can affect perceptions around the legitimacy and reliability of reviewers’ recommendations.

Assessing 30 Years of Neoliberal Environmental Management in Chile

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Javiera Barandiarán
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Management ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Scientific Knowledge ◽  
Conflicts Of Interest ◽  
Environmental Policies ◽  
Environmental Impact Assessments ◽  
Water Ecosystem ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Mutual Accountability

Neoliberal environmental policies operate through markets, including for carbon, water, ecosystem services, or—as in contemporary Chile—for environmental scientific knowledge. Chile illustrates how markets for science operate, such as for monitoring data or environmental impact assessments, and their negative impacts on public trust in science and on the state’s regulatory efforts. In a society governed by a market for science, environmental scientists cannot escape the suspicion that conflicts of interest compromise their independence and the credibility of their work. Chile’s neoliberal 1980 Constitution sustains this market for knowledge but will be reformed following national demonstrations in 2019. The health of Chile’s environment depends on a new constitution that democratizes both democracy and science. Rights of nature doctrines, as in Ecuador’s 2008 Constitution, can provide the constitutional foundation for strong mutual accountability between science, the state, society, and nature.

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