Environmental impact assessments

Abstract

Environmental impact assessment (EIA) is a formal process used to predict environmental consequences, which may be positive or negative, of a plan, policy, program, or project prior to approval. The International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA) defines an environmental impact assessment as "..the process of identifying, predicting, evaluating and mitigating the biophysical, social, and other relevant effects of development proposals prior to major decisions being taken and commitments made." EIAs should contain proposals for scheme design or operation to reduce these impacts to acceptable levels or to address different technical solutions. "Acceptable levels" is a contested and political concept, though the purpose of an EIA is to inform better decisionmaking by bringing wider environmental concerns into consideration alongside economic, social, and political concerns.