STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN URBANIZATION PROCESS IN CHINA

This paper reviewed the development of Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) in China, expounded its functions and regional characteristics, and discussed the targets of SEA in the process of urbanization,and the main assessment indicators, procedures, techniques and methodologies of SEA. It concluded that SEA could be improved by the following recommendations: incorporating SEA in decision-making process, selecting experimental units for SEA trial run, and developing strategic evaluation tools and techniques. SEA can provide appropriate and up-to-date information on the impact of human activity on environment in the process of urbanization, and develop a plan of action targeting implementation of intervention for the rehabilitation and preservation of the ecological stability of a city. Therefore, SEA can be a supporting tool for decision-making toward achieving sustainable development.

Alternatives of Strategic Environmental Assessment for Road Traffic Development Planning——Case of Changchun City,China

On analyzing the achievement of the goal in the modem urban road traffic development planning, the alternative of Strategic Environmental Assessment for urban traffic planning should include the basic scheme, the extended scheme and the environmental protection scheme. This study from different perspectives designed the alternatives for Changchun＇s county-level road and urban road system planning, and used the method of System Dynamics to simulate, optimize and analyze those alternatives. Thereafter, some methods including the correlation function method were used to comprehensively assess and rank those alternatives for recommending two best alternatives with the consideration to the indicators, such as the total emission amount of CO, the total emission amount of nitrogen oxides, the noise value, the road construction cost, the fossil oil consumption and the traffic capacity. The result showed that the study would provide substantial supports for decision-makers to make more scientific decisions and promote the sustainable urban traffic in Changchun City.

THEORIES AND METHODS OF STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT OF MODERN LOGISTICS DEVELOPMENT——A Case Study of Dalian City, China

Modern logistics is a new industry during the construction of national economy. Based on analyzing the environmental problem that was led by the limitation of the strategy during enacting the program of the modern logistics, SEA for modern logistics was implemented. In this paper, procedure and indicator system in the SEA are constructed, and Environmental Check List to identify environmental impact factors of SEA for modern logistics is established. And a conception that indicates friendly degree of logistics system with resources and environment, degree of green, is introduced. With the example of modern logistics program of Dalian in China, two methods are applied, AHP and Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation Method, in the implement of SEA for modern logistics development. It is concluded that degree of green of modern logistics in Dalian is high. However, several important factors should be paid much attention to in the SEA for modern logistics as well as in the formulation and implement of modern logistics in Dalian.

Integrated environmental assessment: an urban perspective

A broadening of the strategic approach to environmental issues coupled with changes in the mechanisms of environmental governance and management has generated demands for new kinds of environmental knowledge and for new ways of using it. In particular there is now a strong demand for information about the environment to be linked to information about the impacts of human activities so that the unsustainable aspects of economic development can be anticipated and controlled. The scope of environmental assessment has enlarged to provide information that will help a wide range of stakeholders, including business and publics to make decisions, choosing between alternatives on the basis of sound environmental information set in a social and economic context. This paper provides a discussion of these developments and illustrates how integrated environmental assessment of a specific urban environmental problem, the reduction of health impacts of air borne particles, can deliver broad strategic information for participants in the solution.

NECESSITY AND METHOD OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT OF CHINA

Public participation has been one of important problems in the strategic environmental assessment (SEA). In this paper, the origin and the present research-conditions of public participation in SEA were analyzed. And the necessity of public participation was illuminated from following three aspects: 1) the public participation in China′s SEA is a key method of gaining the public support; 2) the public participation is one important source of gaining information; 3) the public participation is a good way to overcome the obstruction in the traditional mechanism of making strategy decision. Effective public participation should be involved in the whole process of SEA, and the public participators should include the public representatives of the groups affected by environmental change, the specialists in SEA and relevant fields, persons who are interested in the strategy and media, and so on. Various methods of public participation in SEA, including the methods of obtaining information and information feedback or consultation, were discussed. Further, the function, the advantages and the disadvantages of each method were discussed in detail, too.

Monitoring and Environmental Assessment of Seawater in West Central Africa: Case of the Kribi Industrial and Urban Port Complex in Cameroon, Guinea Gulf

This study is the first of a series of a project on the development and implementation of environmental protection policies, before, during and after the construction of the Kribi Industrial and Urban Port Complex (KIPC). The results will equip the State and scientific structures concerned with the protection of people, water resources and the environment as a whole. This includes reference data on the state of marine pollution in the region dating from the end of realization of the first phase of KIPC known as Kribi Deep-Water Harbor (KDWH). Accordingly, the aim of this work is to assess the current state of KIPC and its surrounding by quantifying the preliminary parameters of suspended matter (SM);to analyze the physical and chemical parameters, chemical pollution indicators for anions and major cations and organic pollution indicators of four water samples taken from four different sites in the project area by filtration and weighing, pH meter, turbid meter, titration, colorimetry and titrimetric methods. The analysis of these samples and these parameters provides results which are slightly similar to international standards. This suggests that the environment remains relatively healthy. Hence, continuous management and monitoring of the parameters and pollution factors is strongly recommended.

Strategic Environmental Assessment:A New Tool for Ecological Urbanization of Coastal Cities in China

Recently, there has been growing concerns about environmental issues related to urbanization in China. The intense natural resources utilization and increasing population has brought great pressure, especially in coastal areas, consequently affecting the sustainable development of coastal cities. In 2002, Environmental Impact Assessment Act (EIA Act) was enacted in China. Environmental impact assessment targeted at planning, one level of strategic environmental assessment (SEA), thus became a legislative requirement. This paper considers SEA to be one of the important approaches not only to control coastal pollution, but also to conserve coastal ecosystems and finally to achieve sustainable development during urbanization, thus it will be a set an example for other areas of China. The experience of SEA in Xiamen, a coastal city in southeast China, illustrates the potentials of SEA. This paper first briefly introduces the concept and potentials of SEA, then compares two SEA cases and a project EIA case in Xiamen, and finally identifies the key characteristics of SEA.

Study Progress and Trends of Strategic Environmental Assessment in China

Strategic environmental assessment (SEA) in China has developed rapidly since it was introduced into China in the 1990s. Chinese government promulgated the Environmental Impact Assessment Law of China (hereinafter referred to as the EIA Law) in 2002. In this law, it is stipulated clearly that regional and sector plans should be assessed. Through investigating materials and analyzing literatures, this article analyses the practical and academic study achievements of SEA in China that have been achieved since the EIA Law was implemented, probes into the current situation of the main level of SEA in China-plan EIA, then summarizes the development characteristics, and eventually, puts forward the development trends of SEA in China. The research conclusions can offer the foundations for comprehending systematically the progress of SEA in China.

Research on Public Participation and Information Publicity in Strategic Environmental Assessment

It has been generally recognized that strategic environmental assessment integrates environment and development into decision-making and becomes an important decision-making tool for implementing sustainable development. This paper firstly introduces the relationships of SEA, public participation(PP)and information publicity(IP),then discusses the key parts in enforcing the effective process of PP: They are the methods for how to make sufficient information open (What), when to implement PP (When), who will determinate the public (Who), and how to make the models of PP (How). Six cases are compared and analyzed. At last, ways to improve the effectiveness of PP in China is also presented.

Scientific Basis and Technological Path of Regional Strategic Environmental Assessment

The study tries to set up a system to extract strategic environmental assessment (SEA) in exploitation of regional development based on the present situation of environmental assessment in China. First, the article summarizes the emphasis and deficiency of international academic community’s SEA research in the past 10 years. Based on this, the article puts forward the concept and evaluation principles of regional strategic environmental assessment (RSEA). Then the article expounds the necessity of carrying out RSEA. After that, the article discusses in detail the process of RSEA, which includes defining evaluation scope, describing regional background, combing strategic behavior, designing development scenarios, predicting the pressure on environment, assessing environmental impact, screening alternatives and proposing regulation and control schemes.

Developing a Building Environmental Assessment System for Slovakia

In the previous time the requirements of environmental safety, suitability and responsibility of buildings have increased. The criteria of sustainability are included in building environmental assessment systems and tools used in different countries. The aim of building environmental assessment is a sustainable building design, which demands the cooperation among civil engineers, architects, environmentalists and other experts from different areas of building environmental assessment. The existing systems and tools were the basis of the new system development available in Slovak conditions. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the building environmental assessment system （BEAS） which was developed in Slovakia. Significant models used world wide in relation to environmental assessment of buildings, were compared on the basis of their covered. The summary of sustainable building assessment systems will be presented in this paper. Developing a building environmental assessment system for Slovakia is also introduced in the paper.

The progress of strategic environmental assessment （SEA）： Studies and practices in the mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan of China

Strategic environmental assessment （SEA） is the process to evaluate, in a systematic way, the possible environmental impacts caused by decision making such as policy, plan, and program. It is of highly significance to improve decision-making. This article reviewed the researches on SEA as well as its practices in Taiwan, Hong Kong and the mainland of China. The regulations, methodologies, and effect of practices were compared. The regulations on SEA had been enacted at three places respectively. With the largest spatial area and rapid economic development pace, the mainland has carded out more SEA practices recently than the other two places, but their final effect still need to be confirmed. It was said that Hong Kong had acquired considerable experiences on SEA, while practice of SEA at Taiwan lagged behind.

Strategic environmental assessment in China

In the past three decades, especially in recent years, the environment has unceasingly deteriorated with rapid development of Chinese economy, and the inherent limitations of conventional project EIA have come to light. Thus, to pursue a broader course of sustainable development, the Chinese government has attached more and more importance to SEA. Strategic Environmental Assessment （SEA） is a frontier subject in the field of Environmental Impact Assessment （EIA）. This article describes the current situation of SEA in China, discusses major problems with SEA, and then recommends improvements in the system. EIA Act of the People＇s Republic of China was promulgated which explicitly provides SEA is required in regional and sector plans and programs. In order to promote comprehensive development of SEA, a lot of work has been done by SEPA. Some SEA ＂experiments＂ have been implemented, and some research has been conducted on the topic in China. But SEA as applied today in China is confronted with a host of methodological and institutional limitations. Moreover, public participation is often extremely limited, because the system restricts public participation. Policies and strategies are kept secret from the public. Most of the research has been focused on the concept, theory, and framework of SEA. Comprehensive application of SEA in China has yet to occur, and only a limited number of case studies are available. We believe SEA can be improved by the following recommendations： dividing SEA into two stages, formulating legislation to safeguard the funds for SEA, guiding actively the public to participate in SEA, completing basic data bank about SEA, and setting up Hall for Workshop of Meta-synthetic Engineering for SEA.

Development an Adaptive Environmental Assessment Method for Buildings

The idea behind this work is developing an adaptive method for the environmental assessment of buildings, to configure different versions according to the variables affecting them (spatial, temporal and associated with building characteristics) to suit different evaluated projects. This method may be applied using an electronic tool, which is in a development stage. Amending different assessment versions of the adaptive method is done by including the variables effect, according to set of steps, such as modifying the formulation of the assessment items, adjusting their estimation weights, and amending their achievement evaluation levels and their returned scores. When using the adaptive method, the assessment result of a building using a certain version differs from the results using other versions, even in the same country, so configuring an appropriate version due to the variables affecting the assessment helps getting more accurate results than the ones currently provided. The main goal of that research is to introduce the adaptive method that is proposed to ensure a fairer assessment results from the perspective of Green Architecture, and allow a more credible and accuracy of results comparison according to the environmental performance of buildings. The researcher analyzed the different main features she used in developing the adaptive method, the Comparative aspects between it and the current assessment methods, and the expected reached advantages from its usage. The paper arrived to the importance of adapting the environmental assessment of buildings according to the different affecting variables, and recommended developing the adaptive method and its tool to the stage of application to benefit its advantages.

Integrated Geoelectrical Resistivity Method for Environmental Assessment of Landfill Leachate Pollution and Aquifer Vulnerability Studies

Leachate plumes from landfills are a major source of pollution in Nigeria, especially in urban areas. Assessing leachate contamination in the subsoil is considered a complex process that needs detailed field measurement to accurately define the extent of contamination. To ascertain the extent of pollution of the subsoil and groundwater sources which were reportedly contaminated by leachate plumes from an old dumpsite located in Osubi town, an integrated geo-electrical method involving 1-D vertical electrical sounding (VES) and 2-D, 3-D ERT techniques were employed. Orthogonal set of 2-D apparent resistivity data was collected in a 100 × 50 m2 rectangular grid around the dumpsite, using the Wenner array. Two years later, three (3) 2-D resistivity imaging profiles were also recorded in time-lapse mode at the dumpsite to monitor the possible effects of attenuation on the leachate over time. Ten (10) VES data were also acquired and used along with the 2-D imaging data. 2-D apparent resistivity data were inverted with Dipprowin software program. The orthogonal set of 2-D lines of apparent resistivity was merged into 3-D data and inverted with RES3DINV program to create a 3-D subsurface resistivity model. Geological models observed from 2-D and 3-D resistivity inversion revealed low resistivity values in the order ρ Ω·m which is indicative of leachate plumes in the saturation zone (pore water). The 2-D resistivity-depth sections imaged low resistivity leachate plumes at the near surface (<5 m) to a depth of 25.0 m, while 3-D inversion depth slices imaged leachate contaminant within the first, second and third layers at depth ranging from 0.00 - 2.50 m, 2.50 - 5.38 m and 5.38 - 8.68 m respectively. Thus, leachate contamination clearly increased with depth beyond the depth of first and second aquifers in the area which implies that available groundwater for domestic use is already contaminated with leachate from the dumpsite. Leachate contaminant-depth map estimated for the second geoelectric layers for VES 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, and 10 shows that the second layer has been invaded completely by leachate contamination up to 6.5 m depth. 2-D apparent resistivity data acquired two years after show lower resistivity anomalies of the leachate plume caused by time-lapse attenuation effect on the observed resistivity of the leachate. This indicates that the leachate plume has become more conductive and toxic to the environment. The Longitudinal conductance map of the area shows that the aquifer protective capacity of this area is weak (0.1 - 0.19 Mho) thus, aquifers in the area are prone to pollution from the dumpsite. The three techniques used in this study (2-D, 3-D ERT and 1-D VES) fitly provided crucial information on the degree of contamination caused by the landfill leachate plume. Therefore, it is advisable to implement an environmental remediation and leachate management program.

Key issues in the strategic environmental assessment of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River

The middle reaches of the Yangtze River were the key areas of central China emphasized in many strategic plans.It was also an important ecological and fragile area,because there are many wetlands,lakes,rivers and soil erosion area.And it linked the ecological fragile upper reaches of the Yangtze River with the most developed Yangtze River Delta in China.It is urgent to figure out the key industries,key areas and key ecological and environmental problems for the strategic environmental assessment of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River.The important regions consisted of the economic key region,the planning key region,the ecological key region,and the fragile ecological region.The key industries consisted of the ones contributed to economic growth,or affecting the environment,or preferred by the local government.Besides,the ecological and environmental problems involved the water environment,the atmosphere environment,and the ecological environment.The key regions were identified through word frequency statistics of many plans by ROST Word Parser.And it was spatially overlaid by ArcGIS9.2.The key industries were calculated based on the economic statistics data,the environmental pollution census and the word frequency statistics.Based on SCI-EXPANDED,CPCI-S,CCR-EXPANDED,IC database and Chinese CNKI periodical database,the ecological and environmental problems of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River were analyzed by Citespace software according to the keywords and abstract of every paper.The results show that the important regions of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River concentrated in the central urban region,along the river and lake,surrounding mountains,and the wetland.The equipment manufacturing,chemical industry,mining industry,energy supply industry,food industry,textile and garment industry were the key industries need to be focused on.The urgent ecological and environmental problems in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River were the water environment pollution,water ecosystem,heavy metal pollution,soil and wetlands destruction,organic pollution and biodiversity decrease issues..

A Prediction Model of MF Radiation in Environmental Assessment

Objective To predict the impact of MF radiation on human health. Methods The vertical distribution of field intensity was estimated by analogism on the basis of measured values from simulation measurement. Results A kind of analogism on the basis of geometric proportion decay pattern is put forward in the essay. It showed that with increasing of height the field intensity increased according to geometric proportion law. Conclusion This geometric proportion prediction model can be used to estimate the impact of MF radiation on inhabited environment, and can act as a reference pattern in predicting the environmental impact level of MF radiation.

Environmental Impact Assessment of Onshore Wind Farms in the Region of Central Greece Using a Modified RIAM Method

Wind energy is one of the most basic forms of renewable energy,which shows an increasing rate of development worldwide and also at the European level.However,this rapid deployment of wind farms makes the need for an impact assessment of this type of projects on the natural and man-made environment imperative.The present paper aims to identify and assess the environmental impacts of wind farm projects in the Region of Central Greece.A modified Rapid Impact Assessment Matrix(RIAM)method is used for this purpose.The methodology includes the identification of the existing onshore wind farm projects in the study area,the appropriate modifications of the RIAM method to respond to the characteristics of the projects and the study area,the qualitative assessment of their potential impacts during construction and operational phases and the computation of the Environmental Performance Grade(EPG)of projects based on the pro-posed modified RIAM method.The results reveal that although there are some slight negative impacts on the natural environment of the study area,the examined wind farms contribute positively both to the atmosphere and to the socio-economic environment of the study.This study extends the potential for using RIAM as a tool in environmental impact assessment studies of renewable energy projects.

Environmental Impact Assessment Follow-Up of Seismic Survey Offshore Activities in Brazil

Follow-up of environmental impacts is an integral part of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process, closely related to the effectiveness of the instrument. EIA follow-up has been receiving a lot of interest from scientists and practitioners, though it is recognized as one of the weakest points of EIA systems globally. Also, EIA follow-up is influenced by the context, mainly in terms of the types of projects or activities and their related impacts on the environment. Therefore, the present paper is focused on the investigation of the follow-up stage applied to the activity of seismic survey coupled with offshore oil & gas exploitation in Brazil. Research was based on a qualitative approach that included document analysis and semi-structured interviews with analysts involved in EIA processes, and sought to generate evidence of effectiveness of the EIA follow-up as conducted by the Federal Environment Agency (Ibama) in order to situate the practice of follow-up in the broader context of international best practice principles. Based on the findings, it was concluded that, due to the peculiarities of offshore seismic survey, it is necessary to promote adaptations in the procedures for monitoring impacts in order to ensure proper alignment with the principles and conceptual foundations that guide EIA practice. Specifically, the timing of the execution of the activity imposes challenges for its integration into the “conventional” cycle that has guided the monitoring of the impacts in the EIA of projects.

Opportunities to Improve the Quality of Environmental Reports and the Effectiveness of Environmental Impact Assessment: A Case of Electric Power Transmission Systems in Brazil

A good quality Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is key for the effectiveness of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) processes and consequently to the acceptability of projects subject to EIA. The international literature has contributed to the understanding of the essential aspects to be verified regarding the quality of EIS, offering a wide spectrum of good practice examples related to the content of the studies. Even so, there is a need for empirical studies that allow the identification of specific aspects related to the context of application of the EIS, which could lead to the identification of opportunities to improve both the quality of the reports and also the effectiveness of EIA. Therefore, the present paper is focused on the quality review of a number of EIS submitted to the Brazilian Federal Environmental Agency (Ibama) to instruct the assessment of electric power transmission systems. Based on the application of the EIS quality review package as proposed by Lee and Colley (1992), the outcomes reveal opportunities for improving the scope of EIA, analysis of alternatives, prediction of magnitude and the assessment of impact significance. Finally, the development and/or adaptation of a similar tool for the systematic review of the quality of EIA reports is recommended.