Methods to assess the significance of environmental impacts in the Brazilian context

• Grant number: 21/14412-5
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: June 01, 2022
• End date: November 30, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Sanitary Engineering - Environmental Sanitation
• Principal Investigator: Marcelo Montaño
• Grantee: Marcelo Montaño
• Host Institution: Escola de Engenharia de São Carlos (EESC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Evandro Mateus Moretto ; Fernanda Aparecida Veronez ; Thomas Bernward Fischer

Abstract

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is focused on the identification of the likely impacts to be caused by development projects previously to any intervention on the environment. It is largely used worldwide as a decision-making instrument targeted at the promotion of environmental aspects in the design of projects (including locational aspects). EIA effectiveness is measured in terms of the level of environmental protection achieved after the assessment, which is the same to say that its effectiveness is related to the modifications introduced in the design of the project derived from the identification and characterisation of the impacts to be caused by the project and respective mitigation and management measures to secure an adequate level of environmental quality. Therefore, it is clear that EIA effectiveness is closely related to an adequate and robust assessment of impact's significance (or importance), although there is no consensus regarding the adequate approaches to be adopted. In this sense, the present research proposal aims at the development of indicators and weighting criteria to assess the significance of impacts in the Brazilian context, considering its practice both in state (Espirito Santo) and federal (Ibama) levels. The proposal is supported by the review of international best practices and evidence of their occurrence in different countries (England, Scotland, Netherlands, Portugal, Canada, and South African Republic), which will lead to the identification of criteria and weighting values to an effective significance assessment by means of interviews, document analysis and workshops to be run in the UK and Brazil. Finally, pilot-scale applications based on spatial modeling in GIS and systemic causal chains must provide the basis to the development of methodological guidance to the assessment of impacts significance, thus contributing to fill this relevant knowledge gap. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

VERONEZ, FERNANDA APARECIDA; MONTANO, MARCELO. Comprehensive framework for analysis of EIA effectiveness: Evidence from Espirito Santo State, Brazil. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT REVIEW, v. 108, p. 18-pg., 2024-06-19. (21/14412-5)