In this section you will learn about the key components of an EIA report and understand how all the work done during the previous steps is pulled together into a comprehensive document.
What is the EIA Report?
The EIA Report is a compilation of several important project components, including the project description, the assessment of its environmental and social impacts, mitigation measures, and related management and monitoring plans.
The EIA Report is a compilation of several important project components, including the project description, the assessment of its environmental and social impacts, mitigation measures, and related management and monitoring plans. During this step, all the information gathered during the previous steps is compiled into a comprehensive report that analyzes and synthesizes the data, structuring it as stipulated in the terms of reference (TOR).
A quality EIA Report has the following characteristics:
- It is well-structured and uses non-technical language supported by data and well-executed analyses.
- It provides information that is helpful and relevant to decision making.
- It results in the satisfactory prediction of the adverse effects of the proposed actions and their mitigation using conventional and customized techniques.
There are many challenges in putting together a comprehensive EIA. These include incomplete identification of the critical impacts, insufficiently described alternatives and mitigation measures, and the use of outdated assessment models. The table below describes several examples of typical EIA reports and the types of shortcomings they could present.
TableShortcomings and deficiencies of EIA reports
| Example EIA Report | Shortcoming |
|---|---|
| An EIA report describes the proposed construction of an industrial plant but omits information about construction of a pipeline and other facilities to transport and handle raw materials and finished products to and from the plant. | The description of the proposal does not cover key features. |
| An EIA report describes the proposed construction of a coal-fired power plant using surface water as a cooling medium. It does not divulge that the surface water body is already used by other industrial activities for this purpose to the limit of its cooling capacity. | Key problems affected by the proposal are not described. |
| An EIA report for a pipeline project does not indicate that the proposed alignment will bisect certain areas of ecological value. | Sensitive elements in the affected environment are overlooked. |
| An EIA report for a sanitary landfill indicates that the soil types in the area are very diverse, ranging from sand and clay to peat. The alternatives do not take into account the large differences in compaction and subsidence of these soil types, with subsequent failure of underlining and drainage systems. | Alternatives do not comply with environmental regulations and standards. |
| An EIA report for a sanitary landfill does not describe a system for collecting methane gas produced in the landfill, even though greenhouse gas emissions contribute to climate warming and should be capped at current levels. | Appropriate mitigating measures are not considered. |
| An EIA report for a sanitary landfill in an area with very variable soil conditions does not describe the environmental risks and consequences of a possible failure of the underlying sealing and drainage systems. | Serious environmental impacts or risks are not described or are incorrectly described. |
| An EIA report on an urban development scheme makes use of a mobility prediction model using national averages, although local data is available and would permit a more precise prediction to be made. | Insufficient or outdated prediction models are used. |
Source: Netherlands EIA Commission in UNU, UNEP, RMIT (2007).
Why do an EIA Report?
Reporting is an important part of the EIA process in order to convey the outcomes of the assessment and proposed mitigation actions, and thereby provide information for decision making.
Reporting is an important part of the EIA process in order to convey the outcomes of the assessment and proposed mitigation actions, and thereby provide information for decision making. An EIA report should be complete, easily understood, objective, factual and internally consistent. These objectives are difficult to achieve in a process that involves many contributors, different types of impacts and mitigation measures and a number of specific plans. Therefore it is very important to allocate enough time for writing the EIA report so there is ample opportunity to process the outcomes of each EIA step and ensure they are presented as stipulated in the TOR.
Once the EIA report is submitted, designated authorities will review it to determine how the planned project will address major environmental and social impacts and decide whether or not it should be granted a license. (Review of the report is described in more detail in the next step.)
What approaches exist?
Development BanksExamplesThe general approach to preparing an EIA report is to structure the information and interpret the material collected (such as research outcomes) in such a way that it provides a sound rationale for the suggested mitigation measures and changes in project implementation.
The general approach to preparing an EIA report is to structure the information and interpret the material collected (such as research outcomes) in such a way that it provides reasoning for the suggested mitigation measures and changes in project implementation. The document structure and interpretation is guided by the Terms of Reference that the project is subjected to. Guidelines for TORs vary according to funding organizations and countries. The following table provides examples of Terms of Reference by major international organizations:
Development BanksEIA - Terms of Reference
| International Organization | EIA – Terms of Reference |
|---|---|
| International Development Bank (IDB) | – Project title and identification – Legal and regulatory framework – Identified Impacts/Risks – Disaster risk summary – Impact Mitigation – Economic Analysis – Analysis of Alternatives – Monitoring Plan |
| European Union | – Contact Details of the Developer – Characteristics of the Project (incl. boundaries including any land required temporarily during construction, physical form of the development) – Location of the Project (maps; land uses, zoning, policies, protected areas) – Characteristics of the Potential Impact (hydrology, air quality, climate, noise and vibration, the landscape and visual environment, historic and cultural heritage resources, and the interactions between them) – Nature of the impacts (i.e., direct, indirect, secondary, cumulative, short, medium- and long-term, permanent and temporary, positive and negative) – Extent of the impact (area, size of the affected population/habitat) – Risk analyses – Mitigation options – Monitoring plan |
| World Bank | – Project Description – Project site (its location on map) – Project Alternatives (sites, infrastructure, technologies) – Existing Environment and Baseline Data Collection – Determination of the Potential Impacts – Analysis and Evaluation of Risks – Formulation of Environmental Management Plan – Mitigation Plan – Monitoring Plan – Resettlement Action Plan (if relevant) |
Source: IDB, 2011; World Bank, 1999; European Union, 2011.
Examples
The resource TORs for EIAs provides guidance on TORs from three different organizations: FAO, USAID, and the Government of Guatemala.
How to conduct an EIA Report?
The EIA report is compiled by the project team and its associated consultants, according to the TOR identified during the Scoping stage.
The EIA report is compiled by the project team and its associated consultants, according to the TOR identified during the Scoping stage. Team members work together to systematically synthesize, analyze and organize all the data and plans developed in the previous steps into a well-structured and concise document.
For example, in Honduras, the TOR is structured as follows:
- Proponent details and Index
- Executive Summary of the EIA
- Project description and alternatives
- Legal considerations and environmental regulations applicable
- Description of the physical environment
- Description of the biological environment
- Description of the socio-economic environment
- Identification and prioritization of environmental impacts
- Environmental Management Plan
- Risk Analysis and Contingency Plan
- Cost Analysis – Environmental Benefit
- Environmental Policy for the project and its regulations