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Text by Pavlos Chandolias
Anna Longueville
Text by Pavlos Chandolias
On the 21st of November, Anna Longueville, a PhD Student from the Department of Ecotechnology and Sustainable Building Engineering at Mid Sweden University, presented the importance of alternative options in Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). The seminar was divided into three parts. In the first part Anna explained the concept of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), its necessity of implementation by the decision makers, its form of consistency and the six criteria that define the genuine of EIA.
The second part of the presentation was focused on assessing alternative options, analyzing their significance and presenting different approaches in environmental control (e.g. BAT - Best Available Technology). At the third part, the audience was introduced to the history of EIA’s implementation in the Swedish legislation. Furthermore, three different examples of use of the EIA-tool in Sweden were analyzed.
In the final session of the presentation some key topics were introduced. More specifically issues that concern the shift from old to new paradigms were discussed followed by a series of key policy implications. Anna addressed the following policy related areas: the number of barriers impeding the implementation of EIA; the fact that many cases in Sweden are still relying on former legislations; and finally the existence of poor understanding of possible ways of presenting alternative solutions. The seminar finally concluded with the belief that EIA is still not used to its full potential. As usual, the presentation was followed by an interesting discussion session with the audience.
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| Anna Longueville during the presentation |