{"title":"Of Smoke and Mirrors: (Mis)Communicating EIA Results of Solar Energy Projects in South Africa","authors":"D. Boshoff","doi":"10.1142/s1464333219500145","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Environmental impact assessments (EIAs) and renewable energy developments are key instruments to achieving sustainable development goals. Additionally, environmental impact assessment reports (EIARs) are vital in communicating the findings of proposed developments to all stakeholders. Yet, the quality of EIARs does not always comply with criteria in a satisfactory manner, thereby compromising sustainability. The quality of 25 solar energy EIARs in South Africa was reviewed with an adapted Lee–Colley Review Package. Based on this review, 68% of EIARs were found to be satisfactorily conducted, whereas 80% of the overall scores were regarded as borderline quality grades. Interestingly, complex assessment tasks — determining impact significance, alternatives, mitigation measures and the communication of findings — were executed unsatisfactorily. The poor communication of environmental impacts to stakeholders is not only an obstacle for EIA processes but also for sustainable development mechanisms as a whole.","PeriodicalId":35909,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0000,"publicationDate":"2019-11-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1142/s1464333219500145","citationCount":"12","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1142/s1464333219500145","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"Social Sciences","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 12
Abstract
Environmental impact assessments (EIAs) and renewable energy developments are key instruments to achieving sustainable development goals. Additionally, environmental impact assessment reports (EIARs) are vital in communicating the findings of proposed developments to all stakeholders. Yet, the quality of EIARs does not always comply with criteria in a satisfactory manner, thereby compromising sustainability. The quality of 25 solar energy EIARs in South Africa was reviewed with an adapted Lee–Colley Review Package. Based on this review, 68% of EIARs were found to be satisfactorily conducted, whereas 80% of the overall scores were regarded as borderline quality grades. Interestingly, complex assessment tasks — determining impact significance, alternatives, mitigation measures and the communication of findings — were executed unsatisfactorily. The poor communication of environmental impacts to stakeholders is not only an obstacle for EIA processes but also for sustainable development mechanisms as a whole.
期刊介绍：
The Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management is an interdisciplinary, peer reviewed, international journal covering policy and decision-making relating to environmental assessment (EA) in the broadest sense. Uniquely, its specific aim is to explore the horizontal interactions between assessment and aspects of environmental management (not just the vertical interactions within the broad field of impact assessment) and thereby to identify comprehensive approaches to environmental improvement involving both qualitative and quantitative information. As the concepts associated with sustainable development mature, links between environmental assessment and management systems become all the more essential.
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