代写 UNSW ENGG1000: Engineering

代写 UNSW ENGG1000: Engineering

School of Civil and Environmental Engineering UNSW Tommy Wiedmann (t.wiedmann@unsw.edu.au) Acknowledgement: Some slides are based on previous material by Kristen Splinter, Stephen Moore and Hazel Rowley. ENGG1000: Engineering Design and Innovation Associate Professor Tommy Wiedmann Week 5 – Sustainability Lecture 2 Environmental Impact Assessment What are Environmental Impacts? Definition of “ENVIRONMENT” “includes all aspects of the surroundings of humans, whether effecting any human as an individual or in his or her social groupings” NSW Environmental Planning & Assessment Act 1979 (EPAA) Examples of Environmental Impacts • Pollution / contamination (of soil, water and air) • Resource use (minerals, non-renewable and renewable materials, land use) • Energy consumption (fuels and electricity) • Global warming (climate change) • Biodiversity loss (plants and animals) • Ecotoxicity (also: human toxicity) • Noise, odours and other nuisances (also: accidents) • Visual impact Source: http://eplca.jrc.ec.europa.eu/?page_id=43 Impact Categories in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) "Impact categories shall reflect a comprehensive set of environmental issues related to the system being studied, taking the goal and scope into consideration." Why assessing environmental impacts? To avoid them! http://youtu.be/L74O4VfydPM Environmental Law and Regulation in NSW NSW Legislation related to the Environment Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (EP&A Act) Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulation 2000 (EP&A Regulation) Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (EPAA) Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulation 2000 (EPAR) Principles of Ecologically Sustainable Development Development Assessment (NSW) http://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/en/Assess-and-Regulate/Development-Assessment What triggers an EIA process in NSW? http://www.planning.nsw.gov.au/Assess-and-Regulate/Development-Assessment/Systems http://majorprojects.planning.nsw.gov.au Major Projects in NSW CBD and South East Light Rail Project http://www.majorprojects.planning.nsw.gov.au/index.pl?action=view_job&job_id=6042 Galilee Coal Project http://www.dsdip.qld.gov.au/assessments-and-approvals/south-galilee-coal-project.html http://www.southgalilee.com.au Coal Terminal Expansions at Abbot Point and Hay Point http://www.dsdip.qld.gov.au/assessments-and-approvals/ abbot-point-coal-terminal-expansion-stage-3.html http://www.abc.net.au/environment/articles/2013/12/11/3909685.htm http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2014/s4056716.htm Austen Quarry Expansion near Lithgow http://majorprojects.planning.nsw.gov.au/index.pl?action=view_job&job_id=6084 Recent examples of Major Developments in Australia

代写 UNSW ENGG1000: Engineering Assessing Environmental Impacts Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) A general term which refers to the process of assessing the potential impacts of a proposed development or activity. Most development applications must be accompanied by some form of EIA (as part of an EIS) – EIA enables the decision maker to understand the likely impacts of the proposal before deciding whether to grant consent or not. – The assessment process also encourages the applicant and the decision maker to consider what measures can be adopted to minimise the impact of a proposal. An environmental impact statement (EIS) is a document legally required for certain actions "significantly affecting the quality of the human environment". An EIS is a tool for decision making. It describes the positive and negative environmental effects of a proposed action, and it usually also lists one or more alternative actions that may be chosen instead of the action described in the EIS. Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) The Basics: EIA and EIS EIA = Environmental Impact Assessment • “process” included in the planning of a project EIS = Environmental Impact Statement • A “report” that may or may not be legally required in the EIA for a particular project; a “tool” of EIA All EIS for NSW on 'Major Projects' website http://www.majorprojects.planning.nsw.gov.au Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulation 2000 Content of Environmental Impact Statements I Content of Environmental Impact Statements II Identification of Impacts • Director of Planning advice and Authority consultation • Standard checklists & EIS guidelines – See examples on Moodle, e.g.: EIS_Guideline_Sewerage_DUAP_1996.pdf • Previous EISs – similar projects – same geographic area • Study team brainstorming • Interaction matrix (Leopold matrix) • Community consultation • Table with 100 project actions and 88 environmental characteristics (Leopold et al 1971) • Allows to link environmental impacts to activities The Leopold Matrix https://vimeo.com/131393172 Horizontal Axis: Project Actions http://ponce.sdsu.edu/the_leopold_matrix.html http://ponce.sdsu.edu/the_leopold_matrix.html Project Actions continued http://ponce.sdsu.edu/the_leopold_matrix.html Project Actions continued http://ponce.sdsu.edu/the_leopold_matrix.html Vertical Axis: Environm. Factors http://ponce.sdsu.edu/the_leopold_matrix.html Environm. Factors continued http://ponce.sdsu.edu/the_leopold_matrix.html Environm. Factors continued • Horizontal – development actions • Vertical – environmental factors • Place slash (/) where significant interaction is expected • Not all the actions and factors apply to every project proposal; in some cases, other actions and factors not considered in the table may be warranted • Estimate magnitude and importance of impact (where 1 is least and 10 is greatest) • The typical number of interactions is between 25 and 50. magnitude importance Filling in a Leopold Matrix http://ponce.sdsu.edu/the_leopold_matrix.html Reading: Dandy & Warner - Environmental and Social Consideration of Engineering Systems.pdf Example of a Leopold Matrix • subjectivity (no independent/objective assessment scale) • changes over time not considered • some double counting may occur • discrete 2-way interactions only > more complex interactions and feedback ignored • no cumulative impacts considered Disadvantages of the Leopold Matrix EIA: Making Judgements YOU as the consultant, engineer or environmental decision-makers will need to make judgementsand assessments of the environmental impacts. Ø Needs to be explicit and transparent Ø May be descriptive, but should try to be quantitative Ø Alternatives and mitigating factors should be considered Summary – Criticisms of EIA / EIS § in some cases a (political) decisions may already have been made > then EIS is more a formality or justification for project § some detrimental projects may bypass the EIA/EIS process (if not deemed “significant”) § little attention to cumulative effects and synergistic effects § time frame limited (how scientific and rigorous can the assessment be?) § limited capacity of decision makers to review all details of an EIS § commissioned by the proponent (i.e. not independent), exploitation of legal loop holes Textbook on EIA 6 th edition from 2014 is latest edition ENGG1000 Sustainability Assignment on Moodle Beware! An assignment that includes plagiarised material will receive a 0% Fail, and students who plagiarise may fail the course. Students who plagiarise are also liable to disciplinary action, including exclusion from enrolment. Plagiarism is the use of another person’s work or ideas as if they were your own. When it is necessary or desirable to use other people’s material you should adequately acknowledge whose words or ideas they are and where you found them (giving the complete reference details, including page number(s)). The Learning Centre provides further information on what constitutes Plagiarism at: https://student.unsw.edu.au/plagiarism PLAGIARISM The purpose of this is to enable you to be informed by your demonstrators of your performance in the report you will receive back that day. While it may not seem important to you, it actually is, as it will give you guidance when you work with later assignments. Feedback session – Week 11 Workshop Rooms

代写 UNSW ENGG1000: Engineering