Environmental Studies: Environmental Management Tools - Term Paper Example

ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES: ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT TOOLS Table of Contents Table of Contents Introduction 2 Environmental Impact Management 3 Application of EIA in the project 4 GIS as tool of environmental management 5 Application of GIS in the 40 turbine onshore wind farm project 8 Life Cycle Assessment as tool of environmental management 8 Application of LCA in the 40 turbine onshore project 10 Conclusion 10 References 12 Appendices 15 Stages in EIA 15 Introduction Wind energy has become more popular in Europe in the pursuit for renewable energy. This follows realization that continued use of fossil fuels leads to accumulation of greenhouse gas blamed for climate change. The first commercial wind farm in UK was commissioned in 1991. Wind Turbines can be defined as “man-made vertical structures” whose blades almost incessantly rotate, and as such often attract people’s attention. Wind farms with many of such structures occupy a lot of space on the landscape. Onshore wind farms are always about three kilometres away from the shoreline. The turbines in these farms are located in hilly areas since wind blows heavily on hilly areas. Wind turbines cause landscape and visual effects depending on their number at a particular area, their height, size and colour. The effects may also depend on their site tracks, buildings, their grid connection, and “transmission lines” (Murgante et al., 2011). According to Ottmar et al (2011), wind turbines have a number of impacts on the environment. These include visual impacts, noise impacts, effects on land use, and effects on the birds that live around the wind farms. In addition, there are electronic interferences and constraints on the natural reserve areas. During the construction of a wind turbine, there are some pollutants that released into the atmosphere. The wind turbines are seen to be very noisy and they are also unsightly, thereby interfering with the natural beauty of “the landscape.” Sustainable Development Commission (2009) disagrees that wind farms are noisy and explains that the levels of noise from wind farm is equal to the background in rural places at night. Despite their negative impacts on the environment, onshore wind farms play a crucial part in achieving renewable energy targets. However, the many advantages that come with the farms can only be realised if proper planning is done. The contemporary wind farms are mostly large and not only help in environmental conservation, but also bring a lot of benefits to the communities that live around the farms. Among the advantages of using onshore wind farms is that wind is available free of charge and appropriate technology is available to harvest energy from wind as noted by Sustainable Development Commission (2009). Moreover, although the initial costs of installing wind turbines are high, maintenance cost are relatively low after installation. It can also be used to generate power in rural areas where there is no power connection. Given the varying impacts to the humans, landscape aesthetics and the surrounding environment that implementation of such project poses; it is critical that environmental managers employ tools to manage this impacts. Thompson (2002) lists various tools and methods that can be used for environmental management and environmental performance improvement. To manage the impacts of the 40 turbine onshore wind farm project; EIA, LCA and GIS as the most appropriate environmental management tools. EIA has been selected because it helps to predict the impacts of a project and propose mitigation measures while GIS allows environmental managers make decision based on spatial relationship of features. LCA allows decision makers to carry out a comprehensive assessment of the life cycle of the project thereby facilitating decision making. Environmental Impact Management EIA is a tool used in decision-making whose main purpose is to not only identify and evaluate the likely environmental impacts of a given project (Glasson et al., 2005). EIA is used to aid in decision making in environmental management. It may also be defined as a study aimed at “identifying, predicting, evaluating, and communicating” information concerning those impacts a proposed project may have on the environment. It goes on to propose the appropriate mitigation measures before the project approved and implemented (Department of Environment Malaysia, 2010). It predicts the potential negative impacts, thereby giving the implementers an ample time to address the problems, at the planning and design stages of a project. Therefore Department of Environment Malaysia (2010) observes that EIA helps avoid “costly mistakes” that may arise during the implementation stage. The mistakes may be associated with environmental damages following project implementation or the required adjustments that may make the project environmental friendly (Department of Environment Malaysia, 2010). EIA mostly focuses on the environment. However, “good practice” goes beyond this to address the socio-economic aspects and identification of the positive impacts of a project to enhance them as noted by (Beder, 2011). It is particularly beneficial if used at an early stage of the planning, especially as a supplementary tool for decision-making. EIA first came into existence in the US’s Environmental Policy Act of 1969. Ever since that time, it has seen many developments. For instance, it now handles social issues, biodiversity, and even environmental health. There are eight key stages involved in the process of which need to be effectively managed in order to come up with the most appropriate information for decision-making throughout the planning process (Therivel and Walsh, 2006) Application of EIA in the project In the 40 turbine onshore wind farm project, EIA can used to identify best practices that should be upheld during the construction, operation and decommissioning stage. Carrying an EIA that addresses the socioeconomic aspects of the project helps to increase the acceptance of the project by the community and proposes mitigation measures to reduce any impacts. Moreover, EIA is required to determine whether a site chosen for the project is right. Sustainable Development Commission (2009) explains that note all sites are right for wind power and affirms that protected areas must continue receiving high level of protection. To avoid negative impacts of the onshore wind farms on the environment “landscape and visual assessment” need to be done. EIA helps in coming up with the most appropriate size, number, and colour of turbines to be installed in a particular area. It will also inform on the direction the turbines should rotate to minimise the visual impacts (Murgante et al., 2011). To reduce the noise impacts associated with onshore wind turbines, EIA helps in choosing the most appropriate turbine models for a particular area. It also addresses the distance that the turbines should be installed away from the people, and also the appropriate landscape. Considering the impacts on land use, EIA will look at the effects the farms have on other land users and uses (Ottmar et al., 2011; Mardsen, 2008). EIA increases transparency during a development process, and helps in integrating projects into their environments. Moreover it helps in achieving sustainability, reduces damage to the environment, and helps projects to meet their socio-economic objectives. EIA tends to ignore the place of politics and other decision-making models. It is also full of uncertainties and gives an inadequate insight into environmental behaviour. Moreover, it is susceptible to bias and undue influence from interested parties like developers (Beder, 2011). GIS as tool of environmental management GIS stands for geographic information system and Chang (2008) describes it as a system that is facilitate capturing, storage, manipulation, analysis and present all types of geographically referenced data. GIS allows the user to view different locations, events, features and environmental changes with unmatched clarity (Longley et al, 2011). GIS technology is used provide information to environmental managers and the public given its ability to combine and analyze multiple layers of location-based data. GIS is a powerful tool for environmental management and it can be applied in various environmental spheres such as legal compliance and in EIA. In the 40 turbine onshore wind farm project, GIS will present layered information to decisions makers on all the aspects that are affected by this project thereby enhancing environmental protection. According to Millington et al (2001), GIS enhances the process of predicting and assessing the impacts of implementing a particular project to the environment. GIS enhances the ability to measure areas, compute the extent of change, and visualize changes over time and to report and share these finding among decision makers. This will come in handy since in the 40 turbine onshore project, decision makers ought to come up with the extent of the area that the blades can rotate and use this information to make decisions. Furthermore, GIS is used to model the likely impacts that planned and accidental activities will have on an area. GIS emphasizes the spatial relationships among objects and therefore the process of data capture involves identifying the objects on the map, their absolute location on the earth surface and their spatial relationships. There are two distinct data structures in GIS; raster and vector data. USGS (2007) explains that these data arise since data is collected and stored in different ways. Raster data is contained in files consisting of rows of uniform cells represented according to data values. Raster files can be easily manipulated by the computer although they contain fewer details. Figure one showing an example of the structure of raster data file Source: (USGS, 2007) Vector data is captured as points, lines or areas as described by USGS (2007). Vector data is more appealing since images are closely related to the appearance of the traditional maps. Data in vector model is not easily manipulated. Figure one showing an example of the structure of vector data file Application of GIS in the 40 turbine onshore wind farm project In the project, GIS can help to improve performance EIA through the use of spatial relationships of the features adjacent to the site chosen. Moreover, GIS is appropriate in choosing the most appropriate sites for this project since it should be located in a location where there is no physical obstruction. To reduce the ecological impacts of the project, GIS can help to analyze whether the wind farm will have an impact on the migratory birds which can be caught in the rotating blades. GIS will help environmental managers make rational decisions based on available evidence on the impacts of such a project by retrieving information of the impacts of similar projects that is usually stored in the GIS database. Life Cycle Assessment as tool of environmental management Life cycle assessment (LCA) is defined by Tukker (2000) as a technique used to assess the environmental aspects associated with product or service throughout its lifecycle. This is a powerful tool that can be used to predict the impacts of a project. International Organization Standards has structured this methodology in four phases. Georgakellos (2002) explains that first stage known as goal definition and scoping describes the purpose of the study, the system to be evaluated and the functional unit. Ferreira, et al, (2006) argue that this stage acts as a guide to guarantee that there is consistency in the LCA study. He explains that the goal ought to state the reason for undertaking the study and defines to whom the results will be communicated. On the other hand, Ferreira, et al, (2006) note that scope describes the critical methodological choices, assumptions and limitations. Rebitzer et al (2004) observes that this stage should lead to description of principles of allocation, system assumptions and system boundaries. Ferreira, et al, (2006) describes that functional unit outline the basis for comparison while system boundary defines a limit within which elementary processes are included in the study. The goal of the wind farm project is to cut the use of non-renewable energy thereby reducing carbon emissions into the atmosphere. Scoping will evaluate whether implementation of a 40-turbine wind farm will achieve this goal and assess whether the benefits of the project outweigh its impacts on the environment. The next phase in LCA is inventory analysis whose role is to propose environmental interventions per part of the life cycle as asserted by Rebitzer et al (2004). According to Rebitzer et al (2004), inventory analysis involves identification and quantification of outputs and inputs of the technical system outlined in the scope. The phase comprises data collection, data analysis and metadata documentation. Data needed for this stage is gathered from available literature, estimations and mathematical modelling. Inventory is followed by impact assessment phase using attributes identified in the inventory stage as explained Rebitzer et al (2004, p. 710). These attributes are categorized according to their environmental aspects such was depletion of resources, ozone depletion, global warming and landscape degradation. In the 40-turbine wind farm project, inventory analysis will help carry out an assessment of the materials to be used in the construction stage. According to Tukker (2000), interpretation is the stage in which the findings of previous phases are compared with the goal of study set in the initial phase. He asserts that the most critical element of this stage is validation. Validation can be achieved by performance of sensitivity analysis by LCA practitioners or external review. In addition, validation is involves an improvement assessment where options for reducing the impacts of the project are identified and evaluated (Tukker 2000). This stage will identify the impacts of the materials used in construction and operation of the wind farm to the environment. If the impacts of these products are significant to the environment, alternatives are explored or otherwise the project may be abandoned. The advantage of LCA as described by Georgakellos (2002) is the standardized and well described structure. In addition, LCA can be applied to a wide range of products and services. The phases of this methodology are interconnected and this can help to pinpoint the problems and identify engineering solutions. Application of LCA in the 40 turbine onshore project Climate change has pushed modern society to change into use of renewable energy. Wind energy is one of the available alternative sources of energy. Wind power makes use of kinetic energy from wind to produce energy. Although this source of energy produces clean energy, Martinez et al (2008) argue that there is a problem in quantifying other impacts of the project to the environment during the construction, operation, and decommissioning stages of the wind farm. LCA facilitates assessment of the impacts of the wind farm by analyzing the process of manufacture of the various components used; their installation and operation phase and consequently evaluates impacts of the waste materials from the project and their treatment. This tool is critical in managing the impacts of the wind farm since it maps out the impacts and assess them in the relative significance thereby enhancing the process of decision making. Conclusion Onshore wind farms are among the few initiatives that help in power regeneration while preserving the environment. Despite their various negative impacts, they stand out as crucial tools for reducing the depletion of natural resources and are a reliable source of “clean power.” To reduce the negative impacts such farms have on the environment, EIA should be put into practice. Despites it evident limitations, EIA is very important in predicting the possible impacts of wind farms on the environment. GIS as an environmental management tool provides many better information for decision making. In the 40 turbine wind farm, the GIS can help to provide spatial information on the adjacent features that may negatively impacted by the project. In addition, GIS can help to select the best place to site the project. References Beder, S. 2011, ‘Environmental Impact Assessment’. Accessed from www.herinst.org/envcrisis/eis/background/purpose.html. Bekhechi, M. A., and Jean-Roger, M., 2002, “The legal and regulatory framework for environmental impact assessment: a study of selected countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.” World Bank Publication, p. Ix. Chang, K. T., 2008, ‘Introduction to Geographical Information Systems’’. New York: McGraw Hill. p. 18. “Department of Environment Malaysia.” 2010 EIA: ‘General Information’. Accessed from www.doe.gov.my/portal/developer/eia-general-information/. Ferreira, C. S.S., et al, 2006, “Using the LCA tool for evaluating the environmental performance of wastewater treatment options at pilot scale’’. The Quest for sustainability: The role of Environmental Management Systems and tools ESAC, Coimbra, Portugal. Pp 11-15 accessed 4th February, 2012 Georgakellos, D. A., 2002, ‘’LCA as a tool for environmental management: A life Cycle Inventory Case Study from the Greek Market.’’ Global Nest: the int. Journal Vol 4, No 2-3. Pp 93-106. Glasson, J., Therivel, R. & Chadwick, A., 2005, ‘Introduction to environmental impact assessment’. 3rd ed. University College London Press, London, pp.68-73. Heywood, I., Cornelius, S., & Carver, S. 2006, “An Introduction to Geographical Information Systems” (3rd Ed.). Essex, England: Prentice Hall. Pp 2-4 ISO, 2006, “ISO 14040:2006 Environmental management -- Life cycle assessment -- Principles and framework’’. Geneva: ISO. Longley, P.A., Goodchild, M.F., Maguire, D.J. and Rhind, D.W., 2011, “Geographic Information Systems and Science.” 3rd Ed. Wiley. Pp. 18-20 Mardsen, S., 2008, “Strategic environmental assessment in international and Europe law: a practitioner’s guide.” London: Earthscan, pp: 87. Martinez, E., et al., 2008, “Life cycle assessment of a multi-megawatt wind turbine’. Elsevier Ltd: Pp 667-673 Millington, A., Walsh, S. & Osborne, P. (Eds) 2001, “GIS and remote sensing applications in biogeography and ecology’’. Kluwer Academic Publishers. Morris, P. and Therivel, R. 2009, ‘Methods of environmental impact assessment’. 3rd ed. London: UCL Press, pp.85-89 Murgante et al. 2011, “Geocomputation, Sustainability and Environmental Planning.” Dordenct: Springer, p.71. Ottmar et al. 2011, ‘Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change Mitigation: Special Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 597-598. Rebitzer, G., et al 2004, “Life cycle assessment Part 1: Framework, goal and scope definition, inventory analysis, and applications’’. Environment International, 30, 701–720 Sustainable Development Commission, 2009, ‘Wind power; your questions answered.’ Accessed 11th February, 2012 < http://www.sd-commission.org.uk/data/files/publications/Wind%20Power%20-%20your%20questions%20answered%20FINAL.pdf> Therivel, R. & Walsh, F. 2006, “The strategic environmental assessment directive in the UK: one year onwards’. Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 26, 663-675. Thompson, D., 2002, “Tools for Environmental Management: A Practical Introduction and Guide’. New Society Publishers, pp. 1-10 Tukker, A., 2000, “Life cycle assessment as a tool in environmental impact assessment’’. Environmental Impact Assessment Review 20, 435-456. USGS, 2007, “Geographic Information Systems’’. U.S Department of the Interior accessed 4th February, 2012 < http://egsc.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/gis_poster/> Weaver, A., Pope, J., Morrison-Saunders, A. & Lockner, P. 2008, ‘Contributing to sustainability as an environmental impact assessment practitioner’. Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal, 26(2), 91-98. Appendices Stages in EIA Stage Activity Screening Project is checked against a ‘published checklist’ to assess whether an EIA is required by environmental legislations. EIA should be undertaken for all projects with unpredictable impacts to the environment. (Weaver et al., 2008 and Morris et al., 2009) Addressing Alternative Various alternatives for the project are explored before a final decision is made. Projects such as mining are site specific and they therefore EIA has to consider alternatives on transport and the extent. Preliminary assessment Rapid assessment techniques are applied at this stage to identify the key impacts of the project, their magnitude and significance as noted by (Morris et al., 2009). The stage determines whether a complete EIA is necessary or not. Scoping It is carried assessment team entrusted with planning duty of planning. It helps in selecting the site, gives alternatives, and also saves time. All the stakeholders are involved at this stage as discussed by (Morris et al., 2009). Main EIA study This stage builds on the stages before it to further predict the depth of the foreseen impacts. Project proponent describes all the impacts of the project and outlines the mitigation measures. Review stage Appropriateness of the EIA is assessed to evaluate how adequate it may help in the project implementation Monitoring This is done during the actual operation stage of the project to identify any undesired impacts Auditing Auditing is conducted periodically to evaluate the actual impacts of the project. Auditing is also important in assessing the effectiveness of the EIA as explained by (Bekhechi and Mercier, 2002). Read More