Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
13.3 Issues with Implementing SEA as a Sustainable
Development Instrument in Ukraine
It is necessary to note the Ukrainian system of environmental assessment inherited
from the Soviet Union differs significantly from the 'western-type' assessment
system in both framework and procedure. For better understanding of issues re-
lated to the implementation of sustainability principles within Ukraine the follow-
ing sections will consider how each of these systems was developed.
13.3.1 SEA as a Sustainable Development Instrument
The modern practice of environmental assessment in the European Union includes
two fully developed processes: project-level environmental impact assessment
(EIA) and strategic environmental assessment (SEA). It is important to mention
that originally the purpose of environmental assessment was solely to prevent lo-
cal environmental problems. The United Nations Economic Commission for
Europe defined EIA as “an assessment of the impact of a planned activity on the
environment” (UNECE 1991, p. 1). And its purpose is to prevent environmental
degradation by providing decision-makers with relevant information about envi-
ronmental implications of a proposed activity to allow for a rational decision on
whether or not to authorise the development.
For the first time on a regular basis the EIA process was applied in the USA af-
ter the US National Environmental Policy Act - NEPA was released in 1969. Af-
ter adoption of NEPA the new process quickly gained a wide acceptance and EIA
systems have been established throughout the world, for instance Canada in 1973,
Australia in 1974, West Germany in 1975, France in 1976 and others (Glasson et
al. 2005). The Council Directive 85/337/ EEC on the assessment of the effects of
certain public and private projects on the environment (often referred to as EIA
Directive) unified the EIA procedure and made it mandatory for all member states
of the then European Communities (now European Union).
It is worth noting that the process of environmental assessment of development
projects is in constant development. The Espoo Convention (1991) set forth the
requirements for EIA procedure that reflected the new views on objectives of
regulation of social and economic development. These are: 1) impacts on the natu-
ral environment should be studied on a par with other elements of the environment
- social factors and population health; 2) public participation is an obligatory ele-
ment of the procedure; 3) adequate and effective information must be made avail-
able to public about the nature of the proposed activity and its potential impacts on
the environment, including human health.
In response to ideas of sustainable development, it was eventually realised that
it is necessary to incorporate environmental considerations at a more strategic
level, at an earlier stage in the decision-making process, when the major decisions
concerning development activities are not yet taken. SEA was identified as a tool
able to fulfil this task. The purpose of SEA is to integrate environmental consid-
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