Critically review the practice of post-development monitoring in eia

Critically review the practice of post-development monitoring in eia Introduction Since the 1960s, there has been a growing concern in the environment and the unfavorable impact that society has on the global environment (United Nations, 1990). Over the years, there has been a steady introduction of environmental legislation, in an attempt to regulate impacts on the environment. However, other environmental management means have also been developed. These include environmental auditing, environmental accounting, environmental reporting, life-cycle assessment, environmental management systems, risk assessment and environmental impact assessment. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) has become a widely used means for making out the possible impacts of new developments (Glasson et al, 1999). It is proposed to provide decision-makers with an understanding of the possible environmental consequences of a proposed project and thereby facilitate the making of more environmentally sound decisions (Bailey and Hobbs 1990). EIA is now being used in many countries worldwide ( Glasson et al 1999). In the 1990s, a worldwide study on the usefulness of environmental assessment was carried out, which highlighted several areas were improvements needed to be made; areas such as scoping, evaluating significance, review of environmental statements and post-decision monitoring and auditing mostly termed as follow-up (Sadler 1996). Lack of follow-up is undeniably the weakest point in many systems and this is resulting to questions over whether EIA is being used effectively. Effective EIA should lessen the environmental impacts of developments; however, without follow-up being completed it is only the envisaged impacts on the environment and not the existent impacts that are regarded. Furthermore, the EIA process can be divided into two stages based around the approval for a development proposal: pre-decision and post-decision (Marshall, 2004). Follow-up, which includes post-decision monitoring and auditing, refers to actions that occurs all through the post-decision stages of the EIA p rocess to monitor, evaluate, manage and communicate the environmental results that in reality happen (Arts et al 2001). Current practice has focused on the pre-decision stages of the process, which means that little or no attention is paid to whether the actual impacts of the development match up to those that were predicted. There is much debate as to the effectiveness of EIA practice without follow-up; it has not been thoroughly required or properly implemented within current practice (United Nations, 1990). This review will first discuss the definition of follow-up, and then highlights the various types of follow-up. Following this, the role and value of follow-up in EIA is discussed; the basic principles are stated; legislative requirement for follow-up with reference to different countries is examined; an overview of required bodies for follow-up practice is also looked into and then an overview of the global perspective of follow-up practice is discussed. EIA Follow-up In its role as an environmental management means, EIA must put into practice processes for verifying the existence of predicted effects and controlling the damaging effects of those that in reality happen (United Nations, 1990). Thus, impact studies should take into consideration the need for and requirements of follow-up (Wood, 2003). EIA follow-up is important to the entire assessment process because it provides information about the outcomes of an activity and ensures that development and management requirements have been met (Arts et al., 2001). Guidance for good practice EIA follow-up, however, has not been efficient and has been addressed on very few occasions (Marshall, 2004). Follow-up has been used as a general term for various EIA activities including: monitoring; auditing; ex postevaluation; post-decision analysis; and post-decision management. While there is no single definition for follow-up, it is generally related to activities in the post-decision phase of a project (Arts et al, 2001). Follow-up includes the gathering of data, the arrangement and investigation of this data and the review of the acquired information about the impacts of a project that has been subject to EIA. It also involves decision-making on remedial procedures and communication of the results of this process (Wood, 2003). Thus, follow-up is comprised of four key activities; see figure 1 below for further illustration. Role and Value of EIA follow-up EIA is intended to provide decision makers with information concerning the environmental impacts of development on the environment. For this information to be reliable, it must be verified (Arts et al, 2001). Moreover, the responsible parties, that is the proponent or the competent bodies have a starting point for employing mitigation procedures and precautionary procedures for the negative impacts. The response acquired from follow-up programs is important for the improvement of EIA which currently can best be described as weak and not realized to its full potential (United Nations, 1990). Follow-up is an essential part of any EIA system in that follow-up ensures that EIA actually works to protect the environment and achieve its intended objectives (Marshall, 2004). The United Nations (1990), for example, observed that follow-up examinations are useful in making certain or assisting the execution of development activity in accordance with the terms put in place by the environmental assessment process. It involves monitoring project outcomes, evaluating results and integrating mitigation procedures from the initial process of the project. EIA should be applied as early as possible and follow-up, as a system of checks and balances, should commence as the assessment unfolds to generate data and ensure the results of assessment are integrated into the project design and management (Marshall, 2004). Furthermore, examination of environmental impacts serves as an indicator to practitioners on which impacts need mitigation. Hence, follow-up creates opportunity for practitioners to look back at the impacts foreseen and the mitigation procedures recommended to determine accuracy and effectiveness so that suitable action can be taken (Arts et al 2001). Follow-up, identified as environmental auditing and monitoring programs in some literature, is important to verify that the environmental predictions and assumptions are valid and to monitor the actual environmental performance of projects (Abaza, 2000). Follow-up ensures impacts are mitigated before breaching established criteria, to capture growing environmental impacts, and to guarantee that mitigation procedures are properly and timely implemented (United Nations, 1990). Hence, the follow-up process should naturally be integrated in every EIA and at all stages of the project life cycle; that is follow-up should analyze the entire cycle of a proposed project. In this way, EIA is a cyclical activity, with feedback and interaction between various steps being critical for improving EIA practice (Wood, 2003). Principles of EIA Follow-up EIA follow-up principles have been stated by various authors; however this review provides a summary of these various views. Follow-up principles are divided into Guiding Principles and Operating Principles as put forward by Morrison-Saunders et al (2007); see figure 2 below. Legislative Framework for Follow-up Monitoring The regulatory and institutional arrangements include the legal requirements and administrative framework for conducting EIA follow-up. In different countries around the world, there are different legislative requirements for follow-up practice; see figure 3 below. Practices vary from voluntary commitments for monitoring and reporting on EIA outcomes through to specific command and control approaches, some of which provide for specialist independent follow-up review bodies. Generally systems with a long history of EIA tend to be more advanced in their requirements for follow-up (Morrison-Saunders et al 2007). Country Status Legislative Requirement United Kingdom Developed Discretionary Australia Developed Discretionary Canada Developed Mandatory Netherlands Developed Mandatory New Zealand Developed Mandatory California Developed Mandatory Egypt Developing Non Existent Turkey Developing Non Existent Tunisia Developing Non Existent Required Bodies for Follow-up Monitoring EIA follow-up can take many forms, ranging from proponent-driven self-regulation to requirements put in place by EIA regulators or initiatives motivated by community involvement (Arts et al, 2001). Monitoring and evaluation may be conducted by proponents and regulators alike depending on the level of application. Continuing management decisions may be made by both proponents e.g., responding to unforeseen impacts and EIA regulators e.g., reviewing consent conditions and management requirements. Also, both proponents and EIA regulators may engage in communication programs. Some follow-up programs go far beyond mere communication to specifically include stakeholder participation in the monitoring, evaluation and management proceedings (Marshall, 2004). According to Morrison-Saunders et al (2007), there are three major groups of stakeholders involved in EIA follow-up whether as initiator, conductor or participant. Follow-up programs driven by proponents i.e. the first party follow-up, may also include voluntary, self-regulatory or industry-led initiatives such as environmental management systems. Follow-up carried out by regulators, the second party follow-up, typically focuses on making sure that proponents conform to EIA approval conditions as well as learning from experience to improve EIA processes in the future. Follow-up activities carried out or initiated by the community i.e. third party follow-up may range from formal committees or agencies (NGOs) established to manage or conduct follow-up activities through to independent action by community members concerned about environmental impacts. Global Perspective of EIA Follow-up Practice EIA is far from perfect; based on various reviews; it is widely believed that follow-up practice is the weakest area in the EIA process globally. As Sadler (1996) found out in his review of the effectiveness of various EIA systems globally, that there was a poor performance of follow-up activities. Also, Wood (2003) carried out a review on EIA systems in developed countries like UK, New Zealand, Canada, Australia, USA, Netherlands and South Africa and found out that follow-up practices are not widespread. As in the developed world, follow-up monitoring has been a missing step in EIA in developing countries. For example, George (2000b) identified the lack of attention and commitment to follow up as a serious shortcoming in Egypt, Turkey and Tunisia. Despite the widely recognized importance of EIA, follow-up has not been satisfactorily implemented in EIA practice (Austin, 2000) and has yet to be recognized as an essential part of the EIA process (Marshall, 2004). The extent to which follow-up monitoring is required by the EIA processvaries greatly between countries, although mandatory requirements appear to be the exception rather than the rule. The EU Directive 97/11/EC as amended, does not specifically require follow-up monitoring (Wood, 2003), and this is reflected by a similar lack of legislative provision in most Member States. In Canada, EIA is enforced by the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency; although there has been some measure of progress achieved in EIA, there are also several shortcomings. Follow-up processes have been hampered by weaknesses in laws (CEAA, 2004). Also, developers may be legally required to carry out follow-up monitoring under other legislation if specified in, for example, planning consent con ditions, emission consents or legal agreements as in the case of UK. But these methods are limited and do not represent a systematic approach to monitoring (Glasson, 1994). Follow-up monitoring has been poorly implemented also in Sri Lanka with the problem of inadequate staff, space allocation, funds, and equipment (Morrison-Saunders et al, 2007). In the United States, NEPA does not provide detailed information on the subject of follow-up monitoring; it states that monitoring and enforcement program shall be implemented where applicable for any mitigation. The emphasis in EIA has all too frequently been on the pre-decision stages and on preparation of the EIS, using EIA purely to achieve development consent rather than as a tool for sound environmental management and protection. As Sadler (1996) states, the inconsistency of EIA is that very little attention is paid to the environmental effects which actually result from the development. There is very little emphasis on follow-up, on comparing what was predicted with what really happened, and on feeding the results of such exercises back into the EIA process. Without follow-up and feedback, EIA remains as a none-moving, infrequent routine rather than becoming an active and recurring process (Glasson, 1994). This lack of mandatory follow-up requirement, combined with a lack of enforcement, means that, from the developers point of view, it really does not matter if predictions are inaccurate. Conclusion If the performance of EIA in accurately predicting impacts and enabling sound environmental protection and management is to improve, lessons must be learnt from past experience and applied to future developments. Follow-up provides a means of achieving this and delivering numerous benefits. Despite this, follow-up monitoring is rarely carried out in practice. Having assessed follow-up practices in both developed and developing countries, it is evident that the existence of a legislative framework is not sufficient to make the system effective. Although some countries legislative requirements are mandatory yet problems arise due to the limited scope of legal measures and administrative support (Mitchell, 1997). Other weaknesses reside in the procedures for the design and implementation of follow-up and control mechanisms; also, the attention has largely focused on the pre-decision stages of impact assessment with follow-up monitoring receiving less attention (Arts et al., 2001). Wloda rczyk (2000) notes that understanding among practitioners of what EIA follow-up is and what it entails has not been made clear. Some have interpreted follow-up strictly as the application of mitigation measures suggested in the EIA report. The result is that prediction accuracy is not being confirmed nor is the effectiveness of improvement measures being determined. Finally, there is a need to overcome the various setbacks associated with follow-up practices; as (Marshall, 2004) states that EIA follow-up is a feedback mechanism to reflect the pitfall or success of projects. Countries around the world need to improve on the image of follow-up monitoring to highlight its benefits; the possibility of developing mandatory requirements or a central guidance for EIA follow-up needs further exploration; continuous follow-up monitoring needs to be undertaken, and the results publicized and circulated to EIA practitioners. An opportunity to improve EIA practice and procedures is being missed with every development for which an EIS is submitted with no follow-up analysis carried out (Glasson, 1994). Reference Abaza, H (2000) Strengthening Future Environmental Assessment Practice: An International Perspective, in Lee, N and George, C (Eds) Environmental Assessment in Developing and Transitional Countries, Chichester, John Wiley and Sons. Ahmad, B and Wood, C. M (2002) Environmental Impact Assessment in Egypt, Turkey and Tunisia, Environmental Impact Assessment Review,Volume 22, pp. 213-234. Arts, J., Caldwell, P., and Morrison-Saunders, A (2001) Environmental Impact Assessment Follow-up: Good Practice and Future Directions Findings from a Workshop at IAIA 2000 Conference, Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal,Volume 19(3), pp. 175-185. Bailey, J.M and Hobbs, V (1990) A Proposed Framework and Database for EIA Auditing, Journal of Environmental Management, Volume 31, pp. 163-72. Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (2004) Strengthening Environmental Assessment in Canada: Amendments to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, Available at http://www.ceaa.gc.ca/013/001/0003/index_e.htm, Accessed on Friday January 29th, 2010. George, C (2000b) Environmental Impact Prediction and Evaluation, in Lee, N and George, C (Eds.)Environmental Assessment in Developing and Transitional Countries, Chichester, John Wiley and Sons. Glasson, J (1994) Life after the Decision: The Importance of Monitoring in EA, Built Environment, 20, pp. 309-320. Glasson, J., Therivel, R., and Chadwick, A (1999) Introduction to Environmental Impact Assessment, UCL Press. Marshall, R (2004) Can Industry Benefit from Participation in EIA-follow up? The Scottish Power Experience, in Morrison-Saunders, A and Arts, J (Eds), Assessing Impact: Handbook of EIA and SEA Follow-up, Earthscan James James, London, Chapter 6. Mitchell, B (1997) Resource and Environmental Management, Waterloo, Addison Wesley Longman Limited. Morrison-Saunders, A., Marshall, R and Arts, J (2007) EIA Follow-Up International Best Practice Principles, International Association for Impact Assessment, Special Publication Series No. 6, Fargo, USA. Sadler, B (1996) Environmental Assessment in a Changing World: Evaluating Practice to Improve Performance, Final Report, International Study of the Effectiveness of Environment Assessment, Ottawa, Canadian Environmental Agency. United Nations (1990) Post-project Analysis in Environmental Impact Assessment, Report Prepared by the Task Force on Environmental Impact Assessment Auditing with Canada as Lead Country, New York. Wlodarczyk, T. L (2000) Improving Monitoring and Follow up in Canadian Environmental Assessments, Paper Presented at the IAIA Conference June 2000, Hong Kong. Wood, C (2003) Environmental Impact Assessment, A Comparative Review, Second Edition Prentice Hall, Harlow.

First Chapter of Lord of the Flies Essay

The first chapter of Lord Of the Flies introduces Ralph at the very start roaming the jungle. This contributes to the mysteriousness of the literature. Not telling you where he came from or why he is there makes the story enticing and entertaining. The author was adding to the rising action. The setting in the very beginning was the Jungle. After Ralph walks for a small amount of time, a voice calls out to him asking for help, and to wait up. This is another way to make the story seem mysterious. He learns it is a boy with the nickname Piggy. Piggy joins Ralph and they walk to a lagoon. There they find a conch shell and Ralph blows through the conch which then calls on an large amount of boys. The author most likely added this to make another curve to the story. To show how much about the place Ralph and Piggy didn’t know. When the large group arrived, a boy named Jack Merridew asked where the ship was, and where an adult was. This showed how ignorant Ralph was because he had no clue what the conch sound meant to the people that were already there. Then Johnny and the twins Sam and Eric arrived along with many other younger and older boys. They talk as if they all have an education which shows they were also put here, not born here. The dialog seems modern and easily understandable, which shows that the setting is more recent than historical. Ralph is voted leader and commands that they explore to see if where they are is an island. Accompanying Ralph is Simon and Jack. Piggy is left behind to log names, which upsets him. The reason the author wrote about the exploration is to show the others don’t know where they are either. Throughout the venture, the boys are faced with a series of things in their path. They push a boulder off a cliff. The author most likely added this to show they weren’t hopelessly stranded on the island. The end of the chapter the boys realized they were hungry. They searched for food and found a pig, in the grips of the ‘creepers’. The author didn’t explain what the creepers were and it made it much more elusive. Jack fails to stab the pig quick enough and he made up excuses as to why he couldn’t. It shows that he isn’t nearly as tough as he lead on to be. He slams his knife into the tree to show he is in fact still the alpha male. The first chapter left many unanswered questions.

Classification Essay

Chris Owens Professor McCrary EN130 29 October 2012 Types of NFL Head Coaches Many people think that NFL Head Coaches are just the ones in charge of the team, and call the plays on game days. There are many styles that different Head Coaches have – Players Coach, Motivator, Strategist, and Team Builder – these styles need to be recognized. Most fans think that the HC is the leader, and tries to set their team up to be successful. Certain coaches use different styles that they implement into their coaching, and that’s how they get things done with their teams.Many of the styles are similar in some instances, but very different in other ways. Player Coaches are able to look at the players and the game from a different perspective, because the coach was in the players shoes at one point an time. He knows how relate to players better than some other coaches, when it comes to getting the job done and going through the grind of the season. Coaches like Herm Edwards and Mike Singletary are good examples of player coaches. Players’ see the coach as someone who has experience as a player, and that he really knows what he’s talking about when he is instructing.Players tend to have a little bit more respect for player coaches, especially when it’s their first time getting that HC job. Player coaches ten to be very charismatic and up beat when it comes to getting their players ready for the game. Another very charismatic and passionate leader is the Motivator coaching style. This type of really knows how to inspire the team and get them on the right track to be successful. John Madden and Vince Lombardi are two legendary coaches that were great motivators and lead their teams to multiple Super Bowls.Players enjoy playing for a great motivating coach. Motivational coaches tend to land those big time free agents and are able to keep the stars that are already playing for him happy. Coaches with this style tend to get the most out of the players performance and have them performing at a high level on Sundays. They are known to be great speakers, and always have that inspirational pre-game speech to get the team ready greatness. On the other hand, great motivational coaches may not always have the greatest game plan for a game.Motivators sometimes just hope that their players are better than the other team on that given day. The third coaching style relies less on the hoo-rah of the game and inspiration of players. This style relies more on out-smarting his opponent by being more strategic. The Strategist is a brilliant tactician, and looks at the football field like a chessboard. The Strategist coach is always trying to evolve his game plan and always wants to put his players in the best situations to win games. Strategists are always thinking of new ways to progress player and own abilities.Bill Walsh and Tom Landry are two legendary Strategist head coaches. They came up with totally different styles of offense that changed the game of football forever. Strategist coaches know how to build up their young players and keeping his veteran players at the top of their game. However, being the smartest coach doesn’t always lead to wins if you don’t have the right players or the ability to motivate them. Coaches must try to be men of different hats to be successful head coaches in the NFL. This last coaching style takes traits from all of the previous coaching styles discussed.The Team Builder coach usually comes into a situation where the team isn’t that good and trying build their team to be very competitive again. Team building coaches are almost part scout and part general manager when it comes to running their team. Team building coaches are always looking for that next stud college player or that big time free agent to add to their team’s talent level. Bill Walsh and Joe Gibbs are examples of great team building coaches, that have took teams from worst to first. Once a Team Building coach gets their personnel together, they must be able to progress his players and inspire them to be great.If that can be done the sky is the limit. Although each Head Coach may have a different style of how they want run their team. If their style is a Player’s Coach, Motivator, Strategist, or Team Builder; in the end, their goal is for their teams to be great and to become Super bowl Champions. Not many people know of the different styles that different head coaches bring to the table, and that has to be recognized by the fans. Football is a team game, and when you put the right coach with the right assistants and players. It’s no telling how far that team will go.

Modern Medicine The Traditional Medicine System

Plant as a source of Medicine: The traditional medicine system that involves use of medicinal plants for curing various human and animal diseases is as old as human society. Most of the people living in rural areas depend on herbal medicines for treatment of some common diseases such as cold, cough, fever, bronchitis, asthma, stomach ache and many more. This is because people in rural and semi urban areas are devoid of proper medical facilities and since plants are easily available for them, they use plant based formulations for curing these common diseases. People accept plant based medicine because of its long history of use its less side effects. The medicine system that we use in our day to day life falls under two broad categories. One is the modern medicine system i.e allopathy that mostly uses synthetic drugs. Synthetic drugs appeared to be toxic and have side effects for human health. The other medicine system is the traditional medicine system, the best example which is Ayurveda, Unani and Siddha which includes codified information. There is another medicine system which includes folklore culture and traditional belief where the medicinal information is not well documented and not even tapped. This type traditional knowledge is confined to some societies and the information is handed down from one generation to the next from many years. This is known as ethnomedicine which is gaining much interest from second half of the twentieth century. Ethonomedicine basicallyShow MoreRelatedTraditional Medicine And Alternative Medicine1440 Words   |  6 PagesAfrican Traditional Medicine is we have to talk about what exactly Trad itional Medicine is in general. Traditional Medicine is often referred to as folk medicine or alternative medicine. Folk Medicine is one of the oldest and most traditional forms of a health care system in Africa and has been tested time and time again. This method is an ancient form of healing that humans have used to cope and deal with many diseases that have threatened human existence. Which explains why Traditional Medicine is soRead MoreIntegrating Traditional Medicine with Western Medicine992 Words   |  4 PagesMedical Anthropology Topic: Traditional and Bio-Medical Practice: Integrating traditional and modern systems in the Nigerian health care delivery. Research Question: To what extent, if any, has traditional medicine in comparison to Bio-Medical practice, been incorporated to the health care delivery systems in Nigeria and how much promotion is given to the significance and efficacy of the practice of traditional medicine in curing same illness? Abstract: Read MoreTraditional Medicine Versus Modern Medicine1559 Words   |  7 Pages2015 Traditional Medicine Versus Modern medicine In order to live a long and healthy life we must take care of ourselves. Good health is important not for just a long life but to maintain a good quality of life. In today’s society we want options in how we take care of ourselves. With the rising costs of healthcare, it seems more people are looking for alternative options to the modern medical practices. In countries across the globe most of the population still use traditional medicine ratherRead MoreTraditional Vs. Alternative Medicine902 Words   |  4 PagesTraditional versus Alternative Medicine Traditional versus alternative medicine is an issue that requires a great deal of inspection and assumption. The purpose of both types of medicine is to have a healthy, strong, and fit body. Specialists differ in their opinions on this topic and their views are based on the advantages and disadvantages of both types of medicine. This essay will define in clearer terms how alternative medicine is better and different from traditional medicine in its definitionsRead MoreUse of Alternative Medicine Essay1270 Words   |  6 PagesUse of Alternative Medicine There has been an explosion of interest and use of alternative medicines and an increase in the numbers and visits to alternative practitioners in Australia (Furnham A, Mcgill C 2003). Complementary and Alternative medicine, also known as Traditional medicine covers a broad range of healing philosophies, approaches and therapies. Many therapies are termed holistic, whichRead MoreAlternative Medicine For Traditional Medicine1353 Words   |  6 PagesIn this diverse and highly developed society, traditional medicine is not the only way to healing illness, alternative medicine must be regarded seriously. The change of living environment and the improvement of living standards lead medical model transformed, also result in the future perception about alternative medicine in mainstream medical community. Kayne (2004) states that: â€Å"as patients have greater access to information, their needs and value change. They become more involved in their overallRead MorePhilosophy And Ideology Of Chinese Medicine1723 Words   |  7 PagesChinese Medicine after modification the essay title is as follows Philosophy and Ideology of Chinese Medicine He who takes medicine and neglects to diet wastes the skill of his doctors Medicine can only cure curable disease, and then not always (Chinese Proverb) Theology: In China, one can observe aninterestingcombination of modern and traditional medical practices. There are some delusions about Chinese Medicine. Although the main philosophies and techniques are thousands of years old, theRead MoreThe Heart Of Modern Medicine1281 Words   |  6 PagesWestern medicine has made great strides in treating many kinds of cancer. The powerful new drugs have been developed that kill cancer cells and surgical techniques have been refined, making it possible to cut out many types of cancer. As a result, many of the people are surviving cancer. On the contrary, while Western medicine had many successes in handling cancer itself, it does not focus on the person. By concentrating solely on the disease, it tends to miss the human beings involved. Modern medicineRead MoreTraditional Indian Healthcare System For Integrating The Best Of Indian Traditional Health Care1388 Words   |  6 Pages. Traditional Indian Healthcare System in Delivering Primary Healthcare Services Abstract: The current healthcare system across globe is heading in a way that, to maintain the health and vitality of human beings they have to address forces in both the natural and spiritual world. The traditional health care system and beliefs are grounded in cultural and religious practices of local communities. Historical circumstances, geography and demographics shape and inform the delivery of traditional healthcareRead MoreThe Indigenous Peoples Of Canada1347 Words   |  6 Pagesresult traditions pertaining to all aspects of Indigenous life were affected, specifically traditional means of health. In an attempt to figuratively breathe new life into a wounded community, efforts have been made to bring back the ways of Aboriginal midwifery in Nunavut, Quà ©bec and Ontario. Facilities in said provinces have been established to provide culturally safe care, putting to use ancestral medicine and qualified First Nation midwives. The current health statistics and feedback received after