Environmental Assessment

As the name suggest, EA, also known as environmental assessment involves making sound decisions pertaining to environmental issues in order to promote strategic environmental planning. The process is implemented by evaluating and assessing positive and negative effects of particular human activities on the environment. In other words, the main aim of EA can also be defined as managing and regulating our behavior and actions with a view to protect and conserve our natural environment. In many countries, the Environmental Assessment Act defines and governs the terms, conditions and policies involved in the process.

Environmental assessment is a branch of ecology, which monitors and appraises the environment as a whole. It includes several aspects of the environment and deals with various related issues like air pollution, oil spills, water resources and management of hazardous materials and toxic wastes. Numerous environmental assessment and quality assurance programs are employed to generate the necessary required data so that responsible decision making can be implemented. The QA system, which is governed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, includes guidelines and methods advocated by several environmental assessment organizations from all over the world.

The Environmental Assessment Association or the EAA is an organization that operates on an international level and is known for educating and updating its members regarding issues of environmental assessment. The professionals working with this association provide services to the federal and state governments, as well as public and private sectors. The main purpose of such organizations and agencies is to conduct a comprehensive study of relevant elements of the environment, associated not only with the social and economic factors but ecological as well. In short, they work to minimize the undesirable consequences and maximize desirable effects on our natural environment.

Factors affecting the environment, starting right from global changes, air and water quality, environmental indicators to ecological and human risks, are all covered under environmental assessment. The entire process comprises of several steps undertaken in order to ensure a healthy and balanced environment. The first step starts with analysis of the activities on the environment, followed by keeping a track record of the resulting effects, then public consultation and lastly, considering the comments and the report before making the final decision.