QMS & EMS London

Environmental impact assessment (EIA) and strategic environmental assessment (SEA) are well-established tools for assessing environmental impacts from developments. So too are sustainability assessments (SA) for local plans in the UK. However, do they go far enough, given what we now know about the many values that natural systems confer on humanity? Importantly, do they omit to address the many benefits that flow from protected or restored natural systems and processes, unintentionally framing “nature” as a constraint on legitimate economic and social development rather than the most fundamental resource assuring it?

The third part in our occasional series ( Part I , Part II ) on environment and sustainability standards and guidance focuses on auditing and reporting. These include ISO standards on the quantification and reporting of greenhouse-gas emissions, which are being revised, the G4 guidelines on sustainability reporting from the Global Reporting Initiative, the AA1000 series of sustainability assurance standards, and the ISO 19011 guidelines on auditing management systems.

Companies can better understand the importance of natural assets to its operations by using a new tool developed by the government’s advisers on natural capital. As part of its third official report to government, the Natural Capital Committee* (NCC) has designed and tested a corporate accounting framework to evaluate the costs of sustaining and restoring natural assets.

tizzards Hazardous Substances New Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) Regulations come into force in Great Britain on 1 June 2015, implementing the Seveso III Directive (see panel, above). The main COMAH duties will stay the same but there are some important changes particularly on how dangerous substances are classified and the information made available to the public. For the first time, lower-tier operators will have to provide public information about their site and its hazards. Both top-tier (now referred to as upper-tier) and lower-tier operators will need to provide public information electronically and keep it up to date. The Health and Safety Executive is due to publish new guidance in March. The land use planning requirements of Seveso III will be implemented through amended planning legislation by the communities and local government department and the devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales.

jdphotopdx A general election year makes it difficult to provide a comprehensive outlook for imminent policy changes. Whichever party or parties forms the UK government after 7 May will have their own priorities for sustainability, some of which are unlikely to become clear until ministers take office. As the actions of the new European commission have shown through its plans to withdraw new waste targets, policy trajectories set by the previous administration often fall foul of a new set of priorities. Whatever the political complexion of the next government, there are, nonetheless, a number of major legal and policy measures at both a national and EU level planned for 2015. With the support of IEMA and the EEF, the environmentalist has collated some of the most important regulatory and policy changes to look out for over the next 12 months.

Pit your wits against colleagues on important environmental developments in 2014.

Chris Queen Most airport development projects will require EIA given the size and nature of the works. Airport development commonly gives rise to a range of potentially significant environmental impacts prior to mitigation, including: noise disturbance to local residents and wildlife; pollutant emissions; increased energy and fuel demand; increased surface access traffic; landscape and visual effects; and enhanced risks of water pollution, flooding, contamination and ecological effects. At the same time, most airports are major contributors to local and regional employment and economies and their planned growth can give rise to significant socioeconomic benefits, while aircraft manufacturers and the main airport operators have made considerable investment in innovative measures to help mitigate adverse environmental effects.