A strategic environmental assessment (SEA) is a systematic review of a project’s impact on the environment, with the EU requiring its adoption. The assessment is used to inform the public and make a final decision on the feasibility of the project. If the project goes ahead, the SEA is used as the basis for a tactical impact assessment.
A strategic environmental assessment (SEA) is a systematic review of the impact of a project, program or policy on the environment. The functional components of the assessment differ according to the environmental regulations existing in each country. The assessment results in a written report which is used to make a final decision on the feasibility of moving forward. If the decision to proceed is made, the SEA is used as the basis for a project-based environmental impact assessment, which brings the strategic analysis to a tactical level.
Environmental impact study became a popular topic in the 1980s with standards set in the United States for identifying and cleaning up locations contaminated by government and corporate actions and placing requirements on new projects to determine ahead of time. the environmental impacts. Over time, environmental impact assessments have become a key part of obtaining community approval and permits for local projects, and have formed the basis of legal liability whenever contamination has occurred. This swelling of support for the issue has solidified strategic environmental assessment as an indispensable first step in any proposed action in the United States.
The European Union (EU) has also passed specific legislation requiring members to adopt the protocol in the SEA Directive. The directive established formal rules and procedures for carrying out a strategic environmental assessment for projects and programmes. EU members adopted the directive over the course of a decade, until 100 percent of members signed up to the SEA protocol.
The procedure for a strategic environmental assessment may vary according to country or context, but the basic framework tends towards an international standard. Perhaps the most formalized structure is that outlined in the EU SEA Directive, so it is reasonable to look at that legislation as a guide. The first step in a SEA is a screening process to determine if the action in question falls under the Directive. In the EU, the directive does not cover proposed policy within member countries. In general context, this step determines whether an SEA should be conducted, in the jurisdiction in question.
Once it is determined that a SEA is required, the auditor sets the scope of the investigation. It is impossible to determine with certainty every possible environmental impact of a proposed action. This step sets limits on what the evaluation is designed to reveal. Next, the auditor determines the current state of the environment to use as a baseline against which the impacts of the proposed action are measured.
The reviewer uses statistical models, historical examples, and professional judgment to reach a conclusion about the likelihood of environmental impacts. Its conclusions are presented in a report which is used to inform the public and as a basis for making the final decision on action. If a decision is made to go ahead with the proposed action, the strategic environmental assessment is used as the starting point for a tactical impact assessment which determines the best way forward.
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