Cumulative effects in Swedish impact assessment practice

The overall objective of this thesis is to investigate how cumulative effects (CE) are considered in the Swedish context of impact assessment. CE can be explained to be the changes to the environment that are caused by an action in combination with other past, present and reasonable foreseeable future actions. Specific questions to examine are: • What is the EU and Swedish legislative basis for including CE? • How do the impact assessment actors implementing the Swedish legislation perceive their work with CE. Questions addressed in relation to this are the actors: - knowledge base of the term and concept of CE, and also their perception of the requirements to consider these types of effects; - knowledge base of how to work with CE in practice; attitudes towards and expressed ability to include CE in the environmental impact assessment (EIA) and strategic environmental assessment (SEA) process; - experienced difficulties and obstacles to include CE in the EIA/SEA process. The methods used are mainly qualitative and include literature studies, document analysis and semistructured interviews. The results show that there is a lack of both legislative as professionally based incitements for including CE. An extensive amount of difficulties and obstacles as perceived by the EIA/SEA actors and in relation to the inclusion of CE in EIA and SEA is outlined. All the EIA/SEA actors showed to have some idea about the phenomenon. Even though the actor’s will to act i.e. to include these effects, is in place, their ability to act is hampered by factors connected to knowing that (knowledge on requirements to include CE in the EIA/SEA process) and knowing how (knowledge in relation to how to approach cumulative issues e.g. methods for evaluation of CE). The almost non existent practice in relation to assessment of cumulative impacts in Sweden is hardly surprising considering the existing and thus far rather vague demands in respect of the inclusion and assessment of CE in Swedish EIA and SEA legislation, regulations, guidelines and handbooks. The existing drafts of forthcoming general guidelines and the handbook for SEA do however include the term CE. To what extent these new wordings will lead to the more routine inclusion and assessment of CE will however remain dependent on the various conditions and obstacles identified in this study, namely, professional knowledge and skill relating to the use of methods to assess CE, support and demands from colleagues, reviewers and proponents to include and assess CE, the existence of relevant databases suitable for assessing CE, sufficient time and financial resources, scoping in time and space that enables CE to be included in the EIA work and the emergence of an impact assessment attitude and practice that includes CE

EIA practice

This thesis is about Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) practice in Sweden. Impact Assessment (IA) is expected to play a crucial role in enabling democratic and enlightened decision making. EIA practice seems however not to be in accordance with best IA practice norms and legislation in many countries. We therefore need a more thorough understanding of IA practice and its outcomes and about what is gained through EIA and thus also be able to suggest, on a more profound basis, how the practice can be improved. This thesis presents an analysis of the two cases EIA practice on cumulative effects and the final disposal for spent nuclear fuel. The methods and approaches used are qualitatively and include literature review, document analysis, individual interviews and focus group interviews. The results were analysed using social psychology theory and community of practice theory. The case of cumulative effects clearly demonstrated that a positive attitude towards including cumulative effects was in place, but the conditions to change the knowledge base were not. In the investigated case for a final disposal for spent nuclear fuel it was revealed that a shared practice and social learning over time might result in difficulties for the authority in mapping out a clear role and identity for itself in relation to the proponent. It also showed that the shared practice that has developed between the industry, and the competent authorities, has over time resulted in the adoption of a shared understanding and similar perspectives, concerning at least two points. The first concerns downgrading the need to more thoroughly investigate alternate technical methods to the main alternative, while the second concerns the need to avoid delays in the planning process. Communication and the shared practice that has developed over a long period of time, can have a significant and not necessarily positive impact on power relations and thus hamper knowledge production, diffusion of roles and identities

Strategisk miljöbedömning för hållbar samhällsplanering : Slutrapport från forskningsprogrammet SPEAK

Strategisk miljöbedömning är en process som myndigheter och kommuner ska genomföra när de upprättar eller ändrar vissa planer eller program som antas medföra betydande miljöpåverkan. Syftet med en miljöbedömning är att integrera miljöaspekter i planen eller programmet så att en hållbar utveckling främjas. Lagstiftningen om strategisk miljöbedömning har funnits i Sverige i snart 15 år. Men hur fungerar miljöbedömning i planeringen? Det var en av frågorna i forskningsprogrammet SPEAK. Syftet med SPEAK har varit att bidra med kunskap för att stärka miljöbedömningens roll som ett verktyg i samhällsplaneringen för att uppnå miljökvalitetsmålen och främja hållbar utveckling. I Sverige har det saknats en övergripande kartläggning över de planer och miljöbedömningar som genomförts. Därför har SPEAK utvecklat, en för Sverige unik, databas med kommunala planer och tillhörande dokument såsom samrådshandlingar, SEA-dokument och särskilda sammanställningar. Baserat på en analys av miljöbedömningspraktiken har förslag på åtgärder tagits fram för att stärka miljöbedömningen som ett verkningsfullt verktyg i planeringen för hållbar utveckling