Sustainability Assessment of Policies, Plans and Projects
Objectives
1. Concepts, theories and trends related with Sustainability Assessment (SA).
2. Understanding of the main SA tools, at strategic (policies, plans and programmes) and project level, in particular Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), Health Impact Assessment (HIA), Social Impact Assessment (SIA), on different aspects: conceptual, ethical, legal, methodological, technical and scientific, administrative and decision-making.
3. Exploring the role of SA in the assessment of the UN Sustainable Development Goals implementation and follow-up at different scales.
4. Training of specific EIA and SEA techniques, with emphasis on those that invoke different domains of knowledge.
5. Understanding and resolution of practical EIA problems by simulating professional practice.
6. Ability to use EIA and SEA as decision support tools, respectively for projects and for policies, plans and programmes (PPP).
General characterization
Code
12673
Credits
6.0
Responsible teacher
João Miguel Dias Joanaz de Melo, Tomás Augusto Barros Ramos
Hours
Weekly - 4
Total - 56
Teaching language
Português
Prerequisites
Available soon
Bibliography
BOND, A., MORRISON-SAUNDERS, A., HOWITT, R. (eds) (2013). Sustainability Assessment: pluralism, practice and progress. New York: Natural and Built Environment Series, Routledge, 276 p
CANTER, L. (1996). Environmental Impact Assessment. McGraw-Hill, 2nd ed, New York, 480p
FISCHER, T.B. (2007). The Theory and Practice of Strategic Environmental Assessment: Towards a More Systematic Approach. Earthscan, London, 186 p
GLASSON, J., THERIVEL, R. (2019). Introduction to Environmental Impact Assessment. U. College London Press. 5th Ed. London, 496 p
GIBSON, R.B. (2005). Sustainability Assessment – Criteria and Processes. Earthscan, London, 254 p
SADLER, B., DUSIK, J., FISCHER, T., PARTIDARIO, M., VERHEEM, R., ASCHEMANN, R. (eds.) (2015). Handbook of Strategic Environmental Assessment. Routledge, New York.
SMITH M, JOÃO E, ALBRECHT E (2005). Implementing Strategic Environmental Assessment (Environmental Protection in the European Union), Springer, Berlin.
Teaching method
The teaching method is supported by lectures and practical classes. The teaching methods are mainly conducted to support several aspects: a) individual/group technical and scientific skills; b) debate skills and coherent analysis in the interpretation of the studied subjects. Classes will be complemented with a tutorial system, using e-learning tools.
Evaluation method
Evaluation is based on 3 assignments with 5 evaluation moments. The 1st is individual, the others in groups with individual evaluation. Themes: 1) Essay on professional ethics; (5%); 2) Report on an EIS (15%); 3) Summary EIA/SEA in three phases: (a) scoping (15%), (b) preliminary results (15%), (c) final report and discussion (50%). Delays delivering the assignments imply penalties in grading.
Subject matter
1. Introduction to Sustainability Assessment SA): goals, concepts, history, trends and challenges. Professional ethics.
2. SA approaches and tools, including Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), Health and Social Impact Assessment. Contribution to the assessment of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
3. Main types of impacts by activity.
4. EIA and SEA process: international and Portuguese legislation; procedures and requirements.
5. Methods in SA, including criteria, case studies, scenarios, models and indicators: Environmental Impact Statement and Environmental Report – structure and contents; scoping; alternatives; methods to identify and predict impacts; cumulative impacts; evaluation of impact significance; mitigation measures and recommendations; follow-up: monitoring and management.
6. Public participation and decision support: approaches and methods.
7. Case studies. SA Annual Seminar.
Programs
Programs where the course is taught: