Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is a system of incorporating environmental considerations into policies, plans and programmes. It is sometimes referred to as Strategic Environmental Impact Assessment. The specific term
Strategic Environmental Assessment relates to
European UnionThe European Union is an economic and political union of 27 Member States, located primarily in Europe. Committed to regional integration, the EU was established by the Treaty of Maastricht on 1 November 1993 upon the foundations of the pre-existing European Economic Community...
policy.
European Union DirectiveA directive is a legislative act of the European Union, which requires member states to achieve a particular result without dictating the means of achieving that result. It can be distinguished from regulations which are self-executing and do not require any implementing measures. Directives...
(85/337/EEC) on Environmental Impact Assessments (known as the
EIAAn environmental impact assessment is an assessment of the possible impact—positive or negative—that a proposed project may have on the environment, together consisting of the natural, social and economic aspects. The purpose of the assessment is to ensure that decision makers consider...
Directive) only applied to certain projects.
Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is a system of incorporating environmental considerations into policies, plans and programmes. It is sometimes referred to as Strategic Environmental Impact Assessment. The specific term
Strategic Environmental Assessment relates to
European UnionThe European Union is an economic and political union of 27 Member States, located primarily in Europe. Committed to regional integration, the EU was established by the Treaty of Maastricht on 1 November 1993 upon the foundations of the pre-existing European Economic Community...
policy.
History
European Union DirectiveA directive is a legislative act of the European Union, which requires member states to achieve a particular result without dictating the means of achieving that result. It can be distinguished from regulations which are self-executing and do not require any implementing measures. Directives...
(85/337/EEC) on Environmental Impact Assessments (known as the
EIAAn environmental impact assessment is an assessment of the possible impact—positive or negative—that a proposed project may have on the environment, together consisting of the natural, social and economic aspects. The purpose of the assessment is to ensure that decision makers consider...
Directive) only applied to certain projects. This was seen as deficient as it only dealt with specific effects at the local level whereas many environmentally damaging decisions had already been made at a more strategic level (for example the fact that new transport infrastructure may generate an increased demand for travel).
The concept of Strategic Assessments originated from regional development / land use planning in the developed world. In 1981 the
U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department published the
Area-wide Impact Assessment Guidebook. In Europe the
Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary ContextThe Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context is a UNECE convention signed in Espoo, Finland, in 1991 that entered into force in 1997. The Convention sets out the obligations of Parties -- that is States that have agreed to be bound by the Convention -- to carry out...
the so called
EspooEspoo ) is a city and municipality of Finland. With a population of approximately it is the second most populated city in Finland. It is part of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area along with the cities of Helsinki, Vantaa, and Kauniainen. Espoo shares its eastern border with Helsinki and Vantaa, while...
Convention laid the foundations for the introduction of SEA in 1991. In 2003, the Espoo Convention was supplemented by a
Protocol on Strategic Environmental AssessmentThe Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment supplements the UNECE Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context. It was adopted and signed in Kiev in 2003 and requires 16 Parties for it to enter into force. Once in force, it will require its Parties to evaluate the...
.
The European SEA Directive (2001/42/EC) required that all member states of the
European UnionThe European Union is an economic and political union of 27 Member States, located primarily in Europe. Committed to regional integration, the EU was established by the Treaty of Maastricht on 1 November 1993 upon the foundations of the pre-existing European Economic Community...
should have ratified the Directive into their own country's law by 21 July 2004.
Countries of the EU started implementing the land use aspects of SEA first, some took longer to adopt the directive than others, but the implementation of the directive can now be seen as completed. Many EU nations have a longer history of strong Environmental Appraisal including
DenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe and the senior member of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries; southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and it is bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark borders both the Baltic and the North Sea...
, the
NetherlandsThe Netherlands is a country in Northwestern Europe, constituting the major portion of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east...
,
FinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland
, is a Nordic country and democracy situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. It borders Sweden on the west, Russia on the east, and Norway on the north, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland...
and
SwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe...
. The newer member states to the EU have hurried in implementing the directive.
Relationship with Environmental Impact AssessmentAn environmental impact assessment is an assessment of the possible impact—positive or negative—that a proposed project may have on the environment, together consisting of the natural, social and economic aspects. The purpose of the assessment is to ensure that decision makers consider...
For the most part an SEA is conducted before a corresponding EIA is undertaken. This will mean that information on the environmental impact of a plan will be able to cascade down through the tiers of decision making and be used in an EIA at a later stage. This should reduce the amount of work that needs to be undertaken. A handover procedure is foreseen.
Aims and Structure of SEA
The SEA Directive only applies to plans and programmes, not policies, although policies within plans are likely to be assessed and SEA can be applied to policies if needed and in the UK certainly, very often is.
The structure of SEA (under the Directive) is based on the following phases:
- "Screening", investigation of whether the plan or programme falls under the SEA legislation,
- "Scoping", defining the boundaries of investigation, assessment and assumptions required,
- "Documentation of the state of the environment", effectively a baseline on which to base judgments,
- "Determination of the likely (non-marginal) environmental impacts", usually in terms of Direction of Change rather than firm figures,
- Informing and consulting the public,
- Influencing "Decision taking" based on the assessment and,
- Monitoring of the effects of plans and programmes after their implementation.
The EU directive also includes other impacts besides the environmental, such as material assets and archaeological sites. In most western European states this has been broadened further to include economic and social aspects of
sustainabilitySustainability, in a broad sense, is the capacity to endure. In ecology, the word describes how biological systems remain diverse and productive over time...
.
SEA should ensure that plans and programmes take into consideration the environmental effects they cause. If those environmental effects are part of the overall decision taking it is called
Strategic Impact Assessment.
SEA in the European Union
SEA is a legally enforced assessment procedure required by Directive 2001/42/EC (known as the SEA Directive). The SEA Directive aims at introducing systematic assessment of the environmental effects of strategic land use related plans and programs. It typically applies to regional and local, development, waste and transport plans, within the European Union. Some plans, such as finance and budget plans or civil defence plans are exempt from the SEA Directive, it also only applies to plans that are required by law, which interestingly excludes national government's plans and programs, as their plans are 'voluntary', whereas local and regional governments are usually required to prepare theirs.
United Kingdom
SEA within the UK is complicated by different Regulations, guidance and practice between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. In particular the SEA Regulations in Scotland contain an expectation that SEA will apply to strategies as well as plans and programmes. In the UK, SEA is inseparable from the term '
sustainabilitySustainability, in a broad sense, is the capacity to endure. In ecology, the word describes how biological systems remain diverse and productive over time...
', and an SEA is expected to be carried out as part of a wider
Sustainability AppraisalIn United Kingdom Planning Law a Sustainability Appraisal is an appraisal of the economic, environmental and social effects of a plan from the outset of the preparation process to allow decisions to be made that accord with sustainable development. Since 2001, Sustainability Appraisals have had to...
(SA), which was already a requirement for many types of plan before the SEA directive and includes social, and economic factors in addition to environmental. Essentially an SA is intended to better inform decision makers on the sustainability aspects of the plan and ensure the full impact of the plan on sustainability is understood.
The United Kingdom in its strategy for sustainable development,
A Better Quality of Life (May 1999), explained sustainable development in terms of four objectives. These are:
- social progress which recognises the needs of everyone
- effective protection of the environment
- prudent use of natural resources
- maintenance of high and stable levels of economic growth and employment.
These headline objectives are usually used and applied to local situations in order to asses the impact of the plan or program.
The pan-European region
The
Protocol on Strategic Environmental AssessmentThe Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment supplements the UNECE Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context. It was adopted and signed in Kiev in 2003 and requires 16 Parties for it to enter into force. Once in force, it will require its Parties to evaluate the...
was negotiated by the member States of the UNECE (in this instance Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia). It requires ratification by 16 States to come into force. Once in force it will be open to all UN Member States. Besides its potentially broader geographical application (global), the Protocol differs from the corresponding European Union Directive in its non-mandatory application to policies and legislation - not just plans and programmes. The Protocol also places a strong emphasis on the consideration of health, and there are other more subtle differences between the two instruments.
New Zealand
SEA in New Zealand is part of an integrated planning and assessment process and unlike the US is not used in the manner of
Environmental impact assessmentAn environmental impact assessment is an assessment of the possible impact—positive or negative—that a proposed project may have on the environment, together consisting of the natural, social and economic aspects. The purpose of the assessment is to ensure that decision makers consider...
. The
Resource Management ActThe Resource Management Act passed in 1991 in New Zealand is a significant, and at times, controversial Act of Parliament. The RMA regulates access to natural and physical resources such as land, air and water, with sustainable use of these resources being the overriding goal...
has, as a principle objective, the aim of sustainable management. SEA is increasingly being considered for transportation projects.
http://www.mfe.govt.nz/publications/rma/roading-delays-feb03.pdf
The OECD DAC - SEA in development co-operation
Development assistance is increasingly being provided through strategic-level interventions, aimed to make aid more effective. SEA meets the need to ensure environmental considerations are taken into account in this new aid context. Applying SEA to development co-operation provides the environmental evidence to support more informed decision making, and to identify new opportunities by encouraging a systematic and thorough examination of development options.
The OECD
Development Assistance CommitteeThe OECD's Development Assistance Committee is a forum for selected member states to discuss issues surrounding aid, development and poverty reduction in developing countries...
(DAC) Task Team on SEA has developed
guidance on how to apply SEA to development co-operation. The document explains the benefits of using SEA in development co-operation and sets out key steps for its application, based on recent experiences.
Organisations
EC projects
- BEACON - Strategic Environmental Assessment of transport plans and programmes