Integration of climate change considerations into environmental impact assessment — implementation, problems and recommendations for China
Integration of climate change considerations into environmental impact assessment — implementation, problems and recommendations for China
I-Shin CHANG1, Jing WU2()
1. College of Environment and Resources, Inner Mongolia University, Huhhot 010021, China; 2. College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China
Climate change plays an important role in affecting and altering the course of human development. So far, there have been no effective and efficient techniques to directly quantify the influences of climate change on human development, but there have been rough estimation and qualitative description of the effects. Since the 1990s, climate change considerations have been required to be included in environmental impact assessment, which is a flexible institutional framework of environmental risk evaluation and management. However, there have been no concrete achievements demonstrated. The purpose of this study was first to summarise the practical experience and to disclose the existing problems during the implementation of the process of integrating climate change considerations into environmental impact assessment in China through a case study. Currently in China, the practice of integrating climate change considerations into environmental impact assessment is mainly concentrated on the strategic environmental assessment level. The influences of climate change were identified as energy consumption, greenhouse gases emission, and the restraint of development under abnormal or extreme weather or climate conditions. Because of a lack of related technical guidelines and practical experience, the climate change considerations that have been selected and the evaluation methods that have been applied are quite different. Recommendations on policies, laws, and institutional regulations institution are proposed to better utilise environmental impact assessment to integrate climate change considerations into economic, social, and environmental decisions and actions.
Bohai Sea Rim Area:terrestrial area- 12.9 × 104 km2maritime area- 7.2 × 104 km2
trans-provincial
industry development
2
May 2007 – May 2008
Hubei Province: 18.59 × 104 km2
provincial
transportation business
3
March 2008 – May 2008
Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City: 34.2 km2
a functional area in Tianjin
city master plan
4
Nov. 2007 – Nov. 2009
Tianjin Binhai New Area: 2270 km2
a district of Tianjin
regional development strategy
Tab.1
Fig.1
case
CCCs
assessment indices
assessment methods
mitigation measures
1
energy consumption
energy consumption·(104 GDP)-1
based on scenario mathematic model
clean energy and energy conservation measurescountermeasures for low carbon developmentadaptation to climate change (including infrastructure and capability building)
carbon emission
carbon emission·(104 GDP)-1
based on simplified IPCC model
water resources under extreme climate conditions
available water resources under extreme climate conditions
qualitative analysis
environmental risks under extreme weather conditions
water quality deterioration of rivers under extreme hydrologic conditions; and risks of severe regional ambient air pollution under extreme weather conditions
numerical simulation
2
GHG emissions
emissions of CO2, CH4, N2O
simple computation model developed by assessment practitioner (emission factors are adopted from IPCC)
measures to reduce GHG emissions
3
energy consumption
percentage of renewable energy in total energy consumption
energy budget analysis; energy structure analysis
clean energy and energy conservation measurescountermeasures for low carbon developmentadaptation to climate change (including infrastructure and capability building)
carbon emission
carbon emission intensity per GDP
qualitative analysis
low carbon development
percentage of green building; percentage of green transportation
qualitative analysis
4
energy consumption
energy consumption per GDP; percentage of renewable energy in total energy consumption
based on scenario mathematic modelenergy budget analysis
clean energy and energy conservation measurescountermeasures for low carbon developmentrisk management measures
carbon emission
carbon emission·(104 GDP)-1
based on simplified IPCC model
Tab.2
group
name of the law
first promulgation
latest amendment
M
the Forest Law of the People’s Republic of China
1984
1998
the Law of the People’s Republic of China on Energy Conservation
1997
2007
the Law of the People’s Republic of China on Environmental Impact Assessment
2002
-
the Law of the People’s Republic of China on Promoting Cleaner Production
2002
-
the Law of the People’s Republic of China on Renewable Energy
2005
2009
the Law of the People’s Republic of China on Promotion of Circular Economy
2008
-
A
the Marine Environment Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China
1982
1999
the Forest Law of the People’s Republic of China
1984
1998
the Law of the People’s Republic of China on Prevention and Control of Water Pollution
1984
2008
the Grassland Law of the People’s Republic of China
1985
2002
the Fisheries Law of the People’s Republic of China
1986
2004
the Land Administration Law of the People’s Republic of China
1986
2004
the Water Law of the People’s Republic of China
1988
2002
the Law of the People’s Republic of China on Water and Soil Conservation
1991
2010
the Agriculture Law of the People’s Republic of China
1993
2002
the Flood Control Law of the People’s Republic of China
1997
-
the Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Administration of Sea Areas
2001
-
the Law of the People’s Republic of China on Prevention and Control of Desertification
2001
-
Tab.3
assessing process
GHGs emission analysis
impacts on PPPs from climate change
identify environmental impacts
increase or reduce GHG emissionsincrease or reduce carbon sink
damage to important infrastructure and propertyimpacts on production and livelihoodimpacts on water resources demands and water qualityimpacts on biodiversityimpacts on human health
survey and analyse current status
analyse carbon source and carbon sink, according to industrial sector, administrative district, and decision levels of PPPs involved
analyse embodiment of the effects described above, according to industrial sector, administrative district, and decision levels of PPPs involvedanalyse the sensitivity of PPPs to the effects described above
predict and assess impacts
quantitative calculation or qualitative analysis of total emission and emission intensity of GHGsquantitative calculation or qualitative analysis of total amount and intensity of carbon sink
quantitative calculation or qualitative analysis or evaluation of the impacts on PPPs from the effects described above
identify mitigation measures
identify measures to reduce GHG emissionsidentify measures to increase carbon sink
integrate adaptation and mitigation measures to climate change into PPPs
monitoring and follow-up assessment
monitor the effectiveness of measures to reduce GHG emissions
monitor the implementation of adaptation and mitigation measures to climate change
Tab.4
types of impacts
index
GHG emissions
effects on GHG emissions from energy, transportation, business, agriculture, habitant, and waste managementeffects on the pattern of transportation and traveleffects on the production of renewable energyeffects on energy efficiencyeffects on promotion of low carbon economy and technologieseffects on the quantity of solid waste
CO2 emission intensity per GDP, GHG emissions per capitaannual vehicle mileage per capitaratio of renewable energyenergy consumption per GDP//quantity of solid waste
influences of climate change
effects on the site selection and design of developing activities, significant infrastructure, and public services (in order to prevent impacts of floods)effects on site selection and design of developing activities located at eroded areaeffects on water resources utilisationeffects on water supply and drainage managementeffects on site selection and design of developing activities (in order to withstand storms)effects on the service functions of ecosystem
quantity and percentage of property threatened by floodsquantity and percentage of property located at eroded areaquantity of water resourcespercentage of water supply and drainage for developing activitiesquantity and percentage of property threatened by stormspromote the construction of ecological network
Tab.5
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