The current state and future directions of environmental impact assessment
Yingxianxian Liu
Tohoku University
DOI: https://doi.org/10.59429/pest.v6i4.8437
Keywords: Environmental Impact Assessment; Traditional EIA approaches; Key challenges; Future research directions of EIA
Abstract
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a systematic approach for identifying and evaluating potential environmental impacts of projects, aimed at mitigating environmental risks and achieving sustainable development. This paper reviews the current state of EIA research, discussing its theoretical framework, usual methods, as well as existing challenges. Traditional EIA approaches, such as environmental impact matrix, life cycle assessment, and spatial information technologies like GIS, still have some limitations such as data dependence and uncertainty in predictions. Emerging tools like machine learning are progressively improving EIA’s precision and range. Key challenges consist of not enough public participation, inconsistent legal frameworks, and an absence of reliable data in certain areas. This paper also provides some suggestions for future research directions of EIA. Future research directions include improving the theoretical framework to integrate socio-economic impacts, adopting AI and IoT for real-time tracking, enhancing the effectiveness of public participation, fostering interdisciplinary cooperations, and addressing the challenges posed by globalization and climate change. By improving these areas, EIA will play a more important role in balancing economic development and environmental protection.
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