Industry intelligence
The 38th annual International Association
for Impact Assessment (IAIA) conference
recently took place at the Durban
International Convention Centre. This
year’s theme was “Environmental Justice in
Societies in Transition”.
The conference overview highlighted
that globally, societies are in transition due
to environmental challenges such as climate
change and shifts in political power, as seen
in Europe and the US.
Several speakers took to the stage,
sharing their views on environmental
justice. Among them was Nicola
Liversage, Africa business unit director:
environment at AECOM. She appealed
to environmental consultants to build
relationsh ips with the design engineers
and contractors. “I encourage us to reflect
on what we are doing, or not doing,
to challenge this perception. The ‘EIA
[environmental impact assessment]
Uprising in Africa’ is here, and we are all an
important cog in the wheel of change in the
environmental industry in Africa,” she said.
Bharat Gordhan, senior environmental
scientist at AECOM, agreed with
Liversage, adding that the EIA can be a
comprehensive tool, if used appropriately.
However, most developers — from
government, state-owned companies, and
private companies to industry — instead
perceived it as a hindrance.
“The conventional perception is that
the developer obtains approval from the
authorities, and thereafter implements
the project, with a cursory consideration
around the time of the independent
environmental control officer (ECO)
audits. Adaptation around a dynamic
environment, sometimes influenced by
climate change, implies that the original
approval should also be able to adapt to
different risks that may not have been
considered previously as a snapshot
within the EIA,” Gordhan said.
The need to improve environmental
and social performance on construction
projects, as well as requirements for
project financing, were also discussed
Environmental justice discussed at IAIA18
Nicola Liversage is Africa business unit director:
environment at AECOM.
at the conference. As a professional
association spearheading integrated
environmental management (IEM) in
southern Africa, IAIA was established to
bring together researchers, practitioners,
and users of various types of impact
assessment from across the world.
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