Environmental
impact assessment (EIA) is necessary today when it was not in
the past:
- modern
society's have a faster, more widespread and larger impact on
the natural environment.
- the
individualism of modern societies requires legal controls to
replace traditional community control
- political
priorities and environmental awareness has changed
The
changes brought about by previous civilisations were sometimes
large but occurred very slowly so there was time to assess them.
Also the environmental impacts of their actions tended to be localised
and limited in impact. Today it is possible to pollute whole oceans
and even the earth's atmosphere with materials that will persist
long into the future.
A
second change is the change in how societies are organised. Ancient
civilisations exerted more social control over the community than
modern societies. You may of course disagree with this. Thomas
implies that EIA is a mechanism of social control in that it controls
development by individuals or groups of individuals.
Another
change is the changing political priorities that have come with
affluence and the growing public awareness of and dissatisfaction
with environmental degradation. If you are particularly cynical
you might argue that EIA is necessary today because a vocal section
of the community demand it.
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An Engineering Point of
View