Mankind's survival in 21st century calls for vision, action agendas
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Mankind's survival in 21st century calls for vision, action agendas
-- says international bodyby Linda Rutherford
Guyana Chronicle
March 22, 2000
INTERNATIONAL thinking on the vagaries of the 21st century is that the world will see such rapid-fire changes that man's very survival and, inevitably, his quality of life, will depend on new visions, bold initiatives, concrete action agendas and real community empowerment.
This is the view of the executives of the US-based organisation, International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA), as they prepare for their annual summit to be held in Hong Kong in June.
It was shared by IAIA member, Guyanese Dr Veronica Broomes at a mixed gathering last Friday evening at the Park Hotel, in the city, to officially welcome Guyana into the fold as an affiliate member.
The event was coordinated by the Guyana Chapter of the Caribbean Academy of Sciences (CAS), of which Broomes is an executive member.
The occasion was also used to accommodate a feature address on the `Potential Impacts of Climate Change on Caribbean Economies and the Lives of its Citizens' by Guyanese-born Dr Neville Trotz, who is the Project Manager of the Barbados-based Caribbean Planning for Adaptation to Climate Change (CPACC).
Ms Denise Fraser, Director of Operations of the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), also made a brief presentation on the role of her organisation in the making of impact assessments.
Those in attendance included Pro-Chancellor of the University of Guyana (UG) Dr Joshua Ramsammy; CARICOM (Caribbean Community) Assistant Secretary-General, Mr Byron Blake; British High Commissioner, Mr Edward Glover; and Chief Engineer of the Georgetown Sewerage and Water Commissioners (GS&WC), Mr David Dewar.
Among issues to be examined at the June caucus, noted Broomes, who is considered a pioneer here in the field of
plant tissue culture, are the role of environmental assessment on trade and finance, the integration of EIA and corporate environmental management; and the implication of climate for impact assessment.
In charting the course of their agenda, Broomes said the decision-makers considered such matters as the global impact of trade, finance and communications which will ultimately affect the way impact assessment is done in the future.
Noting the need for Guyana to keep abreast of trends, Mr John Caesar, Chairman and Dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences at the University of Guyana, said in opening remarks, that it was important for both the public and policy-makers to be properly sensitised as to what an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is.
He pointed out that what may very well be passing for EIAs may not necessarily come close to 95 per cent of what the job actually entails. He listed proper screening, scoping, profiling, risk assessment and management, implementation and decision-making, monitoring, and post-project evaluation as the seven cardinal tenets of an Environmental Impact Assessment.
Caesar said: "Whether this is happening or not is one of the reasons why we feel such an affiliate will give us the kind of perspective [we need] to enhance our impact assessment activities."
Dr Broomes feels an impact assessment should be viewed not only as the mere identification of future consequences of a particular developmental project, but rather as a tool for decision making in the process of assessing impacts.
Such a perspective, she said, will facilitate consideration of diverse aspects of impact assessment, which can include strategic environmental assessment, social impact assessment, cumulative effects assessment, health impact assessment, and the implementation of environmental management systems.
Broomes also expressed the hope that with Guyana becoming an affiliate of IAIA, the local body will contribute to enhancing the quality and understanding of impact assessments in this country.
She said the desire for a better quality of life is one to which people worldwide aspire, and in this regard, a better understanding of, and appreciation for impact assessments can contribute to making this aspiration a reality.
The IAIA was founded in 1980 in the United States with the aim of bringing together practitioners, researchers and users of various types of impact assessments across the world.
Its mission is to advance the innovation, development and dissemination of the best EIA practices in management and policy throughout the world. Towards this end, the IAIA's primary purpose has been the development of international and local capacities to make wise decisions regarding the anticipation, planning and management of the ecological and human consequences of environmental change, which ultimately affects the quality of life for all.
Membership, which currently stands at more than 2,500 in 100 countries, comprises people from many disciplines and occupations, and includes corporate planners and managers, public interest advocates, government planners and administrators, private consultants and policy analysts, university and college lecturers, and students.
Broomes said this unique mix of professions and occupations represented in IAIA's membership provides outstanding opportunities for interchange in order to advance the state of the science and art of impact assessment.
