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Embora particularmente relevante no contexto da Política Nacional de Resíduos Sólidos, que estabelece o planejamento e gestão compartilhados entre União, estados e municípios, a integração antecipada da variável ambiental no processo decisório e o encadeamento das ações estratégicas ao longo dos diferentes níveis de planejamento não tem sido objeto de iniciativas sistemáticas por parte dos tomadores de decisão. Deste modo, o presente artigo é voltado para um estudo do encadeamento de objetivos ambientais estratégicos no planejamento de resíduos sólidos no estado de São Paulo, a partir do que estabelecem as políticas ambientais que incidem sobre o território brasileiro. Por meio de uma análise de compatibilidade entre objetivos que integram o quadro institucional de planejamento de resíduos sólidos no estado de São Paulo e os objetivos que direcionam a implementação de políticas ambientais no Brasil, percebe-se que, apesar de haver certo nível de aderência, há lacunas importantes relacionadas à falta de encadeamento entre as esferas analisadas e, sobretudo com relação aos planos municipais, objetivos de natureza conflitante entre o que se estabelece para o gerenciamento dos resíduos sólidos e as estratégias ambientais.

Biodiversity is a core issue in the quest to achieve sustainable development. Although Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) includes biodiversity as an environmental component to consider in decision-making, its inclusion remains a challenge. Since the beginning of SEA practice, several guides have been proposed to address this challenge, but evaluating their success remains problematic. This paper, therefore, aims to develop an easily applied, criteria-based approach for evaluating the biodiversity assessment that takes place within SEA. A test application of the evaluation framework, based on the International Best Practice Principles on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in SEA, demonstrates its success in identifying whether the main elements of biodiversity were considered in a SEA report. However, the criteria focus on inclusion or exclusion of specific details, rather than the substance of the biodiversity consideration, and so further studies need to develop evaluative approaches for the substantive inclusion of biodiversity in SEA practice.

A number of public policies have emerged worldwide as a response from governments facing climate change effects, drawing the attention of the scientific community to the outcomes and actual effects/benefits these policies have brought so far. One of the challenging aspects related to this context is the integration of the objectives set by climate change policies within the sectoral and regional planning. In this respect, the literature recognizes the relevance of Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) as an instrument to deal with climate change issues in the planning process and to support the development of alternatives to respond to climate change policies. The influence of climate change policies on the plans and programs supported by SEA in emerging economies is yet to be verified. The paper relies on the case of Brazil, recognized by its relevance in terms of biodiversity, water resources and climate regulation. In 2009, Brazil introduced the National Policy of Climate Change (NPCC), which established guidelines to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) by 2020. The present paper is based on the analysis of the current SEA practice and the corresponding level of integration of climate change issues, considering the objectives of the NPCC. A set of 29 statements, delivered by the literature, was applied, combined to the content analysis techniques to review the quality of 35 SEA reports produced in Brazil between 1997 and 2014 (out of 40-odd cases). The outcomes indicate the performance is similar to what was found in other contexts, i.e., SEA areas barely address climate change issues. This thus reveals an important gap between the objectives of NPCC and sectoral/regional planning. SEA can contribute to reducing this gap, but it needs more strength to influence the development of sectoral and regional policies and plans.

The need to consider environmental and social issues on a par with economic concerns in policy, plan, programme and project making in order to achieve sustainable development has been widely recognized. However, to date there has been no adequate implementation, and economic issues are frequently prevailing over other aspects. In many developing and emerging economies, a perceived urgency to promote economic growth frequently means that environmental and social costs of development are overlooked. It is within this context that this paper explores the consideration of environmental and social issues in transport policy, plan and programme (PPP) making in Brazil, an emerging economy which over recent years has invested heavily in its transport infrastructure. Aiming at establishing the extent to which environmental and social issues are considered and identifying the barriers for better practice, legal and institutional frameworks for transport PPP making, the substantive focus of PPPs as well as perceptions of actors involved in their preparation are investigated. Results show that whilst the need to respect environmental and social issues is recognized in sectoral guidelines and underlying values, in practice they are poorly considered. Main constraints to a better consideration of sustainable development in transport PPP making include the lack of instruments for a systematic consideration, the nature of existing PPP making processes and the dominance of political and economic interests. Moreover, suggestions for improvement are limited and mainly relate to external pressures. In this context, Strategic Environmental Assessment in particular would need to be introduced as an instrument for a more rigorous and clearly prescribed consideration of environmental and social issues.

Learning is recognized as an important component of environmental impact assessment (EIA) in particular, due to its potential to transform individual, social, and organizational values, standards and practices to support a sustainable development. Nevertheless, only a few models developed to describe learning processes in EIA systems seem to be grounded on the combination of both theoretical aspects and empirical evidence of learning, which requires further investigation. This paper is based on the development of a conceptual model to understand learning processes through the practice of EIA, and evidence-gathering of learning in EIA systems focused on the role played by the leading organization. The outcomes were based on literature review and empirical research using two EIA regulatory agencies in Brazil as case studies. Data collection and analysis were supported by participant observation, personal interviews and qualitative content analysis. Although specific to the context, the evidence prod...

This article aims to evaluate municipal solid waste (MSW) management schemes in order to promote sustainability and eco-efficiency, core elements in global mitigation strategies in both public and private policies. A discrete event simulation (DES) approach was used to integrate the economic, environmental, and social aspects related to aseptic carton packages (ACP) in Itajuba, Brazil. The simulated scenarios consider three alternatives for disposing ACP: landfills, recycling, and incineration with energy recovery. According to our findings, incineration alternatives are preferred from an eco-efficiency perspective, given the potential greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions and due to the possibility of energy recover, which reinforces the contribution of this technology to promote sustainability as largely found in the international literature. Given the context of MSW management in Brazil, this represents a significant opportunity to increase the effectiveness of mitigation strategies adopted in the country. Taking into account that this is by far the least applied technology, the authors strongly advocate that global strategies for mitigation consider different approaches to integrate carbon dioxide (CO2) emission reductions related to the entire MSW management system and its alternatives, thus advancing from a waste disposal-oriented system to a life cycle–oriented system.

Early assessment of environmental issues is key for sound decision-making about licensing of offshore oil and gas exploration sites. In this paper, we recall the historical background of such early...

Multilateral Development Agencies (MDAs) have been emerging as responsible for the widespread of Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) application in low and middle income countries. However, the effectiveness of SEA, as practiced by MDAs, has received limited attention in literature so far. This paper aims to analyse the use of SEA by MDAs in the context of loan agreements established between these countries. Based on documentation gathered in public databases, six energy related cases were reviewed in relation to the moment that SEA started, the strategic dimensions of proposed actions, compliance with key aspects of SEA, and also to the quality of SEA reports. Results indicate a number of aspects that should be improved in order to increase SEA effectiveness: SEA is starting after relevant decisions, is applied to actions without clear definition of strategic dimensions and lacks a systematic assessment of alternatives. Regarding the quality of SEA reports, the outcomes reveal a poor quality in baseline description, development and assessment of alternatives and public participation.

Empirical research dedicated to Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is mostly grounded on SEA systems guided by legal requirements, clearly stated procedures and systematic use of SEA ...

Within the ample body of literature devoted to strategic environmental assessment (SEA) outcomes and the assessment of its effectiveness, it is accepted that the performance of SEA systems ...

Welcome to the second issue of 2019, a special issue on ‘experiences with developing guidelines for effective impact assessment’. Guidelines can play an important role in supporting effective impact assessments (IAs). In this context, guidance representing best practice is usually associated with going beyond simple legal compliance. As experience, skills and knowledge are continuously developing, guidelines need to be reviewed and updated regularly, therefore requiring a certain degree of flexibility (following e.g. Fischer and Gazzola 2006; Gunn and Noble 2009)

RESUMO A avaliação de risco é um processo no qual se determinam os riscos de natureza coletiva (social) e individual associados à instalação, operação ou desativação de uma atividade perigosa, levando-se em consideração a probabilidade de ocorrência de um determinado evento e a estimativa da extensão do dano que seria causado. No caso de estações de tratamento de esgoto (ETEs), em que pese a importância do aspecto locacional para assegurar a minimização de conflitos ambientais e sociais, a análise de risco deve ser parte integrante dos estudos de alternativas locacionais quando a concepção do projeto prever a utilização de substâncias perigosas armazenadas sob pressão, notadamente os sistemas de desinfecção por cloro. Entende-se, portanto, ser necessário avaliar o potencial de dano decorrente de falhas nos equipamentos e dispositivos de segurança que possam provocar vazamentos e/ou explosões. Nesse sentido, o presente artigo discute as contribuições dos estudos de análise de risco na implantação e operação de ETEs, valendo-se de um estudo de caso aplicado ao município de São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo. Os resultados obtidos destacam a relevância do estudo de análise de risco para a definição da localização do empreendimento e de medidas de segurança aplicadas ao gerenciamento da ETE e das áreas do entorno. ABSTRACT Risk analysis allows for the identification of social and individual risks following the installation, operation or decommissioning of a hazardous activity, taking into account the probability of occurrence and the extension of damages. Sewage Treatment Plants with disinfection systems must be informed by a risk analysis in order to integrate social and environmental conflicts in decision-making. Therefore, it is relevant to assess the potential to cause relevant damage caused by failures in equipment or security devices that could lead to leakages and/or explosions. In this sense, the present paper discuss the results of a risk assessment applied to the Sewage Treatment Plant of São Jose do Rio Preto (SP). The results show the relevance of risk analysis in defining the locational alternative and the associated security measures applied to risk and conflict management, considering the plant itself, the environment and neighboring population.

Written guidance can contribute to the development of effective SEA, delivering relevant information for those involved in policy, plan and programme making processes. Generally speaking, guidance ...

The effectiveness of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) has been analyzed through the application of good practice criteria, with emphasis on assessing the quality of studies involved in it. However, such approach is restricted to elements directly linked to the subject of the studies and leaves aside important aspects. The aim of the present study is to analyze the effectiveness of EIA systems through the application of 20 effectiveness criteria to a set of 37 environmental licensing cases in São Paulo (SP) and Minas Gerais (MG) states. The results show that the EIA is effective in both states with respect to procedural aspects. On the other hand, the systems were ineffective when it came to substantive effectiveness aspects such as the promotion of public participation, the development of locational alternatives and the assessment of cumulative effects. These aspects increase the proceeding time and limit the EIA influence on decisions, thus being restricted to adjustments in project designs and to the adoption of mitigation/compensation measures. Resumen La efectividad de la Evaluación de Impacto Ambiental (EIA) es comúnmente analizada por criterios de buenas prácticas, especialmente para evaluar la calidad de los estudios de impacto. Sin embargo, este enfoque se limita a elementos directamente relacionados con el contenido de los estudios, y omite aspectos importantes relacionados con el proceso de EIA. El trabajo analiza la efectividad de los sistemas de EIA con 20 criterios aplicados a 37 casos en SP y MG. Los sistemas de EIA mostraron ser eficaces cuanto a aspectos de procedimientos y ineficaces cuanto a los aspectos sustantivos relacionados con participación de la sociedad, el desarrollo de alternativas de localización y la evaluación de los efectos acumulativos, lo que aumenta el tiempo para la toma de decisiones y disminuye la influencia de la EIA, quedando restringida a ajustes en el diseño de los proyectos y la adopción de medidas de mitigación y compensación de impactos. Resumo A efetividade da AIA tem sido analisada por meio da aplicação de critérios de boas práticas, com destaque para a avaliação da qualidade dos estudos envolvidos. Contudo, tal abordagem restringe-se aos elementos diretamente ligados ao conteúdo dos estudos, deixando de lado aspectos importantes. O presente trabalho analisa a efetividade de sistemas de AIA aplicando 20 critérios de efetividade a um conjunto de 37 casos de licenciamento ambiental em SP e MG. Os resultados mostram que a AIA é efetiva em ambos os estados com relação a aspectos procedimentais. Por outro lado, os sistemas demonstram ser pouco efetivos com relação a aspectos substantivos da efetividade, como promoção da participação pública, desenvolvimento de alternativas locacionais e avaliação de efeitos cumulativos, o que aumenta o tempo de tramitação e limita a influência da AIA sobre as decisões, ficando restrita a ajustes no desenho dos projetos e adoção de medidas de mitigação/compensação.

Tendo em vista a necessidade de evidências que orientem o aperfeiçoamento da prática da Avaliação de Impacto Ambiental (AIA) e considerando a escassez de trabalhos dessa natureza no contexto brasileiro, este trabalho tem como principal contribuição uma análise sistemática da qualidade de Estudos de Impacto Ambiental (EIA) submetidos ao processo de licenciamento ambiental. Deste modo, utilizou-se como objeto empírico de pesquisa o sistema de AIA do Estado do Espírito Santo, tendo sido analisados 21 EIAs submetidos entre 2007 e 2013, equivalente a 57% do total de estudos desse tipo encaminhados ao órgão licenciador no período. Os estudos contemplam projetos públicos e privados, englobando as atividades de petróleo e gás, usinas termoelétricas, portos, linhas de transmissão, pequenas centrais hidrelétricas, siderurgia, estradas, empreendimentos imobiliários e aterros sanitários. A análise de qualidade foi realizada conforme o modelo Lee and Colley Review Package, amplamente aplicado e reconhecido na literatura internacional. A análise dos resultados revela aspectos que devem ser aprimorados, uma vez que estão diretamente relacionados à efetividade da AIA praticada no Estado: a identificação e a avaliação de impactos relevantes, especialmente na associação entre o impacto determinado e a linha de base; a consideração de impactos cumulativos; a previsão de magnitude e a avaliação da significância dos impactos. Como pontos positivos, destacam-se a descrição do ambiente e a apresentação das informações. Ainda que os resultados indiquem semelhança com outros contextos, é possível afirmar que a qualidade da informação apresentada ao órgão licenciador é baixa, dificultando a sua análise e possivelmente contribuindo para uma baixa efetividade da AIA no Estado.

This paper proposes a practical water resources-related index methodology (Hydric Index for Location of Industrial Facilities – HILIF) to provide preliminary guidance for location-based decision-making processes for new industrial sites, based on the likely effects on water resources in river watersheds, as applied to the conceptual phase of a project design. The framework of HILIF is established on the integration of three hydric factors: consumptive water availability, river carrying capacity, and flood vulnerability and effects of the drainage project. The proposed methodology for the application of HILIF is founded on Multi-Attribute Decision Making (MADM) using fuzzy logic (fuzzy MADM) to combine seven indicators into nine possible recommendation levels. Additionally, in order to illustrate the HILIF methodological approach, a case study of a project design using a cyclical analysis based on a hypothetical scenario was developed. In this context, three alternative sites (AA, BB, and CC) were considered for a nitrogen fertilizer plant in the Contas River Basin in the state of Bahia, Brazil. The results demonstrate that the HILIF methodology can support the conceptual project design by identifying the most adequate site alternatives for an industrial location within an integrated hydric perspective. In addition, the possibility of implementing modifications during the initial conceptual project was observed through cyclical analysis using multiple rounds for the same locational alternatives. For the present case study, the locational alternative preferred by project designers (Alternative CC) shifted from a classification of Not Indicated (NI) in the first round of HILIF application to a Fairly-Good Recommendation in the second round after modifications in the initial conceptual project. Thus, Alternative CC became nearly as adequate as Alternative BB, which was the best alternative site in terms of water, classified as a Good Recommendation in the first HILIF round. On a complementary basis, the results generated by the application of HILIF can also be utilized to support further complex studies for licensing proposes within the context of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) or Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA).

The wider consideration of environmental effects and alternatives in early stages of decision-making has been pointed as one of the major benefits of Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA). Adopted by virtually all of developed countries and sprawling around emergent and developing ones, it is recognized that SEA effectiveness is attached to its systematic application in development plans and programmes. Brazil and many developing countries have different experiences with this instrument and lacks of definition of a procedural framework to promote the use of SEA in strategic levels of decision. As a consequence development projects are frequently “threatened” by impact assessment outcomes, especially when a mandatory project-EIA has to inform decisions. In order to contribute to the implementation of SEA in developing countries, the present paper discusses the potential benefits of using SEA in transport infrastructure plans and programmes, through a case study applied to transport plans in the state of Sao Paulo (south-eastern Brazil). The outcomes indicate that SEA could contribute to improve infrastructure impact assessments, minimizing social and environmental conflicts, augmenting the acceptability of projects and decisions, reinforcing the need for SEA to be systematically implemented in Brazil.

A Política Nacional do Meio Ambiente tem como objetivo a conciliação do desenvolvimento econômico e social com a qualidade ambiental, e dispõe de vários instrumentos que procuram contemplara capacidade de suporte do meio. Assim, a discussão sobre a localização das atividades é uma etapa importante para a avaliação da viabilidade ambiental de um determinado empreendimento, notadamente em processos de licenciamento ambiental. O trabalho apresenta uma abordagem metodológica para integração de critérios técnicos, ambientais e sociais em estudos de alternativas de localização de aterros sanitários, com especial atenção à interação entre os aspectos ambientais e os elementos fundamentais de um projeto (a saber, requisitos locacionais e concepção tecnológica), aplicado em um estudo de caso em São Carlos (SP). Como resultados principais, destacam-se o maior foco nos impactos significativos e a possibilidade de envolvimento de segmentos importantes da sociedade previamente à elaboração dos estudos ambientais.The National Environment Policy aims to reconcile economic and social development with environmental quality and has several instruments to address environmental issues within the decision making processes. Thus, the discussion about the location of activities is an important step in the evaluation of the environmental acceptability of aparticular activity, even though the systematic procedures do not require neither to the entrepreneur or to the government studies of sitting alternatives. This paper presents the integration of technical, environmental and social criteria in a landfill sitting study, in order to present a systematic integration of environmental factors and applies in a case study in São Carlos, Brazil. The results allowed the development of an environmental impact statement more focused on significant impacts and the participation of segments of society at early stages of project's development.

A verificação da viabilidade ambiental de empreendimentos e atividades previamente à sua implantação constitui a finalidade do licenciamento ambiental como instrumento de política e gestão do meio ambiente, o que confere à etapa de licenciamento prévio uma posição de destaque na aplicação deste instrumento. Tal pressuposto deve ser aplicado a todos os tipos de empreendimentos potencialmente impactantes, notadamente àqueles que oferecem risco à população. O presente trabalho apresenta uma discussão dos principais aspectos relacionados à viabilidade ambiental de empreendimentos perigosos frente aos procedimentos de licenciamento adotados no Estado de São Paulo. A partir da descrição de dois processos distintos de licenciamento ambiental para sistemas de distribuição de gás natural, questiona-se a eficácia deste instrumento e da Avaliação de Risco Ambiental na análise de viabilidade ambiental deste tipo de empreendimento. The environmental licensing is an instrument that holds the analysis of environmental viability applied to projects and activities. It must be applied, obviously, before their implementation. This prerogative must be extended to all types of projects, especially those which offer some kind of risk. The present paper discuss some aspects of environmental viability related to the environmental licensing of hazardous projects as it occurs in Sao Paulo State, Brazil. Considering two different licensing processes of natural gas distribution systems, the paper questions the efficacy of this instrument and environmental risk assessment as instruments of environmental viability analysis.

A verificação da viabilidade ambiental de empreendimentos e atividades previamente à sua implantação constitui a finalidade do licenciamento ambiental como instrumento de política e gestão do meio ambiente, o que confere à etapa de licenciamento prévio uma posição de destaque na aplicação deste instrumento. Tal pressuposto deve ser aplicado a todos os tipos de empreendimentos potencialmente impactantes, notadamente àqueles que oferecem risco à população. O presente trabalho apresenta uma discussão dos principais aspectos relacionados à viabilidade ambiental de empreendimentos perigosos frente aos procedimentos de licenciamento adotados no Estado de São Paulo. A partir da descrição de dois processos distintos de licenciamento ambiental para sistemas de distribuição de gás natural, questiona-se a eficácia deste instrumento e da Avaliação de Risco Ambiental na análise de viabilidade ambiental deste tipo de empreendimento.The environmental licensing is an instrument that holds the analysis of environmental viability applied to projects and activities. It must be applied, obviously, before their implementation. This prerogative must be extended to all types of projects, especially those which offer some kind of risk. The present paper discuss some aspects of environmental viability related to the environmental licensing of hazardous projects as it occurs in Sao Paulo State, Brazil. Considering two different licensing processes of natural gas distribution systems, the paper questions the efficacy of this instrument and environmental risk assessment as instruments of environmental viability analysis.

Dentre os mecanismos de planejamento à disposição do Poder Público passíveis de serem utilizados no planejamento territorial é possível perceber que, nos anos recentes, o zoneamento ambiental tem se destacado como um instrumento estratégico de planejamento regional, que busca a compatibilização entre o desenvolvimento econômico e a qualidade ambiental. O presente trabalho procura trazer subsídios para que se discuta a gestão ambiental a partir dos resultados oriundos da elaboração de um zoneamento ambiental que observe os preceitos estabelecidos pelo desenvolvimento sustentável, conjugando a procura do desenvolvimento econômico à observação das limitações impostas pelo meio ambiente. Tomando como área de estudo o município de São Carlos (SP), o trabalho apresenta algumas análises elaboradas para o território do município procurando-se determinar algumas das aptidões e suscetibilidades apresentadas pelos fatores ambientais em conjunto frente à eventual necessidade de instalação de alguns empreendimentos. Considerando os recursos hídricos como um fator ambiental relevante para a definição do local em que serão instalados, o trabalho apresenta uma proposta de ponderação, a ser inserida nos estudos de zoneamento ambiental, para a determinação da aptidão apresentada pelo território do município referente à instalação da atividade. Os resultados encontrados servem de base para uma discussão a respeito da definição de políticas de desenvolvimento mais apropriadas ao que talvez esteja se tornando um novo paradigma para a sociedade: a manutenção da qualidade ambiental. Considering the mechanisms available to be used on territorial planning, in recent years, the environmental zoning has been noted as a strategical regional-planning tool, in order to make compatible economical development and environmental quality. This work presents some information that can be used to discuss the environmental management, starting with the evaluation of the results obtained from an environmental zoning, that must include the concepts of sustainable development, searching for an economical growth that respects the environment’s limitations. Taking as the study area the São Carlos municipality, located at São Paulo state, Brazil, this work presents some analysis made for the territory trying to determinate the feasibilities and susceptibilities presented by the environment, supposing the installation of different activities. As the factor water resources can be considered relevant to define the best place to install an activity, the work presents a ponderation to be inserted at environmental zoning studies to determine the territory’s feasibility. The results are the basis for a discussion about the definition of development policies that are more appropriated under the point-of-view of a new paradigm: the environmental quality maintenance.

Environmental Impact Assessment is well established in higher education worldwide, with a history going back to the 1970s. In contrast, the teaching and training of Strategic Environmental Assessment is a relatively novel, less consolidated and implanted, but of growing importance as a decision support tool in planning and policy. Therefore, training needs in this domain have grown accordingly, demanding new answers from higher education institutions. Despite the existence of relevant work on sustainability in higher education, and on impact assessment education, there is a dearth of research on education of environmental assessment approaches for strategic levels of decision making. The goal of this research paper is to characterize the profile of Strategic Environmental Assessment in higher education in two distinct situations; Portugal and Brazil. Surveys were conducted to assess Strategic Environmental Assessment integration in their higher education institutions' curricula. Bachelor and masters' programmes and course curricula were analysed through a content analysis based approach. The main results showed a medium state of integration for Strategic Environmental Assessment, while stressing that it is still an unconsolidated area. These results also emphasized that there is a need to discuss the design of Strategic Environmental Assessment specialized courses that respond to societal needs, rethinking the impact assessment educational initiatives and approaches. The integration of this assessment instrument in curricula could have significant implications for the enhancement of higher education practices for sustainable development, by promoting better assessment and management of strategies, policies, legislation, plans and programmes and the decision-making processes involved.

This paper provides an overview of current IA research in Brazil, considering its extension, lessons learned and the quality of its practice, as well as barriers to research, current gaps and future research endeavours. Despite the big effort devoted to IA research in the country, there is a small number of groups dedicated to the systematic research of IA instruments, its procedures and methods, the assessment of its effectiveness and the evidence to support good practice, the study of the organization of IA systems and their influence on decision-making. In our opinion, the lack of a well structured and distinct field of training and research is one of the major barriers to IA research. Similar to other countries, IA research is not recognised by scientific agencies/committees as a proper field of research, which means the majority of IA research grants is being evaluated/approved by committees with a small or no background in IA. There is, however, a significant contribution to be offered by research to foster IA development in Brazil. Besides the systematic assessment of IA effectiveness and the definition of procedures, methods and approaches to fill the currently well-described gaps, future research efforts should include the study of learning processes through IA practice and their influence in decision-making, the connections between IA and planning, and the benchmarks to environmental governance coming from IA practice.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-11-03T18:24:18Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2014-10-01. Added 1 bitstream(s) on 2015-11-04T10:13:14Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 S1413-41522014000400353.pdf: 1213220 bytes, checksum: b791d4fc3ffd223e5cd16ca2c5589689 (MD5) A Bacia Hidrográfica do Córrego Jararaca sofre impactos ambientais significativos decorrentes do uso e ocupação do solo inadequados em seu território. No Brasil, as áreas de preservação permanente são definidas e protegidas pelo Código Florestal, Lei Federal n°12.651, de 2012. Essas áreas estão localizadas nas margens de corpos d'água e em outros locais especificados pela referida lei. O objetivo do presente trabalho foi analisar os resultados das possíveis alternativas em função de distintos procedimentos utilizados para sua elaboração. A metodologia utilizada constitui na elaboração de um mapa de priorização para a recuperação dessas áreas, fazendo uso de Sistema de Informações Geográficas com análise multicriterial e comparando com as determinações do Plano de Bacia do Córrego Jararaca. Como resultado foram identificadas diferentes prioridades resultantes de procedimentos essencialmente técnicos daqueles procedimentos que incorporam a participação da sociedade. The Jararaca River Basin suffers significative environmental impacts caused by inaccurate land use. In Brazil, the areas for permanent preservation are defined and protected by the 2012 Federal Law 12.651. These areas are located in the bank side and other specific places. The objective of this paper was to analyze the results of possible alternatives in function of different procedures used in the proposal elaboration. The methodology used was the elaboration of a priority map for the recovery of these areas using the Geographic Information System with multicriterial analyses and comparing it with the guidelines from the Jararaca River Basin Management Plan. As a result, there were identified differences in the priorities defined by technical issues from the priorities defined by public consultation process. Univ Sao Paulo EESC USP, Escola Engn Sao Carlos, BR-11665310 Caraguatatuba, SP, Brazil Inst Terra Preservac Ambiental, Rio De Janeiro, RJ, Brazil Univ Estadual Paulista Julio Mesquita Filho Unesp, Inst Biociencias Botucatu, Santo Andre, SP, Brazil Univ Sao Paulo, Escola Engn Sao Carlos, Sao Carlos, SP, Brazil Univ Estadual Paulista Julio Mesquita Filho Unesp, Inst Biociencias Botucatu, Santo Andre, SP, Brazil

After the first applications in the early 1990's, the practice of SEA in Brazil has been going through a slow, but important evolution. In this paper we elaborate on the main aspects of this evolution, based on the findings of a comparative study that put the practice of SEA in different contexts into perspective. SEA systems considered included consolidated (UK, Spain and Portugal) and unconsolidated (South Africa, Mexico, Angola and Mozambique) systems. The Brazilian system is characterised by a disperse structure and a low level of self-organisation, which makes integration with plan making difficult while, at the same time, stimulating "flexible" and "adaptive" SEA processes. We suggest that the lack of both, institutional drivers and a clear procedural framework are hindering further development of the Brazilian system.

Este trabalho descreve a construção de um sistema integrado de informações geográficas e de condições de saúde para idosos com demência, cadastrados nas Unidades de Saúde da Família de um município paulista. Trata-se de um estudo descritivo baseado em uma investigação quantitativa, desenvolvido no período de junho de 2006 a junho de 2007. Os passos metodológicos consistiram na criação de uma base de dados com atributos dos idosos, de um cadastro georeferenciado e de uma plataforma operacional para o armazenamento e gerenciamento do conjunto das informações. Foram visitados e avaliados 1.048 idosos, dos quais 275 apresentaram alterações cognitivas. A criação deste sistema permitiu visualizar a distribuição espacial dos idosos com demência, associar dados geográficos e de saúde, identificando fatores de risco e vulnerabilidade. A utilização de tecnologias de geoprocessamento mostrou-se importante no planejamento de ações de cuidado em gerontologia, contribuindo para a gestão de programas públicos de saúde. This paper describes the construction of an information system, integrating geographic and health care data for elderly people with dementia who were registered in Family Health Units in a municipality in the State of São Paulo, Brazil. The study is descriptive, based on a quantitative investigation conducted between June, 2006 and June, 2007. The methodological steps included the preparation of a database, registering the attributes of the elderly; of a second, geo-referenced registry; and the development of an operational platform to link these two information sets. In-home evaluations were conducted with 1048 elderly, 275 of whom presented cognitive impairments. The creation of this system enables a visualization of the geographic distribution of elderly with dementia, the investigation of geographic and health data associations; and the identification of risk and vulnerability factors. As such, geo-processing technologies enable important new possibilities for planning care initiatives in gerontology, improving public health program management. En este trabajo se describe la construcción de un sistema integrado de informaciones geográficas y de las condiciones de salud para los ancianos con demencia, catastrados en Unidades de Salud de la Familia de un municipio paulista. Se trata de un estudio descriptivo con base en una investigación cuantitativa, desarrollado de junio de 2006 a junio de 2007. Los pasos metodológicos consistieron en la creación de una base de datos con los atributos de los ancianos, así como de de un catastro georeferenciado y de una plataforma operacional para el almacenamiento y gerencia del conjunto de las informaciones. Fueron visitados y evaluados 1.048 ancianos, de los cuales 275 presentaron alteraciones cognitivas. La creación de este sistema permitió visualizar la distribución espacial de los ancianos con demencia, asociar datos geográficos y de salud, identificando factores de riesgo y vulnerabilidad. La utilización de tecnologías de geoprocesamiento se mostró importante en el planeamiento de acciones de cuidado en gerontología, contribuyendo para la gestión de programas públicos de salud.

This article discusses the limitations and implications to environmental management issues posed by the Environmental Licensing approach adopted in Sao Paulo State. In Brazil, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is an essential precondition to the Environmental Licensing of activities and, in fact, it has been the most important and required tool for the licensing of projects. However, in 1994 the State of Sao Paulo implemented a simplified instrument called a “Preliminary Environmental Report” in order to make the environmental licensing process faster. Since then, the Preliminary Environmental Report (PER) has had the role of indicating whether an EIA needs to be elaborated upon or not. The positives and negatives regarding technical, institutional and legal aspects related to the use of Preliminary Environmental Reports (rather than EIA) are discussed using the case study of a high-pressure natural gas pipeline between the cities of Sao Carlos and Porto Ferreira in the State of Sao Paulo. The main conclusion is that the Environmental Licensing process in Sao Paulo should not use PERs as the sole input to decision making about proposed activities, since the PER approach does not guarantee that the proposed activity is environmentally suitable, does not address locational issues or comparison of alternatives, and risk assessment issues are not considered in the earliest stages of assessment.

A integração do ferramental técnico-científico disponível com os diferentes instrumentos de política e gestão ambiental é essencial para a compatibilização das exigências impostas pelo desenvolvimento com a manutenção ou melhoria da qualidade ambiental e social e, também, para o equacionamento das demandas e dos interesses de cada setor envolvido no processo decisório. Assim, os modelos para a projeção das alterações no uso e ocupação do solo de um determinado território têm sido freqüentemente utilizados. A modelagem propicia a geração e a avaliação das informações para montagem de um panorama das possíveis alterações no uso do solo, considerando que as tendências identificadas para aquele território, num certo instante, sejam mantidas de modo a se desenvolverem de acordo com um determinado cenário projetado. O presente trabalho analisa a possibilidade de aplicação conjunta do método de projeção das alterações no uso e ocupação do solo e instrumentos de política ambiental, levando em conta os aspectos preventivos. Aplicado a uma porção do município de São Carlos (SP), o trabalho apresenta uma projeção para a expansão urbana para os anos de 2012 e 2019, considerando três cenários alternativos de ocupação territorial. Confrontando os resultados obtidos pela modelagem com a capacidade de suporte do meio para a implantação de empreendimentos urbanos - determinada a partir da elaboração de um zoneamento ambiental, verifica-se que, mantidas as tendências atuais, e para os três cenários de ocupação avaliados, a expansão urbana continuará avançando sobre áreas de baixa aptidão para a urbanização, permanecerá exercendo intensa pressão sobre os recursos hídricos e os fragmentos de vegetação nativa, caso não sejam adotadas medidas que modifiquem o atual padrão de ocupação do território. To compatibilize the demands raised by development with the maintenance or improvement of the social and environmental quality, the integration among technical scientific tools and environmental management instruments is essential to solve the interests of each sector involved at the decision process. On this context are inserted land use and cover change models. The modelling permit the decision-making process to be done evaluating the consequences of possible alterations on land use, which can be identified considering the scenarios projected for the territory under certain circunstances. The presente work analyses the possibility of joint application of this technique and environmental policy tools considering preventive aspects. Allocated to a portion of the São Carlos (SP) municipality, the work projects urban growth for the years 2012 and 2019, considering three alternative scenarios of occupation. Confronting the results obtained by the model with the carrying capacity for the implementation of urban activities - determined from the elaboration of environmental zoning, is showed that, maintained the present tendencies, and for the scenarios evaluated, the urban growth will continue forward and towards the areas with low suitability. In the same way, the pressure over water resources and fragments of native vegetation will remains intense unless measures to modify the standards in occupation can be adopted.

A matriz elétrica brasileira apoia-se sobre empreendimentos hidrelétricos, com evidente predominância de grandes empreendimentos geradores de energia. Nos últimos anos, as Pequenas Centrais Hidrelétricas (PCHs) têm ganhado destaque dentre os empreendimentos que constituem o parque gerador no país, estimuladas pela perspectiva de um menor nível de conflitos socioambientais em comparação com os grandes empreendimentos. Ocorre que, da mesma forma que grandes usinas, as PCHs apresentam uma gama de impactos ambientais que devem ser avaliados previamente à sua implantação. Considerando os procedimentos aplicados atualmente no processo de licenciamento ambiental brasileiro, o presente trabalho tem como objetivo verificar a aplicabilidade de critérios orientadores da avaliação da qualidade técnica de Estudos de Impactos Ambientais de PCHs. A fim de ilustrar as discussões apresentadas, três estudos de impacto elaborados para essa tipologia de empreendimento foram analisados, de modo individual e coletivo. O conjunto de critérios aplicados mostrou-se adequado para a revisão da qualidade dos estudos apresentados, mostrando-se útil para diminuir a variabilidade e discricionariedade durante a análise técnica dos estudos ambientais que subsidiam o processo de licenciamento ambiental.

Strategic environmental assessment (SEA) is an evolving concept and we are currently seeing a rapidly growing evidence base for e.g. enabling context conditions and factors enhancing a more effective impact on policies, plans and programmes (Tetlow and Hanusch, 2012; Runhaar and Driessen, 2007; Fischer, 1999). SEA comes in numerous forms and guises, e.g. it can be evidence-based and objectives-led (Fischer, 2007), baseline-led (Therivel, 2010), as well as flexible and adaptable to specific contexts (Fischer and Gazzola, 2006). SEA is now increasingly portrayed in terms of being a framework rather than just a process (Fischer, 2006; Partidario, 2000). Overall, effectiveness of SEA appears to be increasing with more systematic practice, mainly as a result of organizational learning (Kidd et al., 2011). There is a growing number of experiences with SEA in different Central and Southern American countries (e.g. Dalal-Clayton and Sadler, 2005; Lemos et al., 2012). Particularly considering its rapid socio-economic development, there are numerous potential benefits that can arise from the application of SEA in Latin America. However, to date, comparatively little attention has been paid in the professional literature to the evolving practices here (Fischer and Onyango, 2012). In Latin America, in the past, practice was driven mainly by activities of development banks. However, more recently, many cases have emerged that have been triggered by national, regional or local administrations. Furthermore, frameworks of SEA systems are now advancing in several countries, with promising examples emrging in Chile, Mexico, Colombia and Brazil. Other countries are currently experimenting with more formalised set-ups, too. In this special issue of JEAPM, eight papers are presented on experiences with SEA in three Latin American countries, including Brazil, Mexico and Chile. A wide range of practices are covered, including infrastructure planning, tourism, mining, electricity, oil and gas extraction. Furthermore, the use of GIS to support SEA is elaborated on and practices are compared with applications from elsewhere Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management Vol. 16, No. 2 (June 2014) 1401002 (5 pages) © Imperial College Press DOI: 10.1142/S1464333214010029

Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is assumed to be an important instrument to support decision-making in Brazil. Although not mandatory, nearly 35 SEAs, of which one third are devoted to energy plans and programmes (oil, gas, hydroelectricity and biofuel), have been prepared over the past 15 years in Brazil. The effectiveness of SEA, however, has not been studied in detail. This paper reports on the application of a procedural effectiveness analysis to 9 SEAs prepared for energy planning in Brazil, of which 5 deal with renewable energy plans and programmes. The results indicate no significant difference between renewable and non-renewable energy in terms of procedural effectiveness, with adequate performance in screening, baseline and description of mitigation actions, but serious deficiencies in the definition of SEA objectives, identification of strategic alternatives, description of public participation and follow-up strategies. The variability in the performance to each effectiveness criteria is taken as evidence that Brazil has not achieved consistency in SEA procedures, reinforcing the need for improvements in the current system.

RESUMO: Na medida em que a disponibilidade de recursos hídricos, tanto em termos de quantidade quanto em termos de qualidade e tempo de recorrência, constitui um fator cada vez mais relevante ao desenvolvimento econômico e social, existe a necessidade de se voltar a atenção do planejamento para a sustentabilidade dos recursos hídricos, atuando principalmente de forma preventiva sobre a gestão da demanda. O presente trabalho apresenta uma proposta metodológica que permite incluir a avaliação da disponibilidade dos recursos hídricos, em termos qualiquantitativos, em um processo de planejamento territorial. O trabalho pretende, fundamentalmente, despertar o debate sobre a necessidade de incluir, nas etapas iniciais dos processos de tomada de decisão, uma avaliação relativa à capacidade de atendimento, por parte dos recursos hídricos, às solicitações decorrentes do desenvolvimento territorial. A utilização da metodologia apresentada mostra-se potencialmente útil durante um processo de planejamento do uso dos recursos hídricos. Uma vez agregada ao processo de planejamento da ocupação do território, estaria se oferecendo aos tomadores de decisão uma valiosa contribuição no sentido de orientá-los para uma decisão adequada e esclarecida, que considera a avaliação da capacidade de suporte do recurso hídrico como um fator primordial a ser observado durante o planejamento.