Environmental Management Tools and Regulatory Frameworks

Instruments for Environmental Management

Legal Measures

Each nation has its own laws, but each state is responsible for enforcing those laws to the EU.

Financial Aid

The EU provides aid to EU countries, such as:

• Soft loans: To encourage companies to reduce their environmental impact.
• Cohesion Fund: Financially encourages the construction of structures to improve the environment.
• Programs of Action: Supporting scientific research and technological development.

Fiscal Measures

There are two types:

1. Tax reduction.
2. Tariff reduction.

Planning

Planning is devoted to rationally using land for the most appropriate activity in each area. This can be done by assessing the land's capacity.

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)

A process analysis aimed at identifying, predicting, interpreting, and evaluating, preventing, and reporting the effect of a project on health and human welfare, including natural ecosystems.

EIA is mandatory for the following projects:

• Crude-oil refineries
• Storage facilities for active waste
• Waste disposal facilities
• Power plants
• Integrated steel plants
• Integrated chemical installations
• Ports and waterways
• Construction of large dams
• Afforestation
• Mineral extraction

Aspects of the EIA

The EIA should:

• Be carried out by experts.
• Identify the components of the environment.
• Assess potential impacts.
• Predict their effects on components.
• Propose alternatives.

EIA Functions

• Knowledge of potential impacts.
• The study of environmental impacts.
• Flexibility with regard to legal regulations.
• Consensus building.

Ways of Carrying Out an EIA: Cause and Effect Matrices

These are double-entry tables contained in the assessment:

Actions

Project variables (previous phases of construction, exploitation, and neglect, caused changes in land use, destination of waste, accidents, etc.).

Environmental Factors

These consider components of the:

• Physical environment: Air quality, noise, climate, geomorphology, hydrology, soil.
• Biological environment: Flora, fauna, landscape.
• Socioeconomic environment: Population, historic heritage, primary productivity.

Impact Matrices Action

Actions are brought in the same manner as in the cause and effect matrices, but here, environmental factors are placed where caused impacts on each factor are recorded.

Ecoefficiency

A series of production and consumption mechanisms used by some companies, which manage to satisfy human needs and interests compatible with ecological economics. To achieve eco-efficiency, it is necessary to:

1. Minimize the use of materials.
2. Minimize energy consumption.
3. Minimize the dispersion of toxins.
4. Improve the recyclability of materials.
5. Maximize the utilization of renewable resources.
6. Prolong the durability of the product.
7. Increase the use of services.

Audit Scheme

Involves an evaluation of processes, technologies, and activities of a particular company.

Ecolabel

A label that guarantees that a product is environmentally friendly.