Abu Dhabi assesses environmental impact of all development projects

Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi has launched a new initiative to help assess the environmental impact of any development initiatives and projects.

The Environment Agency of Abu Dhabi (EAD) said in a statement that the new plan will help guide investigations into alternatives, as well as potential mitigation and monitoring efforts related to the implementation of strategic projects, programs and development plans. It will also ensure sustainable development and foster a healthy and resilient environment for future generations in line with the goals set out in NetZero’s plan to 2050.

The EAD initiates the SEA under Law No. 24 of 1999, which states that the EAD has the power to request an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for a project or facility, and that the SEA planning plan is a form of impact assessment study. The SEA Decree signed by the Board of Directors in 2022 empowers EAD to apply for SEA not only for projects and facilities, but also for master plans, development plans and strategy implementation.

“We are very pleased with the introduction of the SEA program as it ensures that environmental considerations, not just economic and social The best alternative for the balance between conservation and economic and social development. This is crucial for a progressive emirate like Abu Dhabi, which has been growing and prospering and is the center of several large-scale projects and initiatives. Through With these assessments, we will be able to ensure that all projects take into account the importance of the environment without hampering the successful development of Abu Dhabi while providing a healthy environment for all residents. It also helps to offset negative environmental impacts such as greenhouse gas emissions to mitigate climate impacts,” said Faisal Al Hammadi, Executive Director of EAD’s Environmental Quality Sector.

“Assessment allows for the study of alternative project design and implementation methods. This in turn guides the development of appropriate mitigation measures and environmental management plans to prevent or reduce any associated environmental impacts. It is a proactive approach that focuses on eliminating and Conservation, not just rehabilitation. SEA applies to all sectors responsible for masterplans, strategic projects and development plans, so it applies primarily to government and quasi-government entities, but may also apply to other key strategic projects,” he added .

SEA is designed to require the management of environmental assessments for all strategic projects, plans and programs in the fields of agriculture, animal wealth, forestry, fisheries, energy and desalination, industry, extraction and development of natural resources, mining, transport, infrastructure, waste , water resources management, telecommunications, tourism, urban and rural planning or land use planning.

As part of the EAD management process, we have developed an environmental management framework to guide our clients’ steps forward. The framework defines project objectives, identifies roles and responsibilities, ensures training programs are in place, and sets requirements for environmental monitoring and auditing. After the assessment is complete, the client needs to start implementing the environmental management framework to ensure the successful implementation of the SEA recommendations.

Benefits reported by SEA include prevention, reduction and offsetting of negative environmental impacts such as air pollution, land pollution or climate change. Based on EAD’s Habitat Classification and Conservation Guidelines, it ensures the protection of these ecologically significant areas through advanced and proactive land-use planning, thereby avoiding the creation of critical and environmentally sensitive habitats and declared or proposed protected areas. Negative impact.

In addition, the report provides early warning of potential cumulative impacts and offers a wide range of alternatives to minimize the cumulative environmental impact of a project, program or programme. It also ensures extensive consultation and engagement with relevant government authorities at an early and effective stage. Finally, SEA ensures that significant environmental impacts of the implementation are monitored, enabling early identification of unforeseen adverse impacts, allowing appropriate remedial measures to be taken if necessary.

During the development of the SEA program, extensive benchmarking studies were carried out involving many countries and organizations in the region and globally, including the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Canada, South Africa, Australia and Lebanon.

SEA is a structured and proactive multi-stage process. It includes a screening phase to determine whether SEA is required, a scoping phase to define the scope of the SEA reporting effort, a stakeholder engagement phase, and an assessment and preparation phase. This includes impact assessments, studies of alternatives, and the setting of mitigation measures and EAD reviews of SEAs. This is followed by a decision-making phase, which leads to the acceptance or rejection of a proposed project, plan or program based on the results of the SEA, and finally a monitoring phase of the SEA’s recommendations and their effectiveness in protecting the environment.

A detailed training program has been developed to ensure that the regulated community understands the requirements of the EAD. Training will take place in a series of workshops and training materials and audio recorder training videos are available online. In addition, EAD will provide training to environmental consulting offices and revise their ECO registration requirements to ensure successful SEA reporting by consulting organizations.