Strategic Environmental Assessment of Mining Activities: A Methodology for Quantification of Cumulative Impacts on the Air Quality

Abstract

Environmental impact assessments in Brazil have usually focused solely on project-related issues without considering the regional context. Although required by current environmental legislation, cumulative impact assessments have not been included in the overall environmental assessment of projects. However, in recent Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) studies of policies, plans, and programs undertaken on a voluntary basis in support of the decision-making process, this kind of assessment has been performed especially with respect to air quality. This paper presents the application of a methodology for the quantification of cumulative impacts on air quality under high uncertainty caused by various mining activities in a single region that is recommended for SEA studies. In this way, the methodology presented here is suitable for areas lacking detailed modeling information. The developed approach uses a relatively simplified mathematical model, lowering information gathering costs and requiring little processing time. The application of the methodology is illustrated in the case of a SEA of the Corumbá Mining and Industrial Complex Development Program. Despite the lack of data needed for a minimum characterization of conditions of the area surrounding the region modeled, the quantification of impact cumulativeness on air quality has played an important role in the context of the SEA.

Strategic Environmental Assessment in Brazilian Academic Research

“…For , the use of indicators allows for the development of a governance model for SEA processes. The other works focus on improving procedures for steps in the preparation of SEA: fuzzy logic, associated with hierarchical analysis and GIS, is recommended by Oliveira et al (2012) for the diagnosis step and by Secron et al (2017), to study alternatives and to Cavalcanti and La Rovere (2011) in the evaluation of strategic options. Carvalho (2011) discusses scenarios with geoprocessing tools and Ferreira et al (2019), SEA subsidies in territorial planning guided by the offer of ecosystem services.…”

Introduction to Handbook on Strategic Environmental Assessment

“…waste and minerals extraction), this has been more sporadic (see e.g. Fischer et al 2011 andPorto Silva Cavalcanti andLa Rovère 2011). We include water in Chapter 13 (by Mustow, 2021) as an example.…”

Cumulative Impacts of Diverse Land Uses in British Columbia, Canada: Application of the “EnviroScreen” Method

“…For the purposes of this paper, they refer to the past, present and future interactions between diverse land uses (e.g., multiple forms of extractive industries and supporting infrastructure, land cover changes, climate impacts) and lasting legacies those interactions leave for environments, communities and health [ 10 ]. Classic examples of cumulative impacts include the impacts on water flow rates and quality, temperature, and fish populations of multiple run-of-river dams [ 11 ], or worsening air quality from multiple point sources of pollution in a single airshed [ 12 ]. At the individual level, a cumulative impact can be thought of as the cumulative dose of a point source exposure (e.g., a fire fighter is exposed to particulate matter at work, and also smokes cigarettes, compounding their exposure).…”