Chapter 1: An introductory guide to EIA.

The article reports that in the sixteen years since its inception, environmental impact analysis (EIA), a procedure for assessing the environmental implications of a decision to enact legislation, to implement policies and plans, or to initiate development projects, has become a widely accepted tool in environmental management. EIA has been adopted in many countries with different degrees of enthusiasm where it has evolved to varying levels of sophistication. In the United States, EIA required under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) has given a federal dimension to land-use planning which existed in only rudimentary form prior to 1970 and has created a situation where decisions on major Federal activities can only be taken with foreknowledge of their likely environmental consequences. Countries in the developed world have not been alone in realizing the potential of EIA. Many less developed countries have been quick to appreciate that the procedures offer a means of introducing some aspects of environmental planning, often in the absence of any formal land-use planning control system.