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EIA in a risk society

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  • Joe Weston

Abstract

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was developed and introduced in the 1960s during a time that was dominated by three key societal influences. These were the growth of modern environmental concern, the drive for more rational, scientific and objective environmental decision making and a desire for more public involvement in environmental decision making. The legitimacy of EIA, as a tool to aid decision making, lies in its ability to meet the requirements of all three demands, the chief among these being its ability to be a systematic scientific and rational approach to decision making. Yet today we live in a society that no longer accepts the rationalist model as either possible or desirable. The deference to 'the expert' and our trust in science and technology has steadily declined during the period of EIAs development and widespread use. Today, EIA still depends for its legitimacy on its claim to provide a systematic and scientific approach to assessments, while society has moved on. This paper examines this growing divergence and argues that it is time for a major re-evaluation of the role of EIA in environmental decision making.

Suggested Citation

  • Joe Weston, 2004. "EIA in a risk society," Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 47(2), pages 313-325.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:jenpmg:v:47:y:2004:i:2:p:313-325
    DOI: 10.1080/0964056042000209058
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    Cited by:

    1. Peter Ho & Bin Md Saman Nor-Hisham & Heng Zhao, 2020. "Limits of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in Malaysia: Dam Politics, Rent-Seeking, and Conflict," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(24), pages 1-16, December.
    2. Manju Menon & Kanchi Kohli, 2021. "The Judicial Fix for Forest Loss: The Godavarman Case and the Financialization of India’s Forests," Journal of South Asian Development, , vol. 16(3), pages 414-432, December.

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