Environment Safeguards: A Good Practice Sourcebook (Draft ...

1 R Environment SAFEGUARDS A GOOD Practice Sourcebook DRAFT WORKING DOCUMENT December 2012 This working document was prepared by Asian Development Bank staff. It does not provide an exhaustive or definitive treatment of the issues. Its interpretations and contents do not necessarily reflect the views of the ADB's Board of Governors and the governments they represent. The Asian Development Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this work and accepts no responsibility for any consequences of their use.

2 Use of the term "country" does not imply any judgment by the Asian Development Bank as to the legal or other status of any territorial entity. GLOSSARY Anthropogenic Greenhouse Gases (GHGs). Greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere as a result of human activities and listed in the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. These include carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydro fluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), and Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6).

3 Associated Facilities. Facilities that are not funded as part of a project but whose viability and existence depend exclusively on the project, or whose goods or services are essential for successful operation of the project. Biodiversity (biological diversity). The variability among living organisms from all sources, including terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems, and the ecological complexes of which they are part . This includes diversity within species, between species, and of ecosystems.

4 Carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e). A universal standard of measurement against which the impacts of releasing (or avoiding the release of) different greenhouse gases can be evaluated over a time horizon. It is often measured in metric tons. Chance Find Procedure. A project-specific procedure that outlines what will happen if previously unknown physical resources are encountered during project construction or operation. The procedure includes record-keeping and expert verification procedures, chain of custody instructions for movable finds, and clear criteria for potential temporary work stoppages that could be required for rapid disposition of issues related to the finds.

5 Cleaner Production. The concept of integrating pollution reduction into the production process and design of a product. This involves continuous application of an integrated preventive environmental strategy to processes, products, and services in order to increase overall efficiency and reduce the risks to humans and the Environment through the conservation of raw materials, water and energy, and the reduction or elimination of the use of toxic and hazardous raw materials. It also includes taking advantage of renewable energy sources such as solar and geothermal.

6 Critical Habitat. A subset of both natural and modified habitat that deserves particular attention. Critical habitat includes: areas with high biodiversity value, including habitat required for the survival of critically endangered or endangered species; areas having special significance for endemic or restricted-range species; sites that are critical for the survival of migratory species; areas supporting globally significant concentrations or numbers of individuals of congregatory species.

7 Areas with unique assemblages of species or that are associated with key evolutionary processes or provide key ecosystem services; and areas having biodiversity of significant social, economic, or cultural importance to local communities. Cumulative Impacts. The combination of multiple impacts from existing projects, the proposed project, and anticipated future projects that may result in significant adverse and/or beneficial impacts that cannot be expected in the case of a stand-alone project.

8 Emergency Response Plans. Plan to address contingencies associated with process upset and accidental circumstances. They include clearly assigned responsibilities for the assessment of the degree of risk to life and property with procedures on whom to communicate different types of emergencies and how. ii environmental assessment . A generic term used to describe a process of environmental analysis and planning to address the environmental impacts and risks associated with a project.

9 The assessment may take the form of an EIA, IEE, environmental audit, or Matrix of environmental Impacts. environmental Audit. An instrument to determine the nature and extent of all environmental areas of concern at an existing facility or a facility under construction. The audit identifies and justifies appropriate measures to mitigate the areas of concern, estimates the cost of the measures, and recommends a schedule of implementation. For certain projects, the environmental assessment report may consist of an environmental audit alone; in other cases, the audit is part of the environmental assessment documentation.

10 environmental Management Plan (EMP). A plan that guides the implementation of environmental management and mitigation measures. It contains the following key elements: mitigation measures, implementation and monitoring program, cost estimates, resource requirements, budget, and institutional arrangements. environmental Monitoring Plan. A plan that details environmental monitoring and reporting requirements, including parameters to be measured, methods, sampling locations, frequency of measurements, detection limits, and definition of thresholds that will signal the need for corrective actions; typically a part of an EMP.