CSC Environmental Impact Assessment & Resource Management 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When assessing cumulative impacts in an EIA, analysts must evaluate:
- Only the direct emissions from the proposed project
- The combined effects of the project plus past, present, and reasonably foreseeable future actions (Correct answer)
- Financial costs of environmental cleanup over the project's life
- Carbon offsets purchased to neutralize the project's footprint
Correct answer: The combined effects of the project plus past, present, and reasonably foreseeable future actions
Cumulative impact analysis examines how the project's effects combine with those of other actions over time and space, even if individually minor.
Question 2: Which waste management hierarchy level is most preferable from a sustainability standpoint?
- Recycling
- Energy recovery
- Source reduction/prevention (Correct answer)
- Landfill disposal
Correct answer: Source reduction/prevention
The waste hierarchy ranks source reduction (prevention) highest because avoiding waste generation is more resource-efficient than managing it after the fact.
Question 3: An Environmental Management System (EMS) based on ISO 14001 follows which continuous improvement cycle?
- Define–Measure–Analyze–Improve–Control (DMAIC)
- Plan–Do–Check–Act (PDCA) (Correct answer)
- Identify–Assess–Control–Review (IACR)
- Scope–Baseline–Target–Verify (SBTV)
Correct answer: Plan–Do–Check–Act (PDCA)
ISO 14001 EMS is structured around the PDCA (Plan–Do–Check–Act) cycle to drive continual environmental performance improvement.
Question 4: In the context of biodiversity impact assessment, the mitigation hierarchy lists options in what order?
- Restore, avoid, minimize, offset
- Avoid, minimize, restore/rehabilitate, offset (Correct answer)
- Offset, minimize, avoid, restore
- Minimize, avoid, offset, rehabilitate
Correct answer: Avoid, minimize, restore/rehabilitate, offset
The mitigation hierarchy prioritizes avoiding impacts first, then minimizing, then restoring on-site, and finally offsetting unavoidable residual impacts elsewhere.
Question 5: The 'precautionary principle' in environmental policy states that:
- Economic development should be halted until all risks are fully quantified
- Lack of full scientific certainty should not be used as a reason to postpone cost-effective preventive measures (Correct answer)
- Regulators must prove harm before any restrictions on industry are imposed
- Industries bear no liability for environmental harm caused by novel technologies
Correct answer: Lack of full scientific certainty should not be used as a reason to postpone cost-effective preventive measures
The precautionary principle, articulated in the Rio Declaration (Principle 15), supports preventive action even under scientific uncertainty when threats are serious.
Question 6: Which indicator is most appropriate for evaluating a facility's water use efficiency relative to its production output?
- Total annual withdrawal volume (m³/year)
- Water intensity (m³ per unit of product) (Correct answer)
- Percentage of wastewater treated on-site
- Depth to groundwater table (meters)
Correct answer: Water intensity (m³ per unit of product)
Water intensity normalizes water consumption against production, enabling meaningful comparisons across facilities of different sizes.
Question 7: A Tier 1 greenhouse gas emission is best described as:
- Indirect emissions from purchased electricity
- Direct emissions from sources owned or controlled by the reporting entity (Correct answer)
- Emissions from a company's supply chain upstream activities
- Emissions from end-user product consumption
Correct answer: Direct emissions from sources owned or controlled by the reporting entity
Scope 1 (Tier 1) GHG emissions come directly from sources the organization owns or controls, such as on-site combustion and company vehicles.
CSC Environmental Impact Assessment & Resource Management 3
When assessing cumulative impacts in an EIA, analysts must evaluate: