Around the World in 80+ min with HIA in the Energy Sector - Session II, Discussion

When do projects look at chronic diseases rather than infectious diseases such as HIV because of the boom town effect of extractive industries coming in?

Excellent point, obesity is an issue for Ghana and Mongolia because of the boom town effect with people having disposable income to buy things. sHIA is not a panacea but a good way of bringing stakeholders together.

A lot of gains made could be reversed by the increase in chronic diseases in low income countries. In one case a WB person recognised that a programme for malaria nutrition that some money should be spent on doing a sHIA to insider the wid nutritional issues.

 

Agree that sHIA is important in projects that involve men, money and mobility and unless this strategic assessment is done, e.g. Customs are involved, 8km truck queues.

 

Air pollution presentation - why the increase in winter levels?

PM10 are higher in winter indoors at home because in many towns in Portugal still use wood stoves for heating and in schools still use chalk which also generates particulates.

 

Fracking question - How was the water dealt with and communities affected?

Different ways depending on who the project proponent was. Larger companies tended to be better. Company would pay for wells to be upgraded and to not take local water. In US, fracking was taken out of drinking water regulations, so there are no jurisdictional power that local authorities can us.

 

I have concerns about HIA, can be difficult to identify health impacts and is quite complicated. Communication to community neds to take place and to spend time doing it.

 

Is there a need for another type of HIA, sHIA?

Reason for coming up with this was more for stakeholders so they could see that this was not a project level HIA, its the same approach but at a different level.

 

Concern that we are compartmentalisation HIA, is this a parallel activity or is this being integrated in with oth strategic assessment?

Often the environmental regulations mean that SEA cannot encompass the wider remit that the sHIA was trying to consider. sHIA allows for a depth and scope of analysis.

Most HIAs are done alongside environmental and social assessments.

There is a need to consider what is appropriate - integrated and standalone.