Simon Dresner

DECISION-MAKING PROCESSES FOR PROJECTS REQUIRING ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT: CASE STUDIES IN SIX EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

Interviews with participants in the decision-making processes for major installations in six western European countries reveal criticism of the procedures from all sides. In particular, environmental impact assessments were criticised for their lack of independence from the proposer, failure to assess alternatives to the proposal adequately, incomprehensibility to lay-people and failure to consider social factors. There was also criticism of general lack of public involvement in the decision-making process. Consideration of these criticisms lends support to calls for revision of the European directives on environmental impact assessment and their implementation in national laws.

Design of environmentally and socially conscious water metering tariffs for the UK

Abstract England is one of the few industrialised countries where water metering is not compulsory. Most households instead pay a fixed charge regardless of use. Yet water consumption is already at the limit of resources and beyond them in some regions. Despite the need to control demand, compulsory water metering has not been implemented largely because of concerns about the regressive impact on poorer households. This research analysed new data from Anglian Water on household water consumption and income to examine the distributional impacts of ten different hypothetical tariff designs. It was found that it was possible to design revenue-neutral metered tariffs that would cause only a small percentage of low-income households to lose and most to gain. With sensitive design, the social concerns about compulsory water metering can be dealt with.