The main goal of my thesis is to provide an in-depth analysis of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), which is currently one of the significant legal tools of environmental quality protection. In case any public or private project is likely to have a significant effect on the environment, it needs to pass through the EIA proceedings. This process precedes the development consent to the project. The original EU legal regulation (Council directive 85/337/EEC amended by Directives 97/11/EC, 2003/35/EC and 2009/31/EC) is described in the first part of the thesis. The main sources of this chapter are the judicial decisions of the Court of Justice of the European Communities that reflect the incorrect transpositions of the directive into the legal order of the individual member states. The second chapter is focused on specific attributes of the Czech legal regulation that is included in the legal act no. 100/2001 Sb. modified by further amendments. The regulation is divided into two parts: The first part, the assessment, is concluded by a non-binding opinion, while the second part is concluded by development consent or refusal, as based on particular legal regulations. The most severe issue of the Czech regulation is the insufficient ensurance of participation opportunities of members of the public...

This thesis focuses on problems related to unregulated construction of shopping malls in the city centres. Shopping malls are often built considering their negative effects on small merchants, urban environment etc. This particular problem was analyzed in two cities (Pardubice and Liberec) using elements of Retail Impact Assessment study and counterfactual impact evaluation method. Results showed that placing the shopping malls to the city centre changes the structure of retail units in its vicinity. Since customers prefer larger shopping facilities, their shopping behaviour changes, and small merchants are forced to addapt and compete with "all under one roof" shopping centers. Some of them cannot compete with these centers and are forced to close. Contribution of this research focuses on application of unique methods which indicated a need to regulate and coordinate building of large shopping centers within Czech cities. Key words: retail impact assessment, city centre, vitality, shopping mall

The topic of the thesis is Public participation in the environmental impact assessment proceedings (EIA). The thesis is divided into three chapters further divided into subchapters. The first chapter deals with the EIA proceedings in general including the history and legal sources of EIA. Moreover the Aarhus convention (as a principal source confirming the public participation in decision making proceedings in environmental matters) is described in detail. The following chapter examines the term of "development consent" and related term "subsequent procedure" as a fundamental conditions to ensure public participation in the appropriate extent as is set down by the directive 2011/92/EU. The third chapter is focused on the main issues related with the Czech legislation regarding the form and methods of public participation in the EIA proceedings and subsequent procedures as well as an access of a public concerned to a review procedure before a court.

This thesis aims to provide an analysis of the environmental impact assessment procedures in the Czech republic, including its international and european context, with focus on the topic of public participation in these procedures. The thesis is divided into five chapters. The first chapter provides a definition of environmental impact assessment and enumerates its fundamental principles. The second chapter deals with international, european and historical roots of EIA and SEA procedures. The next chapter describes the course of EIA procedure in the Czech republic. The fourth chapter describes the SEA procedure. The last, fifth chapter deals with the topic of public participation in environmental impact assessment. Finally, the thesis comprises a summary of contained conclusions.

The process of environmental impact assessment is a control procedure that aims to summarize and evaluate the impact of a project on the environment at the stage of project planning and thus to reduce its potential negative impacts in the future. One of the main ideas of the EIA process is to avoid since the very beginning problems and confrontation which would otherwise appear in the future in connection with the planned project. This principle is particularly important in cases of transboundary assessment where communication between countries and joint consultations on the project in its early stages of planning might prevent potential conflicts and disruption of mutual relations in the future resulting from an already implemented plan. The cornerstone of a transboundary assessment is the understanding that the harmful effects of a specific project do not stop at the borders of one state, but can reach a territory of many other countries, mutual cooperation in this subject is thus with regard to environmental protection necessary. The necessity of such a cooperation on one hand, as well as its pitfalls and difficulties on the other hand, are illustrated in the case of transboundary EIA between the Czech Republic and Austria, that is specifically in the case of the construction of the nuclear power plant...

The subject of this dissertation are selected issues of legal regulation of the environmental impact assessment. The dissertation aims to assess the legislation from the viewpoint of efficiency of an environmental protection against the negative impacts of projects on the environment and public health. The dissertation is divided into four chapters further divided into subchapters. The first two chapters are focused on a development of an EIA institute since its start, as well as international, European subsequently Czech incorporation into legislation. The third chapter examines the term of subsequent procedure as a fundamental condition for defining the set of rights and obligations in the proceedings in which projects should be allowed. The last chapter is a comprehensive overview of the various forms of public participation and opportunities for the public to enforce their interests in the assessment of the effects of projects on the environment.

Trinity, East, and Wine Islands make up the eastern half of the Isles Dernieres barrier arc in south-central Louisiana. Formed following the abandonment of the Lafourche delta complex, subsidence and storm erosion have led to rapid deterioration of the system. Since 1887, the land area of the islands has decreased seventy-seven percent, and the gulf shoreline has retreated landward more than a kilometer. Wave ravinement on the shoreface of the islands is responsible for the most sediment loss; liberated sediment travels longshore to tidal inlets. The dominant ebb tidal currents then transport the sediment to where it is deposited in ebb tidal deltas or carried to the west, out of the system. A large lobe of sediment bypassing Cat Island Pass is entering the system from the eastern lower shoreface, which helps replace some of the sediment lost through wave ravinement to the upper shoreface.

<p>Waste-derived organic products are nutrient-rich materials often applied to agricultural land as a fertilizer to enhance agricultural production and soil quality. Commercially available biosolid-based products, which are sold and distributed in bags or bulk, are rapidly gaining popularity for urban and suburban use. Although biosolid-derived products have many benefits, they may contain trace organic contaminants such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) and pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs), in varying levels, depending on waste source composition. These organic compounds have been used in a variety of consumer and industrial products and are known to accumulate in biosolids due to their recalcitrance in conventional wastewater treatment processes. Thus, the application of commercially available biosolids-based products on urban and suburban gardens may lead to transfer and accumulation of organic contaminants into food crops, raising food safety concerns. Most studies to date have focused on municipal biosolids application on agricultural lands with very few studies focused on commercial products available for home and urban gardens. For the latter, the evaluations of bioavailability and subsequent plant uptake of organic contaminants from biosolids have also often been conducted by adding organic contaminants to the growing media (e.g., soil or hydroponic) at a concentration that greatly exceed environmentally relevant concentrations. Moreover, there are currently no studies evaluating leaching and plant uptake potential of contaminants from commercially available (e.g., local stores) biosolids. The research described in this dissertation 1) assessed the occurrence of PFAAs and representative PPCPs in commercially available biosolid-based products and their porewater concentrations in saturated media as a measure of bioavailability and leachability; 2) investigated how heat-treatment, composting, blending and thermal hydrolysis processes on biosolids to convert them to commercial biosolid-based products affect PFAA concentrations in the production of commercial biosolid-based product; and 3) assessed the bioavailability and plant uptake of PFAAs and targeted PPCPs by kale and turnips grown in soil-less potting media amended with Milorganite (a commercially available biosolids-based fertilizer product) at the recommended rate and four times the recommended rate.</p><p>The biosolid-based products displayed varying levels of organic contaminants. Higher PFAA concentrations were detected in biosolid-based products compared to nonbiosolid-based products. The common treatment processes used in taking biosolids to commercially available products were ineffective in reducing PFAA levels in the products except for blending with other essentially PFAA-free materials, thus served as a simple dilution. Porewater concentrations of PFAAs and PPCPs as an indicator of leachability and bioavailability were higher for the less hydrophobic compounds (e.g., short-chain PFAAs and diphenhydramine and carbamazepine with lower octanol-water partition coefficient). Leachability alone did not explain the observed plant uptake potential of PFAAs and PPCPs. With similar leachability and molecular weight/size between diphenhydramine and carbamazepine, higher uptake was observed with a positively charged compound (diphenhydramine compared to a neutral compound (carbamazepine). However, not all positively charged compounds were taken up by the plant. Azithromycin, a positively charged compound, had lower uptake than other contaminants which may be due to its large molecular size compared to diphenhydramine. Higher concentrations of miconazole, triclosan, and triclocarban were found in the biosolids-fertilizer; however, these compounds had low leachabilities and limited uptake by plants. Also, for PPCPs, the application rates of biosolid-based products did not necessarily correlate with the higher uptake and translocation of contaminants to the above-ground portion of plants. </p><p>This study provides an evaluation of commercially available waste-derived organic products under condition comparable to home and urban garden setting. Although biosolids-based products can serve as alternatives to synthetic fertilizers, they contain higher levels of trace organic contaminants than nonbiosolid-organic products. Common biosolids treatment processes are ineffective for reducing the levels of trace organic contaminants in biosolids, particularly for PFAAs. Thus, it is critical to control the sources contributing to the higher level of these contaminants in biosolids-based products. Also, regulations (e.g., triclosan and triclocarban) and replacements (e.g., longer-chain PFAAs to short-chain PFAAs) of persistent trace organic chemicals have led to a reduction in their levels in biosolids-based products. Although longer chain PFAAs are more likely to bioaccumulate and persistent than the replacement short-chain alternatives, the current study has shown that the short-chain PFAAs are more readily taken up to edible parts of plants than longer-chain PFAAs even when applying at the recommended fertilizer rate. Thus, the current movement to replace longer chain PFAAs with short chains has the potential to result in higher total PFAA concentrations being bioavailable for plant uptake, thus increasing the risk of food contamination by PFAAs. </p>

A presente pesquisa objetiva a análise qualitativa e quantitativa das mudanças, decorrentes da urbanização, no sistema hidro-geomorfológico correspondente à Bacia Hidrográfica do Rio Tamanduateí, localizada na Região Metropolitana de São Paulo. O estudo, desenvolvido a partir de metodologia denominada Geomorfologia Antropogênica ou Antropogeomorfologia, sistematizado por meio de cartografia e orientado por indicadores morfológicos, de materiais superficiais e de processos hidro-geomorfológicos, baseia-se em análises retrospectivas cartográficas hidro-geomorfológicas, voltadas às condições originais desse sistema e subsistemas suas condições pré-urbanas -, e às condições representativas de diversos momentos do processo histórico de expansão urbana e produção do espaço urbano metropolitano de São Paulo. Assim, a identificação e análise das características originais e das mudanças promovidas por intervenções antrópicas desenvolveram-se de forma articulada, a partir da cartografia geomorfológica e da pesquisa em fontes historiográficas e iconográficas, considerando-se diferentes recortes temporais e, conseqüentemente, o contexto histórico e sócio-econômico da produção do espaço urbano que promoveu tais modificações. Como resultado da pesquisa, foram produzidos dados que expressam as mudanças no sistema hidro-geomorfológico, decorrentes do processo de urbanização. Esses dados foram obtidos a partir dos documentos cartográficos elaborados, tais como: Mapa da Geomorfologia Pré- Urbana, mapas evolutivos (Mapa da Urbanização e Mudanças Morfológicas de 1881, 1930, 1952, 1983 e 2001), Mapa da Morfologia Antropogênica e Mapa de Unidades Morfológicas Complexas. Além de possibilitar avaliações a respeito do grau de derivação ambiental progressivamente gerado pela intervenção urbana, o estudo colabora na identificação de agentes sociais históricos relevantes no processo de produção do espaço metropolitano. / This research aims at qualitative and quantitative analysis of the changes - arising from urbanization - on hydro-geomorphological system corresponding to Tamanduateí River Basin, located in the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo. The study, developed from the methodology called \"Anthropogenic Geomorphology\" or \"Anthropogeomorphology\" through systematic mapping and guided by morphological indicators of surface materials and hydrogeomorphological processes, based on retrospective cartographic hydro-geomorphological analysis, directed at the original conditions of that system and subsystems - its pre-urban conditions - and representative conditions in different moments of the historical process of urban expansion and production of urban space in São Paulo metropolitan area. Thus, the identification and analysis of the original features and changes promoted by human interventions developed in a coordinated way, from geomorphological mapping and research in historiography and iconographic sources, considering different time periods and, consequently, the historical context and socio-economic production of urban space that promoted such changes. As a result of the survey, were produced data that express the changes in hydro-geomorphological system, arising from the urbanization process. Those data were obtained from the cartographic documents produced, such as: Map of Pre-Urban Geomorphology, Evolutionary Maps (Maps of Morphological Changes and Urbanization, 1881, 1930, 1952, 1983 and 2001), Map of Anthropogenic Morphology and Map of Morphologic Units Complex. Besides enabling assessments about the degree of environmental derivation progressively generated by urban intervention, the study helps to identify relevant historical social agents in the process of production of the metropolitan space.

O Estudo de Impacto de Vizinhança (EIV) é um dos instrumentos de política urbana previstos no Estatuto da Cidade - Lei Federal 10.257/2001. O EIV tornou-se obrigatório para a emissão de licenças ou autorizações para construção, ampliação ou funcionamento de empreendimentos e atividades. Esse instrumento está voltado para a avaliação das relações e inter-relações entre o empreendimento e seu entorno e busca identificar e avaliar os impactos que serão gerados por ele. Por ser um instrumento ainda pouco conhecido, sua elaboração ainda requer um aprofundamento maior, tanto por parte dos técnicos que tenham atribuição legal para realizá-lo, quanto pelos técnicos municipais com atribuição para analisá-los. O presente trabalho trata do desenvolvimento de novos métodos para a avaliação de impactos de vizinhança. O método desenvolvido neste estudo foi elaborado através do uso de matrizes de avaliação, desenvolvidas empiricamente desde 2002 e que foram aperfeiçoadas através da Matriz de Leopold (1971), da teoria do Enfoque Sistêmico, conforme definido por Churchman (1971) e, complementarmente, pelo método AHP, Analytic Hierarchy Process, criado por Saaty (1991). O método da utilização dessas matrizes para a elaboração de Estudos de Impacto de Vizinhança foi aplicado em estudos recentes, permitindo obter uma avaliação da utilidade da metodologia desenvolvida. As matrizes permitiram avaliações mais completas e aprofundadas. A utilização de critérios de avaliações numéricas permitiram avaliações mais objetivas, minimizando as subjetividades dos julgamentos. O que buscamos obter são resultados que possam ser comprovados, dentro de uma visão essencialmente científica. / The Brazilian Neighborhood Impact Study (EIV) is one of urban policy instruments contained in the Statute of the City - Federal Law 10.257 / 2001. The EIV became mandatory for issuing licenses or permits for construction, expansion or operation of projects and activities. This instrument is focused on the evaluation of relations and inter-relations between the enterprise and its environment and seeks to identify and evaluate the impacts that will be generated for it. Because it is a little known instrument, its development still requires further clarification, both by technicians who have legal authority to carry it out, as by municipal technicians with assignment to analyze them. This work deals with the development of new methods for the preparation and evaluation of Neighborhood Impact Studies (EIV), derived from Leopold Matrix (1971). The method developed in this study was prepared through the use of evaluation matrices, empirically developed since 2002 and honed by Leopold Matrix (op. Cit.), The theory of Systemic Approach, as defined by Churchman (1971) and, in addition, the AHP, Analytic Hierarchy Process, created by Saaty (1991). The method of using these matrices for the elaboration of Neighborhood Impact Studies was applied in recent studies, allowing an evaluation of the usefulness of the methodology developed. The matrices allowed more complete and in-depth evaluations. The use of mathematical criteria allowed objective evaluations, minimizing the subjectivities of the judgments. The objective of this work is to obtain results that can be verified and obtained, within an essentially scientific point of view.