Environmental Audit

At the end of this course students will be able to: 1. explain the concept of environmental audit; 2. discuss the system of auditing standards and existing environmental auditing; 3. explain the processes associated with environmental auditing, and environmental management systems; 4. explain the current legislative requirements of environmental auditing; 5. identify the potential impacts of proposed developments and propose solutions to address these impacts in a range of contexts; 6. develop appropriate documentation for an environmental audit statement; and 7. develop an appropriate response to an environmental audit.

Definition, general principles of environmental monitoring. Organisation of auditing and monitoring programmes for site and resource specific strategies. Classification of monitoring techniques and use (physical, chemical, biological radioactive) global sources, sinks and transport (mass balance) of both man-made and natural atmospheric trace components, Ocean- atmosphere interactions, reversible effect of human activities on the global environment like the greenhouse effect, climate change, depletion of stratosphere ozone layer, acid rain. Air pollution meteorology, chemistry and biology. Atmosphere dispersion models. Elements of air pollution control. Sampling and air monitoring techniques. Mechanism of pollutant interaction with soil and vegetation. General principles of biotesting, aquatic toxicity, types, bio, assays, data analysis and interpretation.