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The
objective of sustainable development is a difficult one to pursue. Major
industrial projects and the institutional arrangements and social dynamics of
the communities in which they are located constitute the very foundations of
development. To date, however, few rigorous studies have focused on the
interaction between these components and the concepts of environmental
sustainability and social equity. Yet communities are prey to sharp tensions
in their choice of societal objectives, such as economic vitality, social
equity, and environmental sustainability. These objectives create divergent
tensions among stakeholders because of their differing interpretations of
sustainable development. The
fundamental principles of social equity, wealth distribution, and
environmental justice are often seen as secondary objectives of sustainable
development. Each group of stakeholders seeks to influence political
decisions. In a regional development context, all governments are seduced by
the apparent “quick fix” of megaprojects, which are seen as considerable
multipliers of economic effects, employment and infrastructure. The idea for
megaprojects often emerges from political and economic circles, ennobled by
the term “globalization.” These projects represent the nexus between natural
resources, the economy, local and regional populations, and remote,
large-scale decision-making structures. Despite the high value placed by
governments on the economic contribution of megaprojects, these are decried
as being contrary to ethics, in the sense of achieving social and
environmental equity on a local and global scale. Thus, the identification
and implementation of processes for adequately measuring impacts often take
place under difficult circumstances. Environmental
assessment — including environmental impact assessment, strategic policy and
program assessment, and a posteriori assessment
— has been more fully incorporated into the public and private sector
decision-making process since the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. Many
large corporations now produce an annual report on a whole range of
environmental and social indicators. Thus, the concept of the “triple bottom
line” covering economic, environmental, and social concerns is increasingly
accepted as the basic guidepost pointing governments and companies towards
societal objectives of justice and sustainability. Yet
at many levels, the supervision of megaprojects is inadequate. It does not
allow for accurate monitoring of projected impacts nor the project’s
performance in producing the anticipated or desired social benefits. In such
a context, governments and private developers are unable to adequately judge
the consequences of their decisions for regional communities. In
decision-making bodies, much less attention is paid to the social impacts of
development projects than to the biophysical and environmental impacts. Many
governments and territorial communities continue to act as if the social
impacts of “development” projects are obviously positive, despite pointed
criticism of how local, regional, national, and/or global inequalities are
accentuated by specific projects. For
industrial regions like Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean in Quebec, it is a major
challenge to elucidate the impacts of new development projects, manage their
consequences at the regional level, and follow up on them so as to obtain the
best possible results in terms of equity and sustainable development. In the
case of Alcan’s recent investment in the Alma aluminum smelter, the research
team of the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, under the direction of
Professor Christiane Gagnon, undertook a five-year multidisciplinary study on
social impact measurement in order to produce a model for assessment and
follow-up from a perspective of regional sustainable development. This work
deserves our attention. The
collaboration between Alcan and the university began early. While the project
was in the planning phase, a proposal for community participation in
follow-up on the impacts of the new industrial complex was submitted by the
researcher and her team to the developer and other financial partners.
Alcan’s significant financial contribution to the academic research
illustrates the increasing willingness of large corporations to undergo
external review for the purposes of presenting a “triple bottom line.” But
independence is not easy to maintain. In my experience, there are acute
tensions between independent review processes, the financial ambitions of
university administrators, and the strategic priorities of company
executives. Once the grant money is obtained, it is difficult to manage a
research program according to the imperatives of research, researcher
training, and social participation rather than from the logic of management.
The credibility test for such a corporate/university collaboration is the
capacity to accept, understand, and incorporate negative results, critical
analyses and new ideas. As to the university management, the critical test of
its credibility in the context of such collaborations is its willingness to
support and protect the intellectual freedom of researchers and the
institutional independence of the university. The publication of this
research report on a social impact assessment and follow-up model — following
an in-depth case study of the impacts of the new Alcan aluminum smelter in
Alma on the populations of the Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean — is the culmination
of the impressive work carried out by Professor Gagnon and her team. This
five-year research and researcher training program aimed to reinforce the
autonomy of the local community as a partner in this development project, not
merely as the recipient of the impacts of the development. This achievement
confirms the success of the collaboration between Alcan and the Université du
Québec à Chicoutimi. It constitutes a helpful guide for similar projects in
the future. This
report delivers a careful and detailed analysis of seven regional sustainable
development issues and social impacts at the microregional, local, and regional
scales. In this regard, the research offers a practically unique look at the
social consequences of major industrial projects. Special attention was paid
to the compilation of the baseline data that served as a benchmark for
assessing the changes, providing an effective guide that is applicable to
similar projects in other regions and contexts. The clear presentation of the
data and results is also marked by a close link between the impacts and the
changes as well as by the characterization of the host communities for the
planned change. The communities will find here sufficient material to guide
their decisions and their own projects. The company executives will also find
food for thought in this rigorous longitudinal and empirical study. For the governmental
authorities and decision-makers, the study underlies a critical outlook and
offers a practical, integrated approach to the assessment of social impacts
in the development of policies and programs to nourish the sustainable and
equitable development process in vulnerable industrial regions. The
scope of the multidisciplinary program developed by Professor Gagnon and her
team represents a major contribution to environmental assessment methodology,
including social impact assessment: it offers an assessment and follow-up
model applicable to other contexts and development projects. What we have
here is a participatory assessment and follow-up methodology that gives the
principal regional stakeholders a guide to cooperation and empowerment
vis-a-vis the social objectives targeted by industrial investments and public
support for major projects. The seven-step methodology emphasizes the
parallel iterative processes of research and participation, encompassing
collective learning and community-business-government relations. Moreover,
Professor Gagnon and her pluridisciplinary team incorporated geographic
information systems (GIS) into their research and analysis. The results of the research program stemming from the case of the Alcan aluminum smelter in Alma and the Saguenay/Lac-Saint-Jean region offer a methodology for developing impact studies that truly take account of social impact measurement and prediction. This will enable corporations and governments to become more accountable for the expectations and anticipated regional outcomes with a view to the regional sustainable development of communities. This research deserves special attention, and I recommend that it be read by anyone interested in the restructuring of development processes with an eye to social equity and ecological sustainability. Richard Howitt Associate Professor, Human
Geography Macquarie University,
Australia November 2002 |