ABSTRACT
To decide the nature and extent of the EA to be carried out, the Bank's environmental review process begins with environmental screening at the time a project is identified. In the screening, the Bank team determines the nature and magnitude of the proposed project's potential environmental and social impacts, and assigns the project to one of three environmental categories:
Category A: A full EA is required. Category A projects are those expected to have "adverse impacts that may be sensitive, irreversible, and diverse" (Operational Directive (OD) 4.01), with attributes such as direct pollutant discharges large enough to cause degradation of air, water or soil; large-scale physical disturbance of the site and/or surroundings; extraction, consumption, or conversion of substantial amounts of forest and other natural resources; measurable modification of hydrologic cycles; hazardous materials in more than incidental quantities; and involuntary displacement of people and other significant social disturbances.
