Most of the reasons for land contamination have to do with industrial activity. Industrial activity usually deprives land of essential minerals and causes erosion. It also results in pollutants and contaminants being dispersed in the land. Waste disposal is also one of the key causes of land contamination. The contamination itself decreases the fertility of land, renders it useless for residential purposes and might also cause health issues on a large scale. This list is not exhaustive and contaminated land poses many other threats in addition to these.
A moral case can be made for the need to remediate land contaminated because of industrial activity. Governments are elected in order to safeguard the rights of the public. Industrial activity invariably exposes the environment and people to harm, land contamination being a key example. Therefore, it is only fitting that governments legislate to minimize the harms of environmental degradation and contamination. If companies fail to make up for the contamination they cause by cleaning contaminated land, this might result in reputation losses, which might, translate into financial losses. This could eventually escalate into a long-term problem that directly affects the survival and financial viability of the company.
Remedying contaminated land is a way of showing civic consciousness on a company’s part and can be an invaluable PR tool. It improves the reputation of the company involved and can be used to depict a responsible image of the company. Many major corporations have advertised their commitment to remedying contaminated land in high profile publicity campaigns. On the flipside, bad publicity can be an existential crisis for a company and it is vital to avoid it at any cost. The need to have a good image for a company cannot be overstated.
In most countries, there are strict laws regarding environmental protection and corporations are required to clean up the land contamination they cause. These laws deal with removing solid waste, removing toxic chemicals from industrial sites and ensuring the quality of soil. Not complying with these laws might result in fines or even the suspension of operations. It is therefore vital for corporations to make a better contaminated land remediation a priority. Most companies that are public interest entities expressly sate it as their objective to care about the environment and this covers remedying the land contamination caused by their operations.
In many cases, cleaning up contaminated land is a preemptive measure for avoiding major outbreak of diseases or a public health crisis. All these measures save the company from inuring significant monetary penalties and potential stoppage of operations. It is advisable to have these measures explicitly stated as the company’s policy. The apex management of companies should make it a priority to deal with issues relating to the cleaning and remedying of contaminated land.
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