Lecture: Environmental Laws and Regulatory Approaches in Environmental Remediation PDF

LECTURE 3: ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS AND REGULATORY APPROACHES M. Phil 1st Semester Environmental Sciences 1. BRIEF HISTORY: EARLY INDUSTRIALIZATION 2. EARLY PUBLIC HEALTH MOVEMENTS Cholera Outbreaks and Water Quality (1800s): Growing awareness of the connection between pollution and public health....

LECTURE 3: ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS AND REGULATORY APPROACHES M. Phil 1st Semester Environmental Sciences 1. BRIEF HISTORY: EARLY INDUSTRIALIZATION 2. EARLY PUBLIC HEALTH MOVEMENTS Cholera Outbreaks and Water Quality (1800s): Growing awareness of the connection between pollution and public health. In cities like London, cholera outbreaks were linked to contaminated drinking water, prompting early efforts at improving water quality through filtration and waste management. First Regulations: Laws focused on public health started to emerge. Most aimed at immediate hazards, such as unsafe drinking water, rather than comprehensive pollution control. These efforts laid the groundwork for future environmental policies.  Post World War II, rapid industrialization M I D - 2 0 TH C E N T U RY: R I S E Excessive release of heavy metals, OF agrochemicals, industrial solvents E N V I R O N M E N TA L AWA R E N E S S Little to no regulations Historical Pollution Events: Love Canal (1940s-1950s) Cuyahoga River Fire (1969) Great Smog (1952) Bhopal Disaster (1984) Exxon Valdez Oil Spill (1989) Chernobyl Disaster (1986) Deepwater Oil Spill (2010) Many more…  3. ENVIRONMENTAL Silent Spring (1962): MOVEMENTS Rachel Carson’s book, Silent Spring, documented the environmental harm caused by pesticides, particularly DDT. It sparked the modern environmental movement and led to increasing awareness of the need for environmental protection and remediation. Fire on the Cuyahoga River (Ohio): Led to mass public movements, resulting in: Clean Water Act (1972) The Great Lakes Water Quality (1972)  National Environmental Policy Act 4. FIRST MAJOR (NEPA) (1970): The first comprehensive U.S. ENVIRONMENTA environmental law, requiring government L LAWS: agencies to evaluate the environmental effects of their actions. a. Clean Air Act (1970): Congress authorized EPA to set national air quality, auto emission, and anti- pollution standards. b. Clean Water Act (1972): Restore and maintain nation’s water, integrity of wetlands, assistance to public wastewater treatment facilities Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) (1976): To control hazardous waste from the 'cradle-to-grave, including the generation, transportation, treatment, storage, and disposal of harmful materials. The 1984 amendments focused on waste minimization and phasing out land disposal of hazardous waste The 1986 amendments helped address environmental problems that could result from underground tanks storing petroleum and other hazardous substances. Led to a comprehensive underground storage tank program C O M P R E H E N S I V E E N V I R O N M E N TA L R E S P O N S E , C O M P E N S AT I O N , AND LIABILITY ACT (CERCLA) (1980) Following the Love Canal Disaster, the Congress passed Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, also called as Superfund Act. This act authorized EPA to identify parties responsible for contamination and compels them to clean up the sites. The initial program designated $1 billion for cleanup efforts. 5. T H E E V O L U T I O N O F R E M E D I AT I O N T E C H N I Q U E S ( 1 9 8 0 S - 2 0 0 0 S ) : Development of Cleanup Technologies: Excavation and Removal Bioremediation (1980s and 1990s) In-situ Remediation Phytoremediation (1990s) Brownfields Revitalization (1990s - 2000s): The governments began promoting the redevelopment of brownfields. Cleanup and redevelopment were encouraged through legal reforms and financial incentives to reduce the environmental liability risks associated with these sites. International Collaboration (1990s - 2000s): Although not always focused on remediation, treaties like the Montreal Protocol (1987) and Kyoto Protocol (1997) have addressed environmental degradation, encouraging countries to limit or clean up emissions.  R EMED IATION IN 21 C E N T U RY (2000 - PR ESEN T) Advanced Cleanup Methods: Innovation in remediation technologies, including nano-remediation, where nanoparticles are used to neutralize contaminants, and the use of artificial wetlands to clean water systems. Focus on Sustainability: Remediation strategies focus on sustainable remediation, which integrates energy efficiency, resource conservation, and habitat preservation into remediation projects. Climate Change and Environmental Justice: Environmental cleanup efforts now focus on addressing pollution in disadvantaged communities and tackling new challenges from climate change, like rising sea levels and extreme weather in vulnerable areas, which makes the remediation difficult.