Pollution prevention in the United States
Pollution prevention (P2) is a strategy for reducing the amount of waste created and released into the environment, particularly by industrial facilities, agriculture, or consumers.
Many large corporations view P2 as a method of improving the efficiency and profitability of production processes through waste reduction and technology advancements.
Examples of simple steps include a restriction on engine idling for ships in the port and the use of cleaner grade diesel fuels.
[4] Due to increased trade, the emissions from ships are expected to become the second largest source of diesel particulate matter by 2020.
One approach to reduction as set forth by the International Forum on Globalization (IFG) is to increase the amount of local trading, thereby reducing the number of miles that ships have to travel.
[4] In 2017, the biggest pollutants included carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide, hydrocarbons, lead, and particulate matter according to Theilmann in the U.S. Clean Air Act.
Citizens living in car-dominant highly populated areas are at the risk of health issues caused by these pollutants, ranging from chronic cough to death.
[6] Theilman states that the Clean Air Act has done a successful job at assessing and limiting the pollutants that harm humans from stationary and mobile sources.
Long-term exposure to certain pollutants can cause cancer, heart disease, asthma, birth defects, and premature death.
[7] Congress declared that pollution should be prevented and reduced wherever possible; in addition, any waste that must be released into the environment must be done in a responsible, environmentally-conscious manner.
[2] The Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 provided many P2 strategies, including governmental intervention, research and development programs, guidelines for efficient technologies, reduction of vehicle emissions, and a suggested Congressional status report.
[2] The EPA 2010–2014 Pollution Prevention Program Strategic Plan introduced a number of ways to reduce harmful industrial outputs (i.e. greenhouse gases, hazardous materials) while conserving natural resources.
Companies are moving past simply complying with the minimum environmental requirements, and they are taking a more strategic, forward-thinking stance on tackling the issue.
The most widespread strategy is "reduction at the source", which is the idea that byproducts of production can be reduced through efficient and careful use of natural resources.
However, US President Richard Nixon created the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1970, and one of its principal missions was to regulate pollution.
In order to assure that the program will establish itself long term, there should be visible benefits to the participants and obvious results to the greater community.
[10] EPA has published waste minimization guidelines that comprise 5 major steps: This framework mainly benefits smaller facilities.
[12] Pollution prevention can also be viewed as a form of environmental entrepreneurship, as companies see opportunities to reduce costs of waste treatment, storage, and disposal.
[12] According to EPA, there are some everyday steps that can be taken to prevent pollution: Additional examples of P2 include using energy efficient machinery, developing clean-burning fuel, reducing the amount of chemicals released into water sources, creating a production process that results in a reduced amount of waste, and utilizing water conservation techniques.
