Remediation must have a broader mission
Over the past fifty years, the field of environmental remediation has delivered remarkable progress. Driven by the EPA’s Superfund Act, 1200 major sites in the United States with groundwater contamination are now under control and more than 1500 sites have seen human health and environmental risk reduced.
Yet, in recent years, remediation challenges have begun to accelerate. New challenges like PFAS and other emerging contaminants now pose health and environmental threats only just beginning to be fully understood and regulated. However, this challenge also presents new opportunities.
Through new, regenerative remediation approaches, it’s now possible to do more than mitigate contamination. By integrating social infrastructure and low-carbon solutions, regenerative approaches can exceed the typical objectives of remediation — eliminating pollution while providing solutions to an array of additional challenges.
Originally published on Environment Analyst, June 2024