商务风险管理指南预防环境破坏.pdfVIP

8 Preventing Environmental Damage ‘The good news is, plant and animal life seem to be unharmed,’ says Paul. Your contractors have managed to clog a sewer pipe during building work. ‘It was a freak accident,’ he says. ‘They were filling a trench and some flowable fill got into a crack in the sewer pipe and clogged it up.’ The result was 15,000 gallons of wastewater spilling into the river for a four-hour period before someone noticed. The smell was pretty awful, apparently. It then took the council 12 hours to locate the blockage and fix it . ‘The Council say they’ve taken water samples from different points of the river to test for faecal bacteria, which is what you get in sewage,’ says Paul. ‘But the numbers are OK. The river has done a good job of dispersing it.’ ‘But the bad news is, they’re going to sue.’ ‘How much?’ you ask. Paul shrugs. ‘Five figures maybe,’ he says. 13 Changes to the Environmental Background Most companies have well-established processes for conforming to the environmental legislation. But governments tend to ratchet up environmental standards. This means that some developments are still on the horizon. They create a problem for some businesses and opportunities for others. So, what will the future be like? We examine the changes that are likely to happen. 1. ENERGY COSTS WILL INCREASE Several factors are likely to push up the cost of energy, while others are set to reduce it. Governments and the EU will want to encourage businesses to reduce energy usage in order to reduce airborne pollution and global warming. Governments will also see it as a legitimate way of taxing less efficient companies. The net result will be a rising cost of energy. On the other hand, renewable energy and a growth in shale oil and gas will serve to push prices down. It would be risky, however, to gamble on prices remaining where they are. 2. WASTE DISPOSAL WILL BECOME MORE CHALLENGING The costs of waste will increase. The oppor