The National Environmental Policy Act

Introduction

Climate change is increasingly becoming an environmental crisis in most parts of the world. Human activities in the environment have been shown as the major contributor to continued climate change. In a measure to assess the environmental impact of human activities, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) was passed and implemented in the United States. NEPA required the assessment of the environmental impacts of proposed actions on the environment before the decision-making process (Yost, 2019). The development of NEPA plays a crucial role in mitigating and cushioning against adverse negative environmental impacts.

Discussion

Increased environmental pollution was the first reason for the development of the Act. Due to increased air, water, and sewerage pollution in the U.S., there was a need to develop necessary policies for both industries and investors in the region to ensure that projects adhere to environmental protection. NEPA requires various federal agencies to conduct an environmental impact analysis of proposed project developments before the start of the actual project. This provides crucial environmental impact information resulting from the development thus facilitating the adoption of the necessary mitigation measures.

Increased environmental awareness during the period was another reason for the development of NEPA. With increasing urbanization and industrialization, there were increasing environmental concerns calling for appropriate measures to protect the environment (Ingles, 2019). The proliferation of nuclear energy and associated wastes during the period also brought huge environmental concerns calling for environmental regulations concerning the activities. Lastly, during this period, most of the federal decisions were focused on economic welfare development, and other sectors were neglected. With the establishment of NEPA environmental impact assessment of proposed projects was assured. The food industry which has the highest amount of effluents is one of the reasons for the establishment of NEPA.

Environmental conservation is a major role for most big organizations in the world. Due to increasing environmental awareness among the public, large organizations have implemented various environmental and conservation goals as a move to protect the environment and those living around these areas. For Coca-Cola company, environmental conservation has been placed in the company’s sustainability goals. With increased consumer environmental awareness, organizational activities’ environmental impacts directly affect the organization’s performance in the market.

Water conservation is one of the organization’s sustainability goals. Coca-Cola utilizes huge tons of water daily in the production process for its products. The Coca-Cola Company has seen the implementation of a water strategy focused on sustainable water security by ensuring the replenishment of local water, advocating for the enactment of smart water policies, and pushing for responsible utilization of water (Yu, 2021). Through water conservation, the company will be able to avoid any major federal action regarding the wastage of scarce resources and contribute towards the general good of the environment as provisioned by NEPA.

Reduction of carbon emissions through the use of renewable energy sources in the Company is also a major sustainability goal for the organization. The organization’s target is to reduce the carbon footprint by 25% before 2030 from the base year 2015 (Zhang et al., 2020). The use of fuel as a source of energy has a major effect on the human environment. Through this sustainable goal, the organization reduces the risk of litigation as a result of engaging in activities that affect the human environment. The shift to renewable energy sources also goes a long way in promoting the conservation of the environment.

The Coca-cola Company is focused on attaining a 100% recycling ability for all its packaging products as one of its sustainable goals. Packaging materials, especially plastics have become a major issue with their inability to degrade. As a result, the company is committed to recycling most of its packaging material with efforts to curb environmental pollution. According to NEPA’s definition of major federal action, any activity by an organization that significantly impacts the quality of the human environment is reason enough for the organization’s litigation. Through recycling the packaging products, Coca-Cola minimizes the risk of litigation as described in major cases by NEPA.

Environmental conservation has always been at the heart of the organization’s sustainability goals. In efforts to support the states’ conservation efforts, Coca-Cola is partnering with major federal organizations in re-afforestation measures in various regions. These efforts are focused on overturning the adverse effects of climate change in the region as a result of major deforestation activities that have been recorded over the years due to industrialization and urbanization. These efforts by the organization promote environmental conservation reducing any risks of litigation resulting from industrialization in different regions affecting the quality of the human environment.

Conclusion

Coca-Cola’s sustainable goals are focused on protecting the environment by ensuring any of its industrial activities do not interfere with the quality of the human environment. In some of the major NEPA cases, any activity by an organization affecting the quality of the human environment is subject to federal action. Organizations need proper achievable sustainable goals to ensure that their activities do not affect the quality of human life. With effective environmental and sustainable goals, environmental conservation is achieved and the risk of litigation by NEPA are significantly reduced.

References

Ingles, J. (2019). A narrative understanding of the National Environmental Policy Act. Ecology LQ, 46, 555.

Yost, N. C. (2019). The 1979 CEQ NEPA Regulations. Improving Impact Assessment, Routledge, 415-422

Yu, H. (2021). Water conservation in beverage production: examining corporate water stewardship programs. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 776(1), 012006. Web.

Zhang, Z., Guan, D., Wang, R., Meng, J., Zheng, H., Zhu, K., & Du, H. (2020). Embodied carbon emissions in the supply chains of multinational enterprises. Nature Climate Change, 10(12), 1096-1101.