Environmental improvement is incremental. It s a long journey. To embark on this journey, we need a good road map to tell us how to get to our destination. High-quality data serves as the signs along the way, telling us where we are, if we re still on the right road and how far we have to go. Another advantage of good data is that it helps us reduce costs in the long-run.
Preventive action is usually much cheaper than full-scale cleanup.
By making the investment in high-quality monitoring B and by wisely using the information it makes available B we reduce the need for large, costly remedial operations. This harkens back to my experience in Eastern and Central Europe. The cost of cleaning up the contamination will, in many cases, be exorbitant. It will slow economic growth. Let s be realistic B until they have a solid foundation of prosperity, people will not put the environment at the top of their list of concerns.