As the demand for intermodal logistics services and
multimodal transportation facilities grows and as
seamless transportation becomes more central to integrated
logistics and efficient supply chain management
in the 21st century, pressures will increase to
manage the environmental impacts of transportation
systems proactively. Proactive environmental management
seeks to prevent pollution and eliminate
sources of environmental degradation. A proactive
EMS offers comprehensive policies and frameworks
for continuous planning, action, and improvement.
Multimodal transportation infrastructure adds value
in logistics as an integrated system managed holistically.
The impacts of transportation on air, water,
land, and natural resources can thus be more readily
identified, assessed, and mitigated by proactive
environmental management systems than by
attempts to regulate single environmental media.
Regulatory compliance and beyond-compliance management,
however, both require strong commitments
from the transportation industry, local and national
government agencies, transport service users, and
other major stakeholders. In order to achieve significant
improvements in environmental conditions, all
participants in multimodal transportation networks
must identify the potential environmental impacts of
their activities, monitor their environmental performance,
and control or prevent environmental damage
through proactive environmental practices.