10. Conclusions and Recommendations

This chapter summarises, and draws conclusions from, the main body of the book. It concludes that there is a lack of international law or policy on site contamination, and that national legislation often falls short of dealing comprehensively with the issue, if at all. The scale of the site contamination problem, particularly in countries undergoing rapid industrialisation, means that clear guidance on an effective regulatory approach is urgently needed. In this context, an appropriate solution may be legal harmonisation, whether through a binding international instrument, a non-binding instrument, informal avenues, and/or the promotion of a model law on site contamination. The prospects of these options are summarised, and recommendations are made as to further action and timeframes.