Question: Will economic development always be carried out at the expense of the environment? Answer: Since the 198s! there has been a "rowin" body of evidence to su""est that industrialisation is havin" an e#ect on the climate of the planet. $ill today! industrialisation with its countless new machines and technolo"ies continue to exacerbate the exploitation of the environment. %f this were to "o on! economic development would always eclipse protection of the environment. &owever the picture is not as blea' as it seems. %ncreasin"ly today there is a "rowin" awareness and e#ort on the part of "overnments to develop sustainably. sustainably. (s lon" as "overnments are movin" away from traditional methods of development and are developin" sustainably! economic development would not always be carried out at the expense of the environment. e nvironment. Arguments
Alternative views
)eveloped countries are unwillin" to slow down economic "rowth for the environment. *ich countries led by *ussia! (ustralia and the E+ have been accused of tryin" to cheat their way out of reducin" their "reenhouse "as emissions by creatin" ,dishonest, forestry accountin" loopholes.
&owever! while economic development has brou"ht about environmental de"radation! it need not always be at the detriment of the environment. -any business corporations have succeeded and yet have committed to the environmental cause.
)eveloped and in particular developin" countries are still dependent on pollutin" ener"y sources li'e fossil fuels for its economic "rowth. (lthou"h ecotourism is intended for small "roups! even a modest increase in population! however temporary! puts extra pressure on the local environment and necessitates the development of additional infrastructure and amenities. $he construction of water treatment plants! sanitation facilities! and lod"es come with the exploitation of non renewable ener"y sources and the utili/ation of already limited local resources. $he conversion of natural land to such tourist infrastructure is implicated in deforestation and habitat deterioration of butter0ies in -exico and suirrel mon'eys in 2osta *ica.
Ecotourism channels resources away from other proects that could contribute more sustainable and realistic solutions to pressin" environmental problems. 4acuare Eco 5od"e! located near $urrialba! in the heart of 2osta *ica6s rainforest claims that they have attempted to stic' to the hi"hest standards of sustainable construction. 7o trees were cut durin" the buildin" of the property and the local %ndian community was involved durin" the construction. $he sta# has also been drawn from the local community. Electricity is not used and all fuel reuirements are fullled usin" solar panels and a water wate rrun "enerator.
Some countries adopt a wron" attitude! believin" that the earth is resilient it has always and will always be able to cope with our callous actions. $herefore! there is no ur"ency and e#ort to chan"e and develop sustainably.
With the awareness that environmental problems are "lobal problems! more countries and international or"ani/ations li'e +7E4 would see the need help people in developin" countries to nd alternative wor' without havin" to rely on traditional activities that endan"er the earth.
Preserving the environment is more important than economic development. Do you agree? :uestion (nalysis $opic; the environment %ssue; Whether conservation of the environment is more important than economic pro"ress ! =more important than> comparison reuired@! =economic development>. 2ontext; +nspecied 4ossible stands; 1 Students have to show how the approach they support is more benecial than the other. ("ree; 4reservin" the environment is more important
A )isa"ree; Economic development is more important 3 )isa"ree; Both are eually important students have to show that man'ind canCt do without either! and valuin" any one over the other will brin" eually disadvanta"eous results
Point
Reason
!ample
Preserving the environment is more important Environment; )isre"ardin" environmental preservation a#ects economic "rowth
&ow much society can sustain economic "rowth actually bears a corelation to environmental preservation and prudence in the use of resources. Environmental de"radation can result in hi"h costs to economic "rowth.
2hina (ccordin" to 2hinaCs deputy environmental minister! due to air and water pollution! 2hina is losin" 81D of F)4. G 8 of cancer cases are environmentallyrelated loss of productivity of the wor'force.
Environment; 5evels of pollution
%f the current levels of pollution are left unchec'ed! the planet may not
(ccordin" to 7ic' Broo's $yndall 2enter for 2limate 2han"e
are hi"hH resources will be irreplaceable if depletion rates are not lowered
be able to sustain life in a few "enerationsC time. Economic development and aIuence would be valueless then. $he loss of clean air and water and the depletion of resources such as fuel and food! to"ether with drastic climate chan"es will ma'e survival very diJcult! if not impossible.
*esearch! East (n"lia@; ,By the end of this century it is li'ely that "reenhouse "ases will have doubled and the avera"e "lobal temperature will have risen by at least A2°... %n the worst case scenario it could completely alter the climate in many re"ions of the world. $his could lead to "lobal food insecurity and the widespread collapse of existin" social systems! causin" mass mi"ration and con0ict over resources as some parts of the world become much less habitable.>
4reservation of historical sites; 5oss of culture and history
%f sites and buildin"s of historical si"nicance are sacriced for the sa'e of new developments! part of the history and herita"e of the place will be lost! and such loss is irreversible. $he people will "radually lose their sense of history! identity and belon"in" as their city loo's more and more li'e any other city which is bent on development and moderni/in".
Sin"apore; the nationCs rst and oldest condominium! Beverly -ai! will be demolished as the land which it stands on is worth much more than the buildin" itself.
)emolishin" old buildin"s may eventually cost society more than embar'in" on a new development
4reservin" old buildin"s can create more employment and increase local household income more than the buildin" of new developments. $he employment created can be of lon"er term benets as related industries such as herita"e tourism can 0ourish.
%n 7orway! historical rehabilitation of old buildin"s creates 1K.D more obs new constructionH every direct ob in the cultural herita"e sector creates AK.G indirect obs! compared to the auto industryCs ratio of K.3;1. %n Lir"inia! +S(; herita"e tourists spend A.D times more and stay lon"er than other visitors. Info from European Cultural Heritage Forum 2005@
conomic development is more important Economic $he hu"e numbers of people livin" development is below the poverty line is in itself a essential to ensure social disaster and action should the survival of the be ta'en to enable them to "et out millions livin" in of poverty as soon as possible. poverty in Solutions to poverty such as
(ccordin" to the UN Human Development Report 2005; =%n the midst of an increasin"ly prosperous "lobal economy! 1.G million children every year do not live to see their fth birthday!
developin" countries
$he cost of compliance with environmental preservation re"ulations is hi"h for developin" countries
education! fair trade and social stability depends on economic development.
and more than 1 billion people survive in abect poverty on less than M1 a day.> $hese people should be helped and allowin" them to have a share of the worldCs economic development pie is the most evident way.
%t costs more for developin" countries! than it does for developed countries to comply with the re"ulations! placin" them at a competitive disadvanta"e.
*eluctance of developin" countries to ratify the
". !treme consumerism is the main cause o# environmental degradation. Do you agree? (ssumptions@; N 2onsumerism contributes to environmental de"radation. N $here are other contributors to environmental de"radation. 2larication of $erms; N Extreme: de"ree of extremity is important not only consumerism! but unnecessary consumerism to a very lar"e extent@ N Consumerism: consumption and buyin" of "oods N Main: primary! contributes the most! cause of the most severe impact also su""ests that there are other factors that contribute to it e.". tourism! industrial! a"riculture! overshin"! oil spills! unforeseen human actions! ))$! F- foods! "enetic pollution! "reenhouse "ases! alternative fuels! dumpin" in poor countries as a cheaper alternative N Environmental egraation: destruction and reduction in the uality of the environment 4ossible interpretations O (pproaches N Pes! extreme consumerism is the main cause of environmental de"radation. N 7o! extreme consumerism is not the main cause of environmental de"radation. 4ossible 4oints; Pes! extreme consumerism is the main
7o! extreme consumerism is not the main
cause of environmental de"radation.
cause of environment de"radation.
(ny human activity will compromise the environment. Extreme consumerism is an intensication of human activity as people consume more with hi"her standards of livin" and "reater economic development. $he worldCs resources can 'eep up with our needs but not such extreme and excessive consumerism.
%nstead of extreme consumerism! it is the inability of the earthCs resources to 'eep up with the basic needs of the "rowin" population of the world such as intense industriali/ation and economic activity@ that has contributed to the deterioration of the environment.
Extreme consumerism leads to a Qthrow awayC culture! or a ne"lected cause for thrift. Foods are discarded with chan"in" trends! there are hi"her demands for consumer "oods! and even increased demands for limited resources.
Even if the consumption of people has "one up! there is also a "rowin" awareness of the deterioratin" state of the environment! which has led to many "reen movements such as reusin"! recyclin" and reducin". &owever! there are other unforeseen human actions that have led to environment de"radation. Examples of such unforeseen human actions are "enetic pollution! industrial chemical lea's! oil spills! etc. %t can be said that excessive consumerism i.e. ta'in" from the environment more than it can o#er@ leads to environmental de"radation. &owever! the impact of extreme consumerism is insi"nicant compared to worse cases of environmental de"radation such as bad disposal methods of chemicals and wastes and persistent production of poisonous products such as ))$ and toxic pesticides by corporations. Extreme consumerism does not necessarily lead to environmental de"radation such as the depletion of natural resources. -any products are now made by environmentallyfriendly methods e.". usin" recycled materials! or"anic foodstu#@.
%7$*R)+2$%R7 %t is believed that both economic "rowth and environment cannot coexist peacefully i.e. in order to improve either of the two uantities! one has to be comprised upon. or example! if the environment has to be improved! then the economic "rowth of a nation will have to be compromised on and similarly! if economic "rowth of a nation has to be improved! then the environment will have to be compromised on.
C$%$&IC 'R$()* •
%+IR$%&%)
%t is actually possible to 'eep the economy "rowin" without dama"in" the environment. *ather than implementin" short term measures such as spendin" certain amounts of money in short periods of time! wor'in" towards sustainable development and movin" ahead with a dili"ent approach can lead to a better and economically prosperous world. •
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$he earth provides us with enou"h resources to survive peacefully while mana"in" a thrivin" economy in the lon" run but! the human "reed for possession and fulllin" endless desires has led to this upset in the balance between the environment and economic "rowth.
$he on"oin" ener"y crisis is a maor conseuence of the upset in the balance and the solution to restorin" this balance to some extent by solvin" the ener"y crisis is to ma'e use of "reen technolo"y and alternate sources of ener"y which will alleviate most of the strain on our current natural resources. $his way! the economy of the nation will also not face any considerable repercussions.
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4eople need to chan"e their ways and voluntarily chan"e their mindset in order to utili/e our natural resources udicially as simply establishin" new laws and "uidelines wont last lon" if the environment has to be saved.
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4eople need to start considerin" the natural resources as their own property so that they refrain from carelessly wastin" them and conseuently! end up harmin" the environment. ollowin" such beliefs and ideals will denitely brin" about a drastic and favorable chan"e as only then could people truly understand and care about mother nature.
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4eople are often hesitant to do their part to help improveOsave the environment because they are misled in believin" that savin" the environment reuires a si/able investment whereas in actuality! all thats reuired is widespread awareness and earnest e#ort from our side which will "reatly help in preservin" our fauna! 0ora! aua and terra. or example! even plantin" and raisin" a saplin" can contribute to a lar"e extent in the conservation
of the environment. •
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$he oJcial economic policies and laws cannot be amended overni"ht but! it is uite possible to chan"e and reform our opinions about our outloo' towards economic "rowth. Rne chan"e that can be proposed is that those economic policies should incorporate all aspects rather than ust human based policies focusin" solely on human welfare which will not be a "reat asset in the future.
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%t is repeatedly said that humans are the most intellectual species on this planet and are therefore placed above all other species in terms of intellect. &owever! this intelli"ence can very well be a doubleed"ed sword as while it can be applied in the ri"ht areas humans can live in a thrivin" • economy alon" with and safe and clean environment! it can also cause maor unmana"eable economic 0uctuations leadin" to a decline in the economic "rowth of a nation at the expense of invaluable natural resources.
2R725+S%R7 %f we chan"e our mindset and consider ourselves as a part of the very ecosystem that we dama"e rather than masters of it! then we can expect a bri"hter future ahead. $hrou"h this approach! one can be more concerned about the environment and can be inspired to ta'e the initiative and do hisOher part to save the environment. Rnly then can the balance between economic "rowth and the environment in terms of utili/in" and replenishin" be maintained.
Some people believe that both economic "rowth and environment concerns cannot coexist peacefully. %n order to improve either of the two aspects! one has to be compromised upon. )espite so! % believe that economic "rowth and the environment can coexist as with economic "rowth! technolo"y can be improved and alternate sources of ener"y can be harness! thus reducin" carbon emission from burnin" of fossil fuel and % feel hopeful that environment concern and economic "rowth will coexist as time pro"ress.
irst of all! the relationship between economic "rowth and environmental concern. With economic "rowth! it would cause advancement in technolo"y and as such! clean ener"y can be developed into a more reliable and better source of ener"y and hence! the environment would be enriched once more. Fermany! a developed country is the Tth lar"est in the world that has an E4% Environmental 4erformance %ndex@ ran'ed Kth in the world! where it ran's how well countries perform on hi"h priority environmental issues in two broad policy areas; protection of human health from environmental harm and protection of e co systems. $his is due to them usin" alternate source of ener"y such as wind ener"y. $his shows that even with economic "rowth! environmental issues would not be overloo' and can coexist with each other. &ence! % disa"ree that economic "rowth and environmental concern cannot coexist.
7ext! ob opportunities. Uob opportunities have been created due to environmental issues and it is a new industry. $his can be in the form of wildlife ran"er or even health! safety! security and environmental oJcer. (s such! there would be hi"her employment! which would lead to a more productive wor'force and resources are more fully utili/ed due to lower unemployment! this would then lead to economic "rowth. (s such! it can be seen that environmental concern and economic "rowth can actually wor' hand in hand! complementin" each other. $hus % disa"ree that economic "rowth and environmental concern cannot coexist.
&owever! it is a point to note that if alternative source of ener"y is not properly mana"ed! it would lead to detrimental e#ect to the environment! which is far from its initial intended purpose! helpin" the environment. $he Uapan nuclear meltdown in A11 has showed us the extent of the e#ects! where mutation and cancer have a#ected the citi/ens near it. 7ot only that! plants and shes were also a#ected. 7ot only that! lar"e economies are unwillin" to slow economic "rowth! and some even were accused of tryin" to cheat their way out of reducin" their "reenhouse "as emissions by creatin" =dishonest> forestry accountin" loopholes. 2hina for example has attained hi"h level of economic "rowth. %n spite of this! air pollution in 2hina is A times the safe limit. $his lead to health problems such as lun" cancer and even hi"h rate of infant mortality. S'in diseases will also be caused by acid rain. $his shows that environmental concern and economic "rowth cannot coexist.
$o conclude! % would still be rm with my stand that environmental concern as well as economic "rowth can coexist. &owever this would not be possible as of now! since countries are unwillin" to slow "rowth and is reapin" "rowth at the expense of the environment. )espite so! with economic "rowth! it can brin" about technolo"ical advancement! which can help the environment with alternative source of ener"y. 7ot only that! the environment brou"ht about industries! which can help "rowth &ence % believe that if the "overnment are willin" to help! with "ood and e#ective policies! economic "rowth and environmental concern can coexist in the near future
-aterialistic
4ublished earlier this year! the study by Sin"apore -ana"ement +niversity S-+@ psycholo"y professor 7orman 5i surveyed about T psycholo"y students a"ed
between 19 and A1 $he local females polled an avera"e of 3.98! compared to the (merican women6s score of 3.GT. $he closer the score is to ve! the more materialistic one is deemed to be.
or example! credit card advertisements are notorious for normalisin" a materialistic supercial lifestyle because they feature their tar"et se"ment youn" wor'in" adults livin" it up with exotic travel! hi"h fashion and ne dinin" all with ust a wave of their card.
5(S&P cars! desi"ner clothes and expensive blin".
Sin"apore is a consumer driven society where shoppin" is o'in"ly referred to as a national pastime.
Everywhere we turn! we are assailed by a barra"e of advertisements and shoppin" malls! encoura"in" us to spend money on items we may or may not need.
