Some people say that economic development is necessary to reduce the poverty in the world. Others say that economic growth should be stopped immediately to stop damaging the environment. Discuss both sides and give your opinion.
People are divided on the role of economic development. Some opine that it is essential in addressing People are divided on the role of economic development. Some opine that it is essential in addressing poverty whereas others say that it should be stopped as it is causing irreversible damage to the environment. This essay intends to analyze both perspectives. I personally believe that both arguments have weightage as poverty has to be mitigated, but saving the environment is also equally important. So, we have to look into methods of sustainable economic development. Stopping economic development is not the way out.
It is irrefutable that by the development of economy people can improve their quality of life. For example, in developed countries even the poorest of the poor has the basic amenities of life such as food, clothing and shelter. All the citizens enjoy high level of social welfare and they enjoy free medical care and free education. Even in countries like India and China, International Companies have created many jobs and as a result, economic development has accelerated even further.
However, it is also true that in our quest for development and becoming richer, we have harmed some of our environment. Most of the things we use require some kind of energy to manufacture, operate and maintain. Disposing-off these things is very difficult too. Most of the energy that we use is polluting the environment. Renewable energy forms a very small part of what is used on a significant scale. Effluents from large factories are being dumped indiscriminately and landfill sites are filling up with non-biodegradable wastes. All this is being done in the name of progress.
Looking at both arguments, it is clear that with economic development, the damage to the environment is inevitable. But, we cannot put a halt on economic progress because the status of the underprivileged has to be improved. Therefore, we have to look into methods by which we can achieve progress without damaging the environment. For instance, we know that there are renewable sources of energy which are less polluting. So, the answer lies in the green technologies, which increasingly use renewable resources of energy. We should also remember the three “Rs” – reduce, reuse and recycle. In this way we can achieve an ecologically sustainable development. In order for progress to cause minimum damage to environment, sustainability has to be worked at.
Summing up, there is no doubt that with economic development, poverty is lessened. At the same time, it is also definite that development is leading to pollution. But, instead of stopping development we can work upon environmentally friendly development.
