Economy Vs. Environment: The Conflict
Argument 1: Economic progress is said to improve our standard of living. On the other hand, this very progress can lead to degradation of the environment. The differences between these conflicting views are discussed below.
The economy vs. environment debate started few decades ago and it has become quite a popular one in today’s world where economic growth is associated with environmental degradation. Points mentioned in the following and subsequent paragraphs should help us find some useful information on this topic.
There is a common belief in our society that preserving the environment is somehow linked with compromising on economic terms. This very belief has fueled the economy vs. environment debate. However, the truth is exactly opposite to this perception of ours. In reality, there is enough that the planet earth can provide us to satisfy our needs. Our economy can prosper and sustain in the long run without putting undue stress on the natural resources. It is the greed to possess and enjoy as many luxuries as possible that has led to the state in which we find ourselves, today. The use of green technologies and renewable sources of energy should solve the energy crisis to a great extent without putting any burden on the existing natural resources. It means the economic growth of the country/region in question doesn’t get hampered owing to environmental concerns. There is another misconception that conservation efforts require you to spend a lot of money to be successful. In reality, it is the awareness and a bit of effort on our part that can save many trees and animals on this planet. Even a simple act of planting and nurturing a sapling holds great importance in the process of environmental conservation. Such kind of efforts need to be concentrated in order to bring about a bigger and long-lasting change. The following paragraphs throw light on different aspects of the economy vs. environment debate through explanations about various subjects. Let us start with the topic of environmental ethics. Before getting into the details of environmental ethics, one must be aware about globalization and its impact on the environment to get a better idea of the subject of economy vs. environment.
Argument 2: Industrialists believe that economic progress gets hampered by putting restrictions on the way their operations are conducted. Environmentalists, on the other hand, demand for impractical rules and regulations to be put on working of industries. The details on these arguments can be found below.
It is actually possible to keep the economy in good shape without harming the environment. More than relying on temporary solutions like issuing monetary packages to solve environmental problems, it is the conscientious approach towards sustainable development that can lead to a better and also an economically prosperous world. Merely imposing rules and setting guidelines won’t go a long way in the quest to conserve the environment. It requires a voluntary change in the mindset of people towards judicious use of natural resources. People should actually start thinking about the environment and surroundings as their own property. Only then, can a person truly care about nature. Following such ethics can definitely bring about a positive change.
Few of our environmentalists take an extreme view on the subject of conservation and oppose any and every developmental activity. Such kind of attitude not only blocks the economic progress, but also prevents a reasoned dialog on environmental issues from taking place. No matter how hard we try, there is little possibility that we can completely repair the damage caused to our environment. It is therefore, necessary to become a little more pragmatic. You cannot change the established economic policies and systems overnight. It is however, possible to change our outlook towards the way we go about economic development. The developmental policies should be all-encompassing. Merely human-centric development won’t help much in the long run and which is why we have to question the prevalent economic policies that revolve only around human welfare. The next paragraph deals with this crucial aspect of the economy vs. environment debate.
