i need more explanations on how economic growth can inevitably conflict with sustainable development
Answers
Answer:
Explanation:
The world can be characterized as both developed and developing countries.
Regardless of which end of the spectrum a nation stands, both extremes have caused environmental stress in the world.
Therefore, it is important to understand the differences, and issues between the developed and developing nations, to effectively understand the dynamics.
Environmental constraints in Developing countries are characterised by pressures from Population Growth, Inefficient Technology, Weak Governance, Poor Health Sector, Low per capita Income, and Poverty (Popp 2010). Therefore, the emphasis for developing countries is on the need for progress, a desire to have social and economic growth. Hence, growth would take precedence to the environment.
In terms of the perspective from the developed countries, economic growth results in increasing wealth, income, standard of living, and improved health care facilities. This state of affluence on the other hand came at a price of environmental degradation, which commenced from the dawn of the industrial revolution in the 18th Century. The drive to industrial development was based on the increasing use of fossil fuels, raw materials, synthetics and chemicals (such as pesticides, DDT etc.) to name a few (WCED, 1987, p.28).
This rapid consumption and production drive placed great pressures on the environment through overexploitation and depletion of resources, accumulation of CO2 and greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, pollution, and destruction of eco-systems. Therefore, one can infer that issues arising in the environment are as a result of both the lack of development and the consequences of economic growth in the countries of the world (WCED, 1987, p. 29).
Economic Growth
Therefore, when we think in terms of economic growth, we realise that growth is the major economic goal of many nations (McConnell 2002, p.137). Thus, as a goal, a Nation that can achieve economic growth will be better suited to meet the wants of individuals and resolve socio-economic problems such as poverty (McConnell 2002). Thereby, ensuring the well-being of the economy and improving standard of living, by raising incomes/ providing jobs. In addition, economic growth can possibly even protect the environment by the creation of parks, reserves, and implementation of key policies. Consequently, some economists have argued that economic growth will eventually lead to an improvement in the environment.
This may be so, but the more rapid our growth, consumption and the use of our Natural Capital Resources, the more waste we produce, the more prone we are to environmental degradation and exhaustion. Thus, with economic growth as our goal it is likely to overshadow environmental concerns, placing the environment in the back seat while focus is towards gaining wealth. However, despite this, it is interesting to note that when a country achieves a high standard of living, the people attach value to environmental amenities.
In other words, as people become wealthier, they have more time to think about other things than their survival; and with this wealth can influence governments to improve the environment. For example, it is only after industrialised countries achieved their economic objectives that they began to focus on the environmental problems they left in wake on their drive for growth (Serageldin 1994).
In the whole process, it is important to understand, that economic growth is not synonymous with economic development. What this actually means, is that economic development is the advancement of economic wealth of a country, aimed at the overall welfare of the citizens. Achieving overall welfare is accomplished through improving the quality of life, measured by life expectancy, literacy, gross domestic product (GDP) and so forth. While in comparison, economic growth measures in a narrower context using only GDP.