Thought Cards Economic Development should enjoy higher priority than Environment Protection Economic Development should advance with Environment Protection Thought Card 1 Taking care of millions of people who are starving is more important than saving natural resources, most of are renewable anyway. We cannot expect developing nations to share the green concerns of developed countries when they are faced with dire poverty and a constant battle for survival. Thought Card 2 We have already wasted and destroyed vast amounts of natural resources, and in so doing have put earth at risk. We must preserve the earth for our children and grandchildren. In any case, poverty and environmental damage are often linked. Destroying the rainforest gives native peoples nowhere to go except urban slums. Polluted water can lead to crop failures. Climate change will turn fertile fields into desert and flood coastal areas where hundreds of millions live. Developing countries have to choose sustainable development if they want a future for their people. Thought Card 3 The industrialized emphasis on green issues holds back developing countries. Because this is seen as interference in their affairs, it also contributes to a greater division between the First and Third worlds. Many also believe it is a deliberate attempt to stop possible economic competitors. After all, the USA and EU already put high tariffs (import taxes) on products made cheaply in developing countries (e.g. canned tomatoes, shoes) which could be sold in America or Europe. By limiting the development of profitable but polluting industries like steel or oil refineries we are forcing nations to remain economically backward. Thought Card 4 No one to stop economic progress that could give millions better lives. But we must insist on sustainable development that combines environmental care, social justice and economic growth. *The Earth cannot support unrestricted growth. Companies in developed countries already have higher costs of production because of rules to protect the environment. It is unfair if they then see their prices undercut by goods produced cheaply in developing countries at the cost of great pollution. Thought Card 5 Economic development is vital for meeting the basic needs of the growing populations of developing countries. If we do not allow them to industrialize, these nations will have to Thought Card 6 Unchecked population growth has a negative impact on any nation, as well as on the whole planet. Both the poverty and the environmental problems of sub-Saharan Africa
revolution. Now that they have cut down their own trees, polluted their water sources and poured billions of tons of carbon into the air, they are in no position to tell others to behave differently. In any case, as countries become richer they become more concerned about the environment, and can afford to do something about it. For developing countries conservation can therefore wait until they are richer. rise, deserts advance, and natural disasters become more common. It is no use Europe trying to cut its emissions into the atmosphere if unchecked growth in China and India leads to much greater overall pollution. Instead, developed countries need to transfer greener technologies to the developing world, paying for environmental protection and making sustainability a condition for aid. Thought Card 13 The “Green Revolution” has doubled the size of grain harvests. Thus, cutting down more forests to provide more space for crops is no longer necessary. We now have the knowledge to feed the world’s increasing population without harming the environment. Genetically modified crops can also benefit the developing world by requiring much less water, fertiliser or pesticide use while giving better yields. This is another example of economic development leading to environmental benefits. Thought Card 14 The Green Revolution is threatening the biodiversity of the Third World by replacing native seeds with hybrids. We do not know what the long-term environmental or economic consequences will be. We do know that in the short run, such hybrid crops can cause environmental problems by crowding out native plants and the wildlife which relies on them. The farmer growing hybrid crops must buy costly new seed every year because it cannot be saved to plant the following year’s crops. Farmers using hybrid seeds in what was the richest part of India went bankrupt. As a result, fertile lands lay idle and unploughed, resulting in droughts and desertification. Source: Worksheet 3: Relationships between ‘economic development’ and ‘environmental Protection’ Recap the key points from the class activity in the table below.
groups protection Justice Sustainable development of income disparities and use workers and the natural environment of developing countries as a solution to eWaste without any consideration of their safety. D Management of multinational companies Maximization of profit To evade responsibility, highly polluting procedures are outsourced to developing countries where the regulation is lax and the need for investment is strong. It is not impossible to retain these procedures in the native countries, only that it will reduce profits and competiveness. E Consumers Lower price prevails over environmental protection Consumers know and understand the meaning of environmental certification and may afford extra expenses, but they prefer lower price to environmental protection. F Religious leaders Environmental protection Justice Denounce multinational companies for their evil deeds, and make use of the influence of religious groups to promote ethical consumption G Volunteer organizations formed by specialists and professionals from tertiary institutions Science and technology Environmental protection Care They believe that science, technology and education can help tackle problems of dismantling and recycling eWaste in small / family-run factories (see Technocentrism in Chapter 2) H Officials of developing countries Economic development Polluting first, cleaning up later Developed countries take the first- mover advantage to benefit from unrestricted industrial development and speak of morals and virtues after making profits, but they are holding a double standard I Officials / citizens of developing countries Impartiality They believe that they have contributions to the world, especially developed countries, so they should be recognised but not criticised J Manufacturers of developing countries Impartiality They believe that the problem caused by the fact that western countries have dominance over discourse and set the standards with an aim to make money from the substandard developing countries and stop them from rising 2 There are divided views among stakeholders on economic development and environmental protection. Can you give a pair of examples? Explain your answer.