Economic Development vs the Environment - Coursework Example

Global Politics - Economic Development and the Environment Our beautiful earth since its ‘origination’ has been a ‘hotbed’ of activity. Activity in the sense, humans as part of communities, countries, etc has been involved in various activities, utilizing our physical as well as mental part. These activities only caused tremendous transformations, with the globe evolving from a primitive one to a developed one. But, one can surely say that these activities of humans or countries do not result in development only, as the same physical and mental activities have resulted in destructions to earth as well. That is, in the quest to achieve economic development, countries are indulging in many constructive, and at the same time destructive or dubious activities from developing industries to allowing more automobiles on the road. Like a simple rope which can also be used to constrict one’s neck, the development activities have turned out to be life destructive activities, damaging the lives of the humans themselves as well as the earth’s environment in which they live. Apart from the highly industrialized countries, this phenomenon is also happening in developing and least developed countries (LDC). So, the paper will analyze how further economic development of China, India and other LDCs can lead to major environmental problems Economic Development Among the many economic based movements, globalization is the one which had and is still having major impact on the economic development of many developing and Least developing countries and its people worldwide. Economic part of globalization is the key because with the whole world becoming a kind of global village, barriers between the countries are broken with integration happening mainly in the economic aspects. In this scenario, foreign organizations, using the globalization plank, have entered and will also enter various sectors of the businesses leading to the establishment of many industries. This in turn also led the home grown companies to expand more optimally particularly in the infrastructure sphere. With such a good development, people of those countries became financially stable and so went in search of material comforts, particularly ‘artificial and anti-natural’ things. For a long time, these countries mainly depended on environmental friendly agriculture for their livelihood. But, before and particularly after the onset of globalization, they started focusing on industrial development. This industrial development has helped these countries to elevate many of its citizens above the poverty line. So, this globalization and the resultant industrial and financial optimization are welcomed by majority of the people, with the government of these countries also taking maximum initiatives. The other reasons why there needs to be further economic development is because there still major portion of population still living in abject poverty. To raise these people and also to sustain the current growth, countries and companies in those countries need to further accelerate economic development. “Despite formidable strides in poverty reduction, especially Chinas landmark achievement of lifting of hundreds of millions of people out of poverty, China and India still host the largest number of poor in the world. According to World Bank calculations, out of a total 2.3 billion people in China and India, roughly 1.5 billion earn less than US$2 a day. Only rapid economic growth can hit them out of abject poverty” (Aslam). So, it is clear that the current economic growth will be sustained and even accelerated by these countries. Although this economic development could uplift the life of many people, the fact is, this same economic development and the actions that are taken for it, will damage many lives by destroying the environment in which the lives exist. Economic development and the resultant environment destruction Among the many steps that these countries take for economic development, most of them lead to Greenhouse gases emissions (GHG) or particularly carbon emissions, one of the major causes of environment destruction. That is, starting from constructing new infrastructure to electrifying the infrastructure, all the activities emit carbon emissions. During the construction phase, carbon dioxide is emitted by the materials used in construction. For example, cement, which is the primary component of concrete, is a major contributor of carbon dioxide emissions. That is, during the production of cement a lot of Carbon dioxide emissions happen. Alok Jha, green technology correspondent for the British newspaper, Guardian validates this fact, by stating, “Making traditional cement results in greenhouse gas emissions from two sources: it requires intense heat, and so a lot of energy to heat up the ovens that cook the raw material, such as limestone. That then releases further CO2 as it burns”. Apart from this material, other process which involves burning and other materials like steel also contribute to Carbon dioxide emission. Because of the usage of these damaging products, emissions also continue during the occupancy phase. Electrical power is one of the main needs to sustain or accelerate the economic development. For that crucial electrical power, these countries particularly China and India are focusing on the main Carbon emitter, Coal as the primary source of electric generation. For instance, China roughly generates 70 per cent of its energy needs from coal, and India for its part needs coal to meet more than 50 per cent of its energy needs. The more disturbing fact but a possible eventuality is that this electrical generation through coal is expected to increase even more, making these countries major emitters of environment destroying GHG gases particularly Carbon. “The Asian coal rush is expected to generate 30,000 megawatts coal-fired power over the next 10 years in the region. The IEA has projected that the worlds C02 emissions will reach 40 gigatons by 2030. The emerging economies led by China and India will contribute to more than 70 per cent of these emission” (Islam). As the current and further economic development will only lead to further emission of environment damaging carbon, environment and the people in those countries as well as in the other countries will face dangerous repercussions. Greenhouse gases and environment destruction Greenhouse gas (GHG) is the term given to the naturally occurring or human produced gas, which creates a ‘greenhouse effect’. The list of greenhouse gases includes water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane, ozone and nitrous oxide. ‘Greenhouse effect’ happens when the above gases due to over production builds up in large quantities in the earth’s atmosphere causing abnormal heating of the earth. Among these greenhouse gases, the one, which has the most virility, is Carbon dioxide (Co2). The level of Co2 in the atmosphere has shown an uphill path due to industrialization. Co2 is released from various industries in the form of smokes, causing global warming, air pollution and importantly damaging many lives. It is a common fact that humans normally exhale Co2, as build up of it in the human body will kill the person. But, Co2 exiting from the industries and fuel based vehicles will build up as greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, affecting the humans and causing various diseases. Apart from the humans, carbon dioxide also affects the natural environment especially the coral reefs The extreme weather conditions caused by the greenhouse gases and the resultant global warming have also enhanced the hydrological cycle of our earth. This causes evaporations on a larger scale, resulting in droughts which are very intense and are lasting longer. The droughts could be seen occurring in many countries with agriculture being the worst affected. Also, the extreme heat conditions have increased the risk of wildfires, with wildfires damaging a lot of natural resources useful for humans, and also the natural habitat of many species. On the other end, these emissions are also affecting another important component of the environment, the glaciers. ”Climate scientists are concerned that warming caused by human activities could wipe out glaciers in the Himalayas and surrounding highlands, threatening the livelihood in many parts of China and India.” (Islam) Conclusion As stated by World Bank (160). “Rapid growth and poverty reduction in China, India, and other countries that were poor 20 years ago, has been a positive aspect of globalization. But globalization has also generated significant international opposition over concerns that it has increased inequality and environmental degradation”. This environmental degradation can surely nullify the economic development in many aspects. As there is no alternative to economic development, steps particularly technology based options need to be explored to minimize environment destruction as far as possible, thereby saving the environment and the human race. Works Cited Islam, Shahidul M. “The environmental cost of growth in China and India: Asias powerhouses face serious dilemma on how to balance surging economic growth and environmental protection.” The Business Times. 13 June 2007. Jha, Alok. “Revealed: The Cement that Eats Carbon Dioxide.” The Guardian. 31 December 2008 World Bank. A Guide to the World Bank. World Bank Publications. 2007. Read More