How Economic Development Leads to Environmental Degradation

Economic development is often accompanied by environmental degradation. This can happen in several ways:

• Increased resource use: As economies grow, they require more resources such as fossil fuels, minerals, and water. This can lead to depletion of natural resources and pollution from their extraction and use.📷Opens in a new window📷www.nationalgeographic.orgdeforestation
• Industrialization: Industrial activity is a major driver of economic growth, but it also generates large amounts of pollution. This can include air pollution from factories, water pollution from industrial waste, and soil contamination from industrial spills.📷Opens in a new window📷sciencing.comfactory pollution
• Urbanization: As more people move to cities, there is increased demand for land, housing, and infrastructure. This can lead to deforestation, loss of biodiversity, and increased air and water pollution.📷Opens in a new window📷www.britannica.comurban sprawl
• Transportation: The growth of transportation infrastructure, such as roads and airports, can lead to habitat fragmentation, air and noise pollution, and increased greenhouse gas emissions.📷Opens in a new window📷www.geotab.comtraffic congestion
• Agriculture: Intensive agriculture practices, such as monoculture farming and the use of pesticides and fertilizers, can lead to soil degradation, water pollution, and loss of biodiversity.📷Opens in a new window📷eos.commonoculture farming

Relationship Between Environmental Degradation and Development

The relationship between environmental degradation and development is complex and multifaceted. There are several ways in which environmental degradation can impact development:

• Reduced economic productivity: Environmental degradation can lead to reduced agricultural yields, decreased tourism revenue, and increased costs for healthcare and infrastructure repair.
• Increased poverty and inequality: The poor are often disproportionately affected by environmental degradation, as they are more likely to live in areas with polluted air and water and to be dependent on natural resources for their livelihoods.
• Social and political instability: Environmental degradation can lead to social unrest and conflict, as people compete for increasingly scarce resources.
• Loss of biodiversity: Environmental degradation can lead to the loss of species and ecosystems, which can have cascading effects on the environment and human well-being.

Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC)

The Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) is a hypothetical relationship between economic development and environmental degradation. The EKC suggests that environmental degradation initially increases as an economy grows, but then begins to decline as the economy reaches a certain level of development.

📷Opens in a new window📷www.economicshelp.org

Environmental Kuznets Curve

However, the EKC is a controversial concept and there is no consensus among economists about its validity. Some argue that the EKC does not exist, while others argue that it only applies to certain types of pollutants.

Regardless of the validity of the EKC, it is clear that there is a complex relationship between economic development and environmental degradation. It is important to find ways to promote economic development while also protecting the environment.

Here are some possible solutions:

• Investing in clean energy: Clean energy sources, such as solar and wind power, can help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution.
• Promoting sustainable agriculture: Sustainable agriculture practices can help to reduce soil erosion, water pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions.
• Protecting biodiversity: Protecting biodiversity is essential for maintaining healthy ecosystems and providing ecosystem services that humans rely on.
• Investing in green infrastructure: Green infrastructure, such as parks and green spaces, can help to improve air quality, reduce water pollution, and mitigate the effects of climate change.
• Promoting environmental education: Educating people about the importance of environmental protection is essential for changing attitudes and behaviors.

Dr Murtadha Shukur thank you for your contribution to the discussion

In fact with high proportion fossil fuel as the main source of industrial energy and major air polluting industries such as iron and steel, fertilizers and cement growing, industrial sources have contributed to a relatively high share in air pollution. It has also contributed to environmental degradation or crisis. Though it is necessary for economic development, unplanned and uncontrolled growth of industries led to air, water, and noise pollution and indiscriminate felling of trees to set up industries cause deforestation. Environmental degradation is the main factor reducing sustainability. This chapter introduces the environmental degradation processes (i.e. desertification, pollution, land degradation, snow ablation and glacier retreat, dams and resettlement) and their relationships to environmental sustainability. The production and use of goods can deplete natural resources and generate pollution. In addition to the scale of consumption increasing with income, the composition of what people consumes changes, which could either exacerbate or offset their environmental footprint. Deforestation resulting from economic development damages soil and makes areas more prone to drought. Loss of biodiversity. Economic growth leads to resource depletion and loss of biodiversity. This could harm future 'carrying capacity of ecological systems' for the economy. The major causes of the environmental degradation are modern urbanization, industrialization, over-population growth, deforestation etc. Environmental pollution refers to the degradation of quality and quantity of natural resources. As the world's population continues to grow larger by the minute, the demand for natural resources increases as well. With the need for more production of increases comes more damage to the environments and ecosystems those resources are housed in. However, the environment has suffered degradation due to increased urbanization and industrialization. The four most significant environmental issues are deforestation, pollution, desertification, and the extinction of species.Sustainable development and environmental management depends on human activity. When the environment is properly handled in man's endeavor to attain his needs, the ecosystem is maintained thus sustainable development. If we were to continuously focus only on the development and not use our resources wisely, we would end up exhausting all the resources thereby, contributing to environmental degradation. if we go by the process of sustainable development we end up saving resources for the development of the future generations.