Dr Rana Hamza Shakil thank you for your contribution to the discussion

Economic development is more relevant to measure progress and quality of life in developing nations. Economic growth is a more relevant metric for progress in developed countries. But it's widely used in all countries because growth is a necessary condition for development. Environmental policy which protects the environment, through regulations, government ownership and limits on external costs can, in theory, enable economic growth to be based on protection of the environmental resource. Achieving a balance between economic growth and natural resource consumption is critical. Development is worthless without an environment. We must conserve energy for future generations and understanding the notion of sustainable development is the only way to do it.Protecting the environment is more important than the economic growth of developing countries because the economic growth of industrial nations has negatively impacted the environment to the point where the quality of life has been declining globally, both ecologically and in terms of health. Environmental factors include both the physical environment in which children live and the social and cultural influences they experience. The physical, emotional, and cognitive development of children is significantly influenced by environmental variables. The environment supports economic activity by man in four ways – it provides life support, supplies natural resources for production and consumption, absorbs waste products and supplies amenity services. Clean air and water, healthy food and preserved nature all benefit human health and result in far more economic benefit than economic cost. It underpins our economy, our society, indeed our very existence. Our forests, rivers, oceans and soils provide us with the food we eat, the air we breathe, the water we irrigate our crops with. We also rely on them for numerous other goods and services we depend on for our health, happiness and prosperity. Environment plays an important role in healthy living and the existence of life on planet earth. Earth is a home for different living species and we all are dependent on the environment for food, air, water, and other needs. Therefore, it is important for every individual to save and protect our environment. Economic growth will be undermined without adequate environmental safeguards, and environmental protection will fail without economic growth. The earth's natural resources place limits on economic growth. These limits vary with the extent of resource substitution, technical progress, and structural changes. Economic growth often is driven by consumer spending and business investment. Tax cuts and rebates are used to return money to consumers and boost spending. Deregulation relaxes the rules imposed on businesses and has been credited with creating growth but can lead to excessive risk-taking. We now know, through the experiences of both developed and developing countries, that economic growth can complement environmental conservation and transitioning to a low-carbon economy can go hand-in-hand with increased access to economic opportunity and higher levels of well-being. Natural resources are essential inputs for production in many sectors, while production and consumption also lead to pollution and other pressures on the environment. Poor environmental quality in turn affects economic growth and wellbeing by lowering the quantity and quality of resources or due to health impacts, etc.

Environmental protection is important because it helps to preserve the natural resources that we depend on for our survival. It also helps to protect the health of humans and other living organisms by reducing pollution and other harmful effects of human activities.

It is possible to protect the environment and grow the economy. Environmental protection itself contributes to economic growth. For example, somebody makes and sells the air pollution control technologies we put on power plants and motor vehicles. Somebody builds the sewage and water treatment facilities.

Air/land/water pollution causes health problems and can damage the productivity of land and seas. Deforestation resulting from economic development damages soil and makes areas more prone to drought. Economic growth leads to resource depletion and loss of biodiversity.

Environmental protection itself contributes to economic growth. Somebody makes and sells the air pollution control technologies we put on power plants and motor vehicles. Somebody builds the sewage and water treatment facilities.

In summary, protecting the environment is more important than economic development because of its negative impact on the environment and human health. However, sustainable economic development is possible if it does not negatively impact the environment. Environmental protection itself contributes to economic growth.

Dr Chuck A Arize thank you for your contribution to the discussion

Environmental policy which protects the environment, through regulations, government ownership and limits on external costs can, in theory, enable economic growth to be based on protection of the environmental resource.Protecting the environment is more important than the economic growth of developing countries because the economic growth of industrial nations has negatively impacted the environment to the point where the quality of life has been declining globally, both ecologically and in terms of health. Both the environment and development are critical. The environment is usually the place where we work and earn a living, as well as where we adjust to changing circumstances. Inclusive development will be difficult without a proper focus on environmental conservation. Air/land/water pollution causes health problems and can damage the productivity of land and seas. Deforestation resulting from economic development damages soil and makes areas more prone to drought. Economic growth leads to resource depletion and loss of biodiversity. Environmental conservation enables nature to get on with the job of keeping us and the planet healthy. Conserving the environment is extremely important because a lot of environmental degradation is irreversible or will take hundreds of years to fix and can also be very dangerous to humans and animals. Many people say that damage to the environment is a risk of development. Based on this belief, there is also the assumption that it is impossible that development without destroying the environment can be realized. Pollutants generated by economic activities accumulate in the environment, reducing ecosystems' ability to regenerate and provide us vital services. Environmental degradation affects not only plants and animals but also people. Environment provides land, water, air, energy resources, coal, oil, forests, minerals and metals and so many other natural resources which are essential for the economic development of the economy. It provides services which are directly used by the consumers i.e. air we breathe and water we drink as a liquid of life. We and our economies are completely reliant on the environment. Without the resources it provides, and the indirect services it provides through its ecosystems purifying water, managing flood risks, recycling nutrients we couldn't survive. Economic growth means an increase in real national income / national output. Economic development means an improvement in the quality of life and living standards, e.g. measures of literacy, life-expectancy and health care. Ceteris paribus, we would expect economic growth to enable more economic development. Economic development is more relevant to measure progress and quality of life in developing nations. Economic growth is a more relevant metric for progress in developed countries. But it's widely used in all countries because growth is a necessary condition for development.