Introduction
The
Economy versus the Environment:
Do we have to choose?
The
emergence of the New Global Economy has brought about unprecedented
material growth to the world, but at the same time has threatened
the interest of a critical aspect of society. Globalization
has been targeted for a widening gap between rich and poor
and a deteriorating environment. It is most important for
businesses and governments to realize the effects their actions
can have on the environment.
State of the World 2001, a report published by Worldwatch
Institute, a Washington-based research organization, shows
how the economic boom of the last decade has damaged natural
systems. Likewise though, the report details how the future
prosperity of the economy is jeopardized by the political
and social trends of immobility and failure to respond to
the critical condition of the environment.
According to Worldwatch,
the crucial choice before today's political leaders is "whether
to move forward rapidly to build a sustainable economy or
to risk allowing the expansion in human numbers, the increase
in greenhouse gas emissions, and the loss of natural systems
to undermine the economy." New scientific evidence indicates
that many global ecosystems are reaching dangerous thresholds
that raise the stakes for policymakers.
"Mobilizing the worldwide response needed to bring destructive
environmental trends under control is a daunting task,"
said co-author of the State of the World 2001 report Gary
Gardner. But it is this increasingly visible problem that
will hopefully help to generate enough disturbance and pressure
for change that the even more imminent problems of growing
inequities between countries and within countries can be mitigated.
Continue exploring this section to discover what is being
done and what can be done to save our environment, reverse
political and social trends, and ensure a prosperous future
for business, government and the world.
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