Globalization
Environment

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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