Some people say that economic growth is the only way to end world poverty and hunger. Others say that economic growth is damaging the environment and must stop now.
Discuss both views and give your own opinion.
Day in day out, we can read or hear something about economic development in newspapers or on TV, yet whether this phenomenon is a blessing or a curse has turned out to be a controversial issue. Despite the fact that some contend economic progress can terminate poverty in the world, others are of the opinion that such prosperity will definitely have detrimental impacts on the environment, so measures should be taken to bring it to a halt.
On the one hand, those who insist on adopting economic approaches to alleviate poverty in the world, I myself included, opine that the more economic climate prospers, the less concern people will be about economic well-being. To put it simply, what they mean is that economic boom will definitely translate into creating more jobs in the society. An illustration of this is Japan whose unemployment rate stands something in the vicinity of less than 1%, which explains why 99% of its population enjoy having access to fundamental requirement of a living a standard life, including housing, health and entertainment facilities as well as decent education, to name but a few.
On the flip side, the opponents of developmental activities highlight the adverse effects on the environment that is why they always campaign against the destruction of not only forests but also the natural ecology of the earth. In other words, they claim that as the wheels of economic growth turn around, more fossil fuel has to be burnt, resulting in both air and noise pollution which in turn are hazardous for urban and suburban dwellers. Take China’s capital as an example where loads of people die of heart failures due to the mental and physical pressure they have to tolerate to be economically developed. It is said that If it weren’t because of life-threatening economic projects, they would live a less hectic life.
Having considered all the above-mentioned facts, what I personally conclude is that in this world everything comes at a price and environmental degradation is the price we have to pay to ensure economic prosperity. Nonetheless, effective measures can and should be adopted to minimize the possible harmful effects.