Can there be Economic Growth without Environmental Damage? (Essay Sample)

Economic Growth without Environmental Damage
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Economic Growth without Environmental Damage
Elements of increase in economic production capabilities, improved Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and Gross National Product (GNP) help define economic growth. With a constantly rising human population, the necessity for food security and provision of services equally increases. As a result, humans are forced to strain the environment in order to keep a balance between supply and the ever increasing demand (Bender, 2012). The resultant effects include extensive industrialization, deforestation, and urbanization. Again, waste materials from industrial and other processes degrade the environment through pollution. Although a number of steps can be taken to limit the extent of environmental damage, it is not easily possible to achieve economic growth without damaging the environment.
The current global population growth rate stands at approximately 1.3%. Over the last two centuries, global human population has increased from about one billion to seven billion (Bhatta, 2010). Noting that this population must be serviced with food and other industrial products, the fact that all these must be extracted from the environment makes it inevitable that the environment be degraded. Notably, there is a direct relationship between economic growth and environmental damage (Bender, 2012). The greatest challenge in solving the effects of economic development lies on the fact that human demand for more production has been on the increase and will predictably keep the same trend.
The leading five sources of energy that serve humanity include petroleum, coal, natural gas, nuclear power, and hydroelectricity. It is worth noting that four of these are non-renewable and depend on elements extracted directly from the earth’s crust. The process of extraction, drilling, and mining degrades the environment (Bhatta, 2010). Yet, humans highly depend on these sources to an extent that their usage will not be terminated soon. On the other hand, most carbon-based and organically-derived fuels emit toxic substances that pollute the atmosphere. As argued by (Bender, 2012), it is the effect of carbon and other gases released into the atmosphere that causes global warming.
In a regression analysis seeking to establish the relationship between environmental damage and economic growth, Aşıcı (2013) expressed that pressure and degradation of nature have a positive relationship with income and economic advancement. Analysing and quantifying elements of energy, forest depletion, mineral extraction, and carbon dioxide pollution, he outlined that substantial damage to the environment has been witnessed between 1970 and 2008. Predictions of future trends indicated that this relationship will possibly take a persistent trend. Another presentation by Islam, Munasinghe, and Clarke (2003) explained that long-term sustainable economic growth that does not damage the environment can be achieved through various practices. Such practices include the use of renewable sources of energy and introduction of green economies. Nonetheless, it is worth noting that successful achievement of such shifts will be costly and capital intensive, and must last relatively long durations.
Over the last two centuries, the world has witness