Economic growth seems to walk hand in hand with environmental protection. When a country records rapid economic growth, there are also increased needs for environmental protection. This is because the numerous activities that enhance economic growth are the same ones that end up degrading the environment. This explains why the countries known for innovation and industrialization such as China have more issues of environmental protection than the small economies. China is among the countries with the highest environmental challenges and at the same time ranks second in the world’s largest single economies. This implies that there is a correlation between economic development and environmental protection that China and other countries need to observe. It further implies that if there were rules to strictly stop environmental damage risks, there would be zero economic growth. This again would result in poverty and extremely low living standards. Comparing the effects environmental harm and the effects and importance of economic growth, there are positive reasons that would make different individuals choose one over the other. Chinas export-led overdrive has transformed it into an economic world power while at the same time spawning a daunting array of environmental problems, thus leaving the country at a crossroad.
Pov: Economic Growth over the Environment
While the importance of environmental protection and the dangers of degradation are well known around the world, there are various reasons that countries such as China would be in a dilemma of making one of the two choices. The protection of one means some form of neglect to the other while the two are significantly influential to human life. Sustainable or green growth to balance between the growth of the economy and protection of the environment has been possible and effective only to some extent. With economic growth, there is room for increased investments that will, in turn, lead to the development of cleaner energies due to the availability of the necessary resources. Strict environmental restrictions and regulations will only crowd out the booming investment opportunities, therefore, limiting China’s availability to invent new more new environmental sensitive energies (Deming, 2009). Prioritizing environmental protection over economic growth would not mean 100% environmental protection it would instead weaken the country financially. The population, on the other hand, would scramble for the limited natural resources that would also affect the environment to some extent. With slower economic growth, there would be no resources that enhance environmental protection using technological but safe methods (Deming, 2009). Considering the situation brought about by the two scenarios, the country would rather prioritize economic growth, attract numerous investors, generate increased revenues and use some of these revenues to facilitate innovation and creation of new energies that will allow economic development activities walk hand in hand with environmental protection which is equally paramount.
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The reason as to why China would be in a dilemma or at a crossroad is that the activities that have boosted its economy to the category of world’s power are the same ones that have put maximum pressure risk to the environment. Most of the pollution in China is, particularly from industrial manufacturing. Manufacturing and infrastructure are the key drivers of China’s economic growth. This means that in choosing environmental protection over economic growth and ensuring industrial pollution has been brought to an end, the manufacturing and infrastructure would have to stop or significantly reduce. The economy of the country would, therefore, be jeopardized. This would happen simply because the stopped or slowed manufacturing would greatly cut down the products that China exports to foreign countries (Song and Woo, 2008). These exports are key contributors to China’s economy since they are of lower costs and are therefore on extremely high demand in many countries around the world. Environmental regulations would only lead to increased costs of production for the Chinese goods, decrease their competitiveness and thus their popularity across countries. This, in turn, would mean reduced revenue to enhance any remarkable efforts of minimizing the effects of pollution. Simply it would result in decreased but unmanageable environmental degradation due to lack of resources and bring to halt the money making activities (Deming, 2008). Eventually, China would find itself in a worse situation than it is when its economy is rocketing, and new energies that are less harmful are being innovated.
While China’s economic level is significantly high and compares fairly to other world’s economic powers, it has not yet reached to the capacity of enhancing maximally effective efforts to enable the country curb pollution. This means that if the economy rose even higher, the country’s ability and capacity to deal with pollution would also increase. This would happen if the investment in industrialization and manufacturing that have been the key sources of energy are enhanced, more investors from all countries around the world are able to get their way to the country and if the products produced continue getting their easy way and ready demand by consumers in the global market (Clement, 2000). The easier and most balanced way would be to maximize economic activities, generate more than enough revenues then use some of these revenues to try and make the industries and manufacturers innovate methods f reducing pollution other than stopping the activities that define the population’s livelihood just to ensure that the environment is safe. A safe environment in a country that cannot manufacture any product whether for domestic or trade uses would be worse than a country that produces vast products consumes some domestically and exports others then engage in projects that mitigate the risk of pollution. A country’s sustainability will be enhanced more by a rapid economic growth than zero pollution and a stagnant economy (Deming, 2008). The same way that China is highly innovative and produces goods with high demand world over, it also has the capacity to come up with energies and developments that will see the economy rising and at the same time, the pollution falling. This is a more reliable and credible strategy than killing such a lively and big economy that plays a key role in the global economy.
An economic downturn in China through strict environmental regulations would not only affect China but the world at large. There are many countries in the world more in the developing world in Asia and Africa that highly depend on the China-manufactured goods. As the economy and livelihood of the people of China go down because of strict environmental restrictions, the livelihoods of the people living in these other countries would also be negatively affected. The environmental regulations would succeed in reducing pollution but would generate numerous more challenges on the for the people. There would be no point in stopping one challenge while creating more others that are equally harmful (Tilt, 2010). The population is also increasing in number which means that other than deliberating on restricting manufacturing and industrialization, strategies should be underway to find ways of increasing the production of goods and services. However, this would not mean that efforts to curb the hazardous pollution should be abandoned, economic power is the gateway to other developments and would, therefore, trigger counter developments that would see pollution is not at such a dangerous level, it is manageable, reducible and where possible preventable. A financially stable population would also be in a position to engage in the necessary preventive measures to ensure that in as much as the pollution is prevalent, the impact it has on them is at the minimum possible level.
According to the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC), the relationship between a country’s environmental pressures and per capita income is an inverted U-curve. This means that with increasing incomes, the environmental pressures would also initially increase up to the point whereby further increased income would result in environmental improvements. It is argued that China has not yet reached its maximum. If at all it is yet to get to its peak, the country should be allowed to proceed with the manufacturing and achieve its industrialization goals. The moment it gets to its maximum, the increase in income per capital will definitely result in environmental improvements as proven by the EKC. China is in the developing world in the Asian region and should be allowed to have enough time to rise to the glory that will allow it to further engage in projects such as of environmental protection effectively. The developed countries such as the US and other developed nation countries are in a position to handle and concentrate on reducing pollution simply because they have achieved most of their economic goals and are not at their peak. The developed countries did not also achieve their economic goals instantly and in line with their economic goals. Having started their journeys to development much earlier, they have both the time and the resources to drive their second journey towards environmental protection and sustainability. It would only be fair if other developing and the underdeveloped countries are also given the opportunity and space to first achieve their economic goals and once they also reach the peak, they will not have to be reminded that environmental protection is of paramount importance. If anything, the country’s population and environment are the ones at the greatest risk of being affected by pollution than the external world. They would, therefore, be the first people to prevent and reduce it only if they were able to.
The diagram above is a kuznet’s curve explaining how the economic development would eventually improve the environment.
The increased pressure being exerted on China to develop strict regulations to monitor industries’ and companies’ impact on the environment could be interpreted as being discriminative. This is based on the fact that countries in the developed world started chasing their environmental goals way after their economies have gotten to the peak. It was up until then that they started developing policies aimed at curbing pollution. This was driven by their adequate resources achieved by the economic growth. Even then, these countries could not be in a position to eliminate pollution, and it is still in its fair share even if their levels could be significantly lower than the levels in China (Deming, 2008). From this perspective, one would argue that China should be given the peace to gradually grow and develop the same way other developed countries have done. Once it is declared a fully developed country, the pressure would be acceptable. Current pressure may seem as being intentional and aimed at ensuring that China does not achieve economic goals and perhaps get to the level of or overtake the current world’s economic powers. Economic growth and development is highly important. Environmental protection is important too (Tilt, 2010). However, to achieve them both, one has to be achieved and facilitate the achievement of the other and eventually, the country will be able to balance them. This is the chance that China currently needs, hasten its economic activities in industrialization and other related processes, achieve the highest it can economically and will be suitably positioned to engage in as much environmental protection programs as possible with overflowing resources and knowledge.
CPOV: The Environment over Economic Growth
Individuals who feel that environmental protection should be prioritized have equally reasonable explanations and claims that are probably the reason China’s dilemma is bound to continue. In comparison, the economic gains have often been found to be much lower than the environmental costs. To create first and clear later is often costly (Wolch et al., 2014). This is explainable with the common proverb that prevention is better than cure. When environmental protection is left to lag so much behind economic development, the recovery process may end up consuming too much of the resources generated from the economic growth activities. It may also be impossible to recover based on the magnitude of the pollution that will have occurred by the time economic goals are achieved to pave the way for environmental protection policies. For instance, individuals who will have developed chronic illnesses as a result of increased dangerous pollution will not heal, and some of them will have long lost their lives even before the said economic goals are achieved. Considering that the pollution level in China is already at a worrying level and pace and the economic growth is yet to reach its peak, reaching the peak would mean that much more than the current pollution will have happened (Wolch et al., 2014). The welfare of the same people that economic growth is aimed at improving will have been jeopardized through health hazards and other numerous risks that are associated with the different kinds of environmental pollution.
As much as China cares about the economic growth of the country that will earn it popularity in the world and improve the living standards if its citizens, it must not forget that the same citizens will have to be healthy to enjoy their wealth. The same country will need to be safe and far from natural disasters for the developments made economically to be maximally enjoyed and utilized. China should consider putting equal efforts on both the environment and economy and does not necessarily have to follow the same path that other countries have followed before (Hong et al., 2013). The developed countries exerting pressure on China may have realized the mistakes they did in their journey to economic development and environmental sustainability and may be trying to save China from repeating their mistakes. Learn from the past mistakes and achievements made by other people is a less costly way of learning other than waiting to learn from their own mistakes. While aggressively striving to achieve economic goals, every country should understand that were it not for the environment; there would be no natural resources used for the economic growth activities. China must not forget that the natural resources if irresponsibly achieved can be permanently exhausted. The same natural resources that China uses in its industrialization processes may run out within no time (Hong et al., 2013). With exhausted resources and a highly damaged or degraded environment, the China would find itself in the worst situation of moving from a high-level economic level to being underdeveloped. China in addition to striving hard to achieve economic growth goals should strive to do it sustainably. The goals should not be in the short-term and to ensure they are long-term goals, economic growth and environmental protection should be balanced.
Before postponing the efforts to environmental protection, considerations about the impact of poor environmental quality should comprehensively be made. Pollution has dire consequences on population health. This has been confirmed by the intensive productions and emissions that come from industries some with long-lasting effects on human beings, plants as well as animals. Air and water pollution are health hazards and have been associated with the rapid increase in the prevalence of chronic diseases such as cancer among others (Xie, 2011). If the environment gets severely damaged and most of the population is unwell, the industries and organizations that promote economic growth might end up running short of employees. Based on the important role that employees play in an organization, any factor that would keep them at work is worth investing in. The companies and industries will still need human capital, and the human capital has to be healthy to be in a position to delegate the relevant duties effectively. Again, the human capital would still require natural resources that are used in manufacturing. As China is hastening its steps towards achieving economic goals within the shortest time possible, it is also exposing itself to a situation of inadequate resources as a result of the severe waste and overutilization of the available resources (Economy, 2003). In the end, the economic growth will have to come to a standstill, and the population will suffer even more. As the resources are utilized to develop the economy, efficiency is essential to avoid excessive waste that will eventually deplete the resources. One of the major reasons that many countries are less concerned about environmental protection is because the impact it has on the economy is not felt instantly and directly. Most of them may not even feel like the state of the environment can have any effect on the growth of the economy. However, that is just but a misconception. A deeper analysis should be done to help the countries and especially China in understanding the life-threatening risks it is exposing itself to (Xie, 2011). The creativity and innovation it exerts on economic growth would be divided between economic growth activities and environmental protection activities.
The enormity of challenges that China currently faces in its continued attempts to balance the rapid urbanization it is experiencing with both environmental concerns and industrial growth is more severe in the cities. A study conducted in the cities of Beijing, Guangzhou, and Shanghai found out that residents are equally concerned about the heightening environmental degradation in the country (Wolch et al., 2014). The residents whose opinions were taken said that they cared more about the environment and felt that priority was necessary for the environment even if it would risk the country’s economic growth. The fact that China as compared to other developed countries is found to significantly lag behind in its efforts to protect the environment implies that something can be done. The same zeal with which it strives to match other countries in economic development should be the same one it applies in matching them in matters to do with environmental protection. If the developed countries fairly compared even in environmental programs, it would be easy to see that China has done the best it can and that it invests in environmental protection.
The pressure on China to review its environmental conservation strategies does not only come from other countries. China’s population especially in the urban cities has been raising its concerns about pollution and the risks it poses to their health. This is the issue of rural-urban migration is seemingly running out of hand. The population having raised concerns proves that the impact is already worryingly being felt and that something has to be done (Xie, 2011). While the economic growth being experienced now may end up protecting the environment, in the long run, the damages it causes the same environment in the short term may last long beyond the time the growth will result in protecting the environment. Measures to minimize the current degradation should, therefore, be put in place as early as now when economic development is yet to start facilitating environmental protection (Tilt, 2010). Environmental regulations by the government to monitor the intensity of degradation should not be completely ruled out. Instead, they should be implemented with the same efforts that economic instruments are utilized. While this may not fully solve the issues of environmental protection and degradation, the small impact it will have is paramount. Being at its middle stages of economic development, China has to handle critical constraints concerning natural resources and the environment. Environmental challenges and poverty are positively correlated. The rural areas are particularly affected when natural resources are depleted and such as through overgrazing deforestation and the overdevelopment of agricultural lands. Such activities are associated with exposing certain regions to increased natural disasters and resource degradation. Again this negatively affects the population that depends on agriculture and related activities forcing them to move from the rural to urban areas. Rural-urban migration further causes environmental harm in the form of air pollution as a result of overcrowding (Tilt, 2010). With all these consequences of choosing to pursue economic development over environmental protection, China should prioritize the environment.
While debates proceed on what China should prioritize between economic development and environmental protection, it does not necessarily mean that China has completely forgone environmental protection. The government of China has made significant progress towards handling the issue of environmental degradation. However, the efforts are seen to be inadequate as compared with the aggressiveness with which it is pursuing its economic development growth ranking it as the second world’s largest single economy (Song and Woo, 2008). Concerned parties, therefore, argue that the country can do much more even if it may not be in a position to completely curb the environmental challenge. The government of China should perhaps put all its efforts to light for the population to be able to understand the specific measures that are being taken and make the necessary contributions where possible such as engaging in a responsible waste of materials and avoiding the avoidable activities that result in degrading the environment in one way or the other.
Conclusion
Comparing the correlation between economic development and environmental protection, China is a surely at a crossroad. While the government may have a hard time in choosing what to prioritize between these two, several key important issues have to be considered and addressed. First, with rapid economic growth, the country will generate adequate revenue and will be in a position to cater to the environment and reduce pollution effectively and achieve long-lasting. However, while the economic development being experienced has been said to have the potential of environmental protection, in the long run, the short-term effects it is having now may have long-term negative effects that may never be recovered even if the environmental goals are eventually are eventually achieved. With both situations presenting both positive and negative effects on people and affecting each other significantly, there is also the need for the government to balance between the two concepts. Achieving one while the other one is completely depleted will not improve the livelihood of the population. Individuals whose health will be negatively affected will not be in a position to enjoy a highly developed economy. China has the resources, the skills as well as the capacity to balance between protecting the environment and developing the economy.
References
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