Creating economic prosperity is indeed an effective way to eradicate widespread poverty and starvation, besides receiving support from many scholars, others criticize this approach since economic development will do the environment a disservice. This essay is going to take a closer look at both views before drawing a reasoned conclusion.
On the one hand, there are several compelling reasons why people subscribe to the idea that we should cease to develop our economy. Given the fact that humanity’s relentless pursuit of economic growth has caused numerous environmental problems, some of which are irreversible, which can spell trouble to humans’ existence. For example, industrialization has emitted an excessive amount of C02 into the atmosphere, exacerbating air pollution and water contamination, and taking a heavy toll on the animal population. Therefore, recent history has witnessed an unprecedented scale of wildlife extinction. Moreover, developing the economy means increasing demand for more land for residential and industrial purposes, making deforestation inevitable. This could potentially deprive wild animals of their food source, habitats and be a precursor to further extinction
On the other hand, despite the aforementioned drawbacks brought by economic growth, it is imprudent to downplay the role of developing economies in tackling poverty and hunger. First, it is widely acknowledged that a thriving economy creates an abundance of job opportunities in which citizens can secure an appropriate career, leading to increased quality of life. This is a prerequisite to getting rid of poverty. Second, starvation is caused by the lack of food and financial resources to purchase it, something that is impossible to happen if every in society possesses a decent job safeguarded by a healthy economy. For example, the rarity of social problems like poverty and hunger in first-world countries is a testament to how developing the economy is synonymous with promoting people’s welfare and combatting poverty.
In conclusion, although economic growth can pose some understandable threats to nature, and jeopardize wildlife populations, these issues pale in comparison with the benefits of presented by a developed economy.