BLOG – Complete a blog entry giving your opinion on the tension between economic growth and environmental sustainability. Your blog should make reference to the competing perspectives and which stakeholders would hold different perspectives. Be sure to use the terms technocentric and ecocentric in context at some point in your blog.
These two issues clearly conflict yet compliment each other, depending on one’s interpretation of the issue. As a technocentrist who cares deeply about the environment, I would say that economic growth will benefit the environment.
By saying so, I am thinking of technology which can give us cleaner air (such as air filters which can remove carbon dioxide from the air, or catalytic converters in cars which neutralise truly harmful waste products of the combustion which takes place in car engines) or sustainable and clean energy sources – such as hydroelectric power or wind power. Both of these, as well as other technological advances, can improve the state of the environment. I believe this to be relevant to the issue, for, without economic growth, we are unlikely to be able to fund the research which produces these breakthroughs or to implement them into the ‘real world’ to a degree where they will make a difference with environmental sustainability.
Additionally, the above-mentioned advancements can be costly, and without economic growth, people are unlikely to, for example, use solar panels on their houses. If it is cheaper to stick to the more environmentally unfriendly sources of energy, they will most likely do so.
Furthermore, with an ecocentric approach, it could be argued without economic growth, it will become much harder, if not impossible, for LEDCs to continue developing, and for people in all nations to break the poverty cycle.
Of course, there is another side to the issue. With economic growth can come industries which can create environmental issues. Industries with this kind of effect on the environment would include the coal and oil industries. Both employ tens of thousands of people, which does lead to economic growth. Unfortunately, it also leads to larger quantities of greenhouse gases and can create other environmental issues (such as oil spills).
These conflicting sides of the problem also have different stakeholders. Everyone who is either employed in or who somehow benefits from the coal and oil industries will continue to support them, even if they see the issues the industries create. For example, a family in a coal mining town may see the negative effects of burning coal but will lose their income if the business would be to close down, so their breadwinner(s) will continue to work in the industry regardless of their feelings towards environmental sustainability, for they may have little choice. They would clearly feel that economic growth would be more important than environmental sustainability.
On the other side of the spectrum would be those who are heavily involved in negating the effects of the coal industry (or other similar businesses). They can clearly see the problems it creates and are trying to improve the situation, but know that it would be much more beneficial to the environment if the route causes would be stopped, and they may care about this to the point where they would rather have no economic growth if it would mean that the environment would be more protected, and the situation would be more sustainable.
