Do you know what the four most pressing environmental problems of development are? You should probably give this a read then. Below...
- We will first look at the relationship between development and its environmental impacts
- We will look at the environmental impacts of development, discussing the causes and effects of global development on the environment.
- We will mention the four most significant issues: deforestation, pollution, desertification, and extinction of species.
- We'll move on to environmental pressure points.
- We will then discuss sustainable and appropriate developments, and analyse the sociological assessment of environmental impacts of development.
Relationship between environmental impact and development
What is the relationship between environmental impact and development?
Development has had many positive impacts globally. However, the environment has also suffered due to the effects of increased urbanisation and industrialisation.
Sociologists argue that development is not a new phenomenon - the industrial revolution of the 19th century also caused environmental damage, but mainly in Europe. The current environmental degradation, though, is on a global scale.
The main contributors to environmental degradation are connected to global development.
Causes of environmental development impact
Let's look at some of the specific reasons why development has caused damage to the environment:
- Corruption and human greed
- Debt and poverty
- Increased Western consumption e.g. large-scale use of non-degradable plastic
- Industrial and agricultural development
- Higher levels of pollution
- Global warming and climate change
Environmental impacts and effects of development
Let's look at some of the primary issues associated with development.
Impacts of development on the environment
Damien Kingsbury et al. (2004) identified three major environmental issues that have been the result of global development: deforestation, pollution, and desertification.
Ellwood (2001) added a fourth significant environmental issue - the extinction of certain species - which he claimed to be the result of Kingsbury’s three effects in combination.
1. Deforestation as an impact of development on the environment
Deforestation refers to the removal of great patches of woodland.
This can happen for many reasons. The three most common are:
Using the wood for timber.
Using the land for industrial production or grazing.
Using the land for human habitation.
Forests are responsible for carbon dioxide (CO2) absorption and the production of oxygen. Deforestation reduces the levels and efficacy of both these processes.
Processes of deforestation also mean the destruction of the natural habitats of many animal and plant species, which can lead to the extinction of those species.
Huge parts of the Amazon rainforest have been removed due to deforestation. This puts more than 10,000 species of plants and animals at high risk of extinction, according to the Science Panel for the Amazon (SPA).
Fig. 1 - Deforestation is one of the biggest global environmental issues.
2. Pollution as an impact of development on the environment
The most significant forms of pollution today are air and water pollution. They mainly affect the developing world. The source of the problem is the increasing number of manufacturing and production facilities in these developing countries.
Although many environmental activists fight for clean air and water for everyone, environmental regulations and policies are very difficult to implement as they are not in the interest of transnational corporations, which hold great political power.
TNCs aim to keep high-profit margins and refuse to invest in expensive measures and technologies that can help reduce air and water pollution. As a result in 2012, 800 million people had limited or no access to clean water (Kingsbury, 2012).
Water pollution is especially severe in Pakistan. In 2012, 135 million Pakistanis had no access to clean water.1
3. Desertification as an impact of development on the environment
Sociologists argue that farmers in developing countries are forced to over-farm certain crops, due to the imbalance in trade with the West. Food aid sent from developed countries also reduces the prices of local food items in the developing world.
This means that farmers must produce and sell more items, at increasingly lower prices, to make a living. This process exhausts the land which becomes infertile.
Desertification refers to the process of overusing land, which then becomes infertile and not suitable for agriculture anymore.
Africa’s Sahel desert was ‘created’ through desertification. It is also important to note that while in the 1970s Africa’s population was self-sufficient in terms of food, just 14 years later, in 1984, one-fourth of the people in Africa were dependent on food aid.
4. Extinction of species as an impact of development on the environment
Ellwood (2001) claimed that the combination of deforestation, pollution, and desertification has resulted in another major environmental concern: the extinction of some wildlife species.
When species lose their natural habitat or have no access to clean water and food supplies, they eventually go extinct. According to ecologists, 816 species have gone extinct in the past 500 years. They claim that while the rate of extinction was relatively low decades ago, an average of 1.6 species go extinct each year today.
Snow leopards are one of the best-known species in danger of extinction.
Sociologists and ecologists assert that the four major environmental issues identified above are only the most severe ones. Global development has resulted in many environmental pressure points that must be acknowledged.
Fig. 2 - Snow leopards are in danger of extinction due to the loss of their natural habitat and pollution.
Environmental problems of development: pressure points
Let's consider some of the major environmental pressure points the world faces today as a result of development.
Population growth due to development
Ehrlich (1968) believed that if the population grows at the rate it has so far, resources will run out. There will not be enough food to feed all people on Earth.
Excessive consumption due to development
Extreme consumption, especially by Western countries, contributes to environmental degradation. Currently, the biggest consumers are the U.S. and China. Sociologists argue that the culture of mass consumption must be changed in order to improve the situation.
Growth of capitalism due to development
Capitalism generates environmental pressure points in more ways than one. Pollution, for instance, is increased by the transport of products of labour from factories to the distribution centres. Over-extraction of resources due to over-consumption in capitalist societies also contributes to the destruction of nature.
Growth of industrialisation due to development
The growth of manufacturing industries worldwide uses coal, oil, and gas in great amounts. Scientists warn that these natural resources will run out if used so extensively.
Looking at the environmental issues and pressure points, Elkington theorised in 1999 that the human population will go extinct if it continues to degrade the environment, and does not adopt more sustainable policies.
How can sustainable development minimise environmental impacts of development?
Most major environmental movements started in the 1980s. People started to recognise the need to adopt more sustainable measures in order to protect the Earth.
Brundtland Commission (UN, 1987) environmental policies
The United Nations created the Brundtland Commission to establish policies and agreements on environmental issues and reform.
The main points of the Brundtland Commission
Global economic development must be compatible with the environment.
Sustainable development must be supported and embraced when possible.
Poverty is a problem and the generator of environmental issues, like global warming.
More equitable economic relationships between developing and developed countries must be adopted so that the developing world doesn't need to overuse its environmental resources.
In the 1990s, 178 UN nations agreed to aim for sustainable development.
Korten (1995) included environmental degradation among 'the global threefold human crisis', along with poverty and social disintegration.
Although the 1980s and 1990s witnessed a growing awareness of environmental problems and a growing interest in sustainable development, governments both in the developed and developing world continue to put profit above the environment. Therefore, only a few environmental policies were implemented in practice and with limited success (Foster, 2004).
Appropriate development instead of sustainable development
In recent decades, the idea of sustainable development has been replaced by the concept of appropriate development.
‘Think global, act local’
Many sociologists support the idea that locals must take over development in developing countries, and they must do so without the use of Western capital, to avoid overexploitation of the environment.
Shifting from non-renewable energy to renewable energy
Renewable energy is gradually becoming less expensive than non-renewable energy resources such as coal.
Social cost pricing
The external costs (regarding environmental damage, for instance) of economic development must be included in the price. This will promote development with as little or no external costs as possible. A carbon tax is an example of this.
Perception of the environment as a public good
The protection of the environment must be more important than profit.
Technological development
One of the most significant points of the past decades of environmental policies was the implementation of new technologies that can help reduce and eliminate the causes of environmental issues. Electric cars have become more widespread and more affordable. They are more sustainable than cars running on fossil fuels.
Fig. 3 - Electric cars have become more common as a more environmentally friendly alternative.
Environmental factors included in economic statistics
Environmental economists argue that living standards and environmental indicators should be as important as GDP, if not more so.
Assessment of environmental impacts on development
Three main theories assess global development’s impact on the environment. Let's examine them below.
Limits theory on development
According to this theory, the degradation of the environment by global economic development will circle back to the economy and affect it negatively. Sociologists who follow the 'limits' theory believe that economies will be forced to deal with the environmental damage they created to keep the economy growing.
If we run out of natural resources, prices will increase, which will eventually force industries to look for alternatives to natural resources.
New toxics theory on development
This is a more pessimistic approach. Proponents of this perspective claim that no matter how well we solve pressing environmental issues, there will always be new and more pressing ones because that’s just how economic development is.
The higher the growth rate, the more toxic the output it generates. According to this view, the problems will just pile up for future generations who will not be able to deal with them.
Race to the bottom theory on development
According to sociologists who hold this perspective, at the beginning of economic growth, there is little concern about environmental degradation. The only thought is to gain an advantage over competitors.
However, just like the ‘limits theory’ suggests, economies will eventually be forced to deal with environmental issues. The ‘race to the bottom theory’ claims that it is possible to slow down environmental degradation after the turning point; however, past mistakes can not be corrected.
Environmental Impacts of Development - Key takeaways
- Development has had many positive impacts globally. However, the environment has suffered degradation due to increased urbanisation and industrialisation.
- The four most significant environmental issues are deforestation, pollution, desertification, and the extinction of species.
- The most important environmental pressure points are population growth, excessive consumption, the growth of capitalism, and the growth of industrialisation.
- In recent decades, the idea of sustainable development has been replaced by the concept of appropriate development.
- There are three main theories on global development’s impact on the environment: the limits theory, the new toxics theory, and the race to the bottom theory.
References
- Mughal, F. (2016). In Pakistan's Sindh province, most residents don't have access to clean drinking water. Scroll.in. Retrieved 12 October 2022, from https://scroll.in/article/813571/in-pakistans-sindhs-province-most-residents-dont-have-access-to-clean-drinking-water
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