Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Characteristic
Unsustainable
Economic Growth
Environmentally
Sustainable
Economic
Development
Production emphasis
Quantity
Quality
Natural resources
Not very important
Very important
Resource productivity
Inefficient
(high waste)
Efficient
(low waste)
Resource throughput
High
Low
Resource type
emphasized
Nonrenewable
Renewable
Resource fate
Matter discarded
Matter recycled,
reused, or
composted
Pollution control
Cleanup
(output reduction)
Prevention
(input reduction)
Guiding principles
Risk-benefit
analysis
Prevention and
precaution
Figure 18-4
Comparison of unsustainable economic growth and environmentally
sustainable economic development according to ecological economists and
many environmental economists.
■
Use indicators that monitor economic and environ-
mental health.
Ecological and environmental economists distin-
guish between unsustainable economic growth and
environmentally sustainable economic development
(Figure 18-4).
Ecological and environmental economists call for
making a shift from our current economy based on
unlimited economic growth to a more
environmentally
sustainable economy,
or
eco-economy,
over the next sev-
eral decades. See the Guest Essay on this topic by
Herman Daly on the website for this chapter. Fig-
ure 18-5 (p. 416) shows some of the goods and ser-
vices these economists would encourage in such an
eco-economy.
■
Include in the market prices of goods and services
their estimated harmful effects on the environment
and human health
(full-cost pricing).
■
Phase out environmentally harmful government
subsidies and tax breaks while increasing such subsi-
dies and breaks for environmentally friendly activi-
ties, goods, and services.
■
Lower taxes on income and wealth but increase
green taxes and fees
— those levied on pollution, re-
source waste, and environmentally harmful goods
and services.
■
Pass laws and regulations to prevent pollution and
resource depletion in certain areas.
■
Use tradable permits or rights to pollute or use re-
sources to limit overall pollution and resource use in
given areas.
■
Reduce poverty, one of the basic causes of resource
depletion and pollution.
Learn more about how ecological economists view market-
based systems, and contrast those views with conventional
economics at Environmental ScienceNow.
Ecological and environmental economists have
suggested several strategies to help make the transi-
tion to a more sustainable eco-economy over the next
several decades:
Let's look at these proposed solutions in more detail.
