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HRD 2102 Assignment 1

The document discusses the interrelationship between environment and development. It states that development relies on environmental resources and can negatively impact the environment. Sustainable development that considers both development and environmental protection is now a key goal. The document also outlines some positive and negative environmental aspects in developing countries, including use of renewable energy as positive but deforestation and pollution as negative impacts.

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TSHOMBE ROGERS
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30 views2 pages

HRD 2102 Assignment 1

The document discusses the interrelationship between environment and development. It states that development relies on environmental resources and can negatively impact the environment. Sustainable development that considers both development and environmental protection is now a key goal. The document also outlines some positive and negative environmental aspects in developing countries, including use of renewable energy as positive but deforestation and pollution as negative impacts.

Uploaded by

TSHOMBE ROGERS
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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HRD 2102-DEVELOPMENT STUDIES AND ETHICS

HDE222-D1-0001/2023
Assignment 1

The inter-relationship between the environment and development


Environment can be defined as the complex of physical, chemical, and biotic factors (such as
climate, soil, and living things) that act upon an organism or an ecological community and
ultimately determine its form and survival.
Development is a process that creates growth, progress, positive change or the addition of
physical, economic, environmental, social and demographic components. The purpose of
development is a rise in the level and quality of life of the population, and the creation or
expansion of local regional income and employment opportunities, without damaging the
resources of the environment.
We can easily observe the close relationship between development and the environment.
The first is based on environmental resources. Development cannot be done without
environmental resources. Therefore, the disruption of resources in terms of corruption will
have negative repercussions on the development process and the violation of its objectives.
Environmental issues are so intertwined with socio-economic issues that it has to be sensitive
to them, especially in poor developing countries – in the South, environmental management
is ‘of a single piece with survival and justice’ (Athanasiou, 1997, p,15).
As development cannot be based on transboundary environmental resources. The damage to
the environment and its resources is detrimental to human needs. Development is seen
increasingly to require reduction of inter-group disparity, or a ‘social transformation’
(alteration of society and culture), through the use of capital, technology and knowledge. It
has often been argued that richer countries, international agencies and non-governmental
organisations (NGOs) should ‘assist’ others to develop. However, some feel that people must
do this for themselves, and there are countries which have tried ‘decoupling’ their
development from the rest of the world (Adams, 1990, p, 72, 83).
Development should be the basis for consideration of the environment, the development
and environment should be considered as such. Sustainable development is now a key goal
for environmental management. A huge diversity of agencies and groups are now ‘dancing to
the same sustainable development tune’ (with varying degrees of sincerity and effort),
following the greening of politics in Western countries in the 1980s (Adams, 2001, p, 1–3).
Behold, the twin objectives of development are not achieved without the introduction of
sound environmental policies. It is difficult to separate environmental management from the
process of development; put crudely, the environmental manager is expected to advise on
wise resource use, potential environmental opportunities and threats (linkages between
environmental management, the development process, and developing countries are
explored by the author in Environmental Management and Development – Barrow, 1999)
Because the claim to protect the environment in response to the environmental disasters
witnessed by the world as a result of industrial and technological activities and thus emerged
this claim which stands in opposition to scientific and technological progress. For effective

1
HRD 2102-DEVELOPMENT STUDIES AND ETHICS
environmental management there must be the means of resolving controversies regarding
proper conduct (Cairns and Crawford, 1991, p, 23)
Positive aspects in developing countries.
Use of 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 environment as a public good- The protection of the environment must be more
important than profit.
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.
Negative aspects in developing countries.
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.
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.
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.
When species lose their natural habitat or have no access to clean water and food supplies,
they eventually go extinct.
References
Athanasiou, T. (1977) Slow Reckoning: the ecology of a divided planet. Secker & Warburg,
London.
Adams, W.M. (1990) Green Development: environment and sustainability in the third world.
Routledge, London.
Adams, W.M. (2001) Green Development: environment and sustainability in the third world
(2nd edn). Routledge, London.
Cairns, J. Jnr and Crawford, T.V. (eds) (1991) Integrated Environmental Management. Lewis
Publishers, Chelsea, MI.

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