One of the aspects of economic growth which affects the environment most of all is that, in order to produce more goods and products, at a faster rate, the construction of large industrial plants is required. These enterprises generate a lot of waste in the form of liquid waste and gaseous fumes. The liquid waste is frequently dumped in fresh water bodies, while the gaseous fumes are released into the atmosphere. The liquid waste leads to the pollution of water, damaging the aquatic ecosystem (Mary, 2007). The gaseous fumes pollute the atmosphere, which may cause negative, long term, health effects to nearby populations of animals, or people. They also lead to the degradation of the ozone layer, which is one of the main reasons for the acceleration of global warming.
The conventional energy sources, that are commonly used, nowadays, are considered to be the greatest polluters of the environment, and intensive rates of industrial manufacturing lead to the constantly increasing energy consumption. One might say that the solution lies in the usage of so-called non-conventional sources of energy, such as tidal, geothermal or wind energy. They are preferred due to their environment friendly means of energy generation, but, at the same time, they possess several critical drawbacks. The very high installation cost is one of them. Besides, they are, yet, less effective than conventional ones, and need the accompanying political will to initiate. Transiting from one energy source to another also requires time, during which people have to make some sacrifices to support these undertakings. In a democratic country, making people accept this would pose a challenge (Robert, 2009).
Simultaneously, even if implemented, non-conventional sources of energy still don�t resolve the problem of inflicting damage to the environment. In order to produce economically viable energy, utilizing tidal and geothermal sources, a sometimes significant distortion of the natural site is often inevitable. This is expensive and has substantial harmful effects on the environment. Application of wind energy would necessitate blocking airflows� natural velocity, which is the reason for their decrease in strength, after crossing the windmill. Consequently, the pressure balance that is brought about by this current will be affected, and it is important to remember that the environment and weather conditions are directly affected by atmospheric pressure.
As one can see, economic growth is connected to environmental damage, and at the current level of development, humanity can hardly avoid harming nature. This is caused by a number of factors, such as the inaccessibility and costliness of alternative sources of energy. But the most significant reason is that constant economic growth leads to the increase in the rate of industrial production. With the expansion of industry, more and more conventional resources are needed, and since their usage causes severe pollution, it can be concluded that economic growth is inseparable from the damage inflicted on the environment.
by
prateek4sep (student)
