BASIC ECONOMIC

PROBLEMS CONFRONTING
THE DEVELOPMENT OF
THE PHILIPPINES IN THE
ST
21 CENTURY
Environmental Sustainability
and the Country’s
Development Thrust
 OBJECTIVES
Identify one of the basic economic problems
of the country.
Explain the importance of protecting the
environment in relation to the country’s
development thrust.
Display cooperation while doing the group
activity.
Develop thorough understanding on
environmental sustainability in relation to the
country’s development thrust.
 Environmental Sustainability and
the Country’s Development Thrust
Environmental sustainability is defined as
responsible interaction with
the environment to avoid depletion or
degradation of natural resources and allow
for long-term environmental quality.
In the agricultural sector, the cultivation of lands
for crop production, the use of water and marine
resources and harvesting the fruits of the forests
can put pressures on the capacity of our natural
resources
Various types of natural resources are difficult to
expand, the proper use of land, sea, and forest
should be undertaken in order to achieve a long
term life for agriculture as a source of income
and employment for the country
Collaborative Group Discussion
Each group will be given a photo to discuss
and share it with their classmate what are their
thoughts on that particular issue. Afterwards,
each group will choose two representatives to
share it with the class.
Guide Question for the activity:
What are the positive and negative impacts of
this economic activities (too much use of
commercially manufactured chemicals as
fertilizers and pesticides, overfishing,
excessive logging, extraction of minerals done
by the mining industry) to the environment?
 Economic Activities that could
Affect the Environment
1) Too much use of commercially manufactured
chemicals as fertilizers and pesticides on
land resources in the agricultural sector
2) Overfishing
3) Excessive Logging
4) The extraction of minerals done by the
mining industry in the industrial sector
Too much use of commercially manufactured
chemicals as fertilizers and pesticides can
reduce the productivity of lands for crop
production
Soil Acidification
The over-use of chemical fertilizers can lead
to soil acidification because of a decrease in
organic matter in the soil. Nitrogen applied to
fields in large amounts over time damages
topsoil, resulting in reduced crop yields.
Mineral Depletion
There is an increasing concern that continuous
use of chemical fertilizers on soil depletes the
soil of essential nutrients. As a result, the food
produced in these soils have less vitamin and
mineral content. According to data produced by
the U.S. Department of Agriculture Nutrient Data
Laboratory, foods grown in soils that were
chemically fertilized were found to have less
magnesium, potassium and calcium content.
 Overfishing

Overfishing can drastically reduce marine

resources that can be harvested in the future.
 Excessive Logging
Excessive logging, on the other hand,
accompanied by forest clearings, forest fire,
and excessive pasturing can reduced our rain
forest.
With this reduction, a number of endangered
mammals and birds faunas can threaten our
ecological balance.
In addition, forest degradation is one of the
causes of increasing floods and droughts in
the country as well as massive erosion and
groundwater depletion.
 Extraction of Minerals done by the
Mining Industry
It can destroy the productivity of the water
and marine resources nearby as it disposes
its wastes
Similarly, many manufacturing industries
including cement and energy generating
plants can pollute the rivers and air with the
disposal of its wastes.
 What is the optimal government
policy to pursue?
This policy should be tempered by the
marginal benefits and marginal costs
accompanying these agricultural and
industrial activities
For example, a total log ban may preserve our
trees in the forests for a longer period of time
but it can also deny employment and income
to thousands of workers in the forestry
industry
A total log ban may affect agricultural and
industrial production since wood products
are used as inputs in these economic sectors

In this light, a more reasoned selective log

ban may be beneficial to society as it
balances the benefits and costs of logging
Similarly, a total ban on mining is too extreme
since it does not consider the positive
contributions of mining to our economy.
Total ban on mining may secure our mineral
resources intact for the future and protect our
environment. But its opportunity cost in such
policy is also very high.
It can deny the country of the needed foreign
exchange derived from the exports of our
leading minerals including gold, copper, and
nickel.
The employment and income of mining
engineers and workers are also at risk with
this ban
Thus selective ban on mining can be pursued
in the light of the uneven spatial distribution
of mineral resources in the country
In areas where the social costs are higher
than the social benefits, the government may
impose a mining ban.
In areas where social costs are manageable
and the social benefits are high, mining can
proceed provided their environmental impacts
are properly mitigated.
In light of these positive and negative impacts
of economic activities on the environment,
there is a need to mitigate the negative
consequences and enhance the positive
marginal benefits of these economic activities
Measures like pollution tax, pollution limits,
and management plan for environmental
impact of these economic activities may be
required to ensure that the environment is
protected and at the same time reap the
contributions of these activities in generating
income, employment, and foreign exchange
for the country.
 APPLICATION

As a Senior High School student, in what way

can you help maintain our economy's’
productive capacity and pursue its
development goals through environmental
sustainability?
 ASSESSMENT

Explain the importance of protecting the

environment in relation to the country’s
development thrust.