DEVELOPMENT

ENVIRONMENTAL COST OF DEVELOPMENT

■ Development has caused a high degree of
environmental degradation
■ For eg : Building of a dam , if a dam is
built no doubt there is development but the
flora and fauna of that area is destroyed
and the wildlife is adversely affected
■ Environmental degradation due to
development does not affect only the
displaced population but the entire
population for nature doesn’t discriminate.
Tsunami of
2004
When the Tsunami hit the
South and South – East
Asian coasts it was
observed that the
destruction of
MANGROVES and
building of commercial
Melting of ice in
Arctic and Antarctic
The increased global
warming is due emission of
GREEN HOUSE GASES
and as a result the ice in the
Arctic and Antarctic is also
melting and this has the
potential to cause floods and
actually submerge low lying
areas like Bangladesh and
 Affects of
Ecological
Crisis
Long term affects : In the long
term the ecological crisis will
adversely affect all of us .
For eg : Air pollution, this
problem doesn’t discriminate
between the rich or the poor.
Short term affects : In the short
term indiscriminate use of
resources tends to adversely affect
the under privileged section more
sharply.
For eg : 1. Deforestation, loss of
forests – Loss of forests affects
the poor who use forests for a
variety of goods like firewood,
medicinal herbs , food etc.
2. Scarcity of Water , Drying up
of rivers : Drying up of rivers ,
falling of ground water level
■ The model of development we are pursuing is based on
large scale development, and large scale development
requires large scale use of energy thus this model of
development is heavily dependent on increasing use of
energy.
■ The energy required for development is currently being
generated from NON RENEWABLE sources like coal ,
petroleum etc.
■ Large scale development means increased consumer
needs , in order to fulfil these consumer needs large
tracts of Amazon Forests are being cleared.
 Questions
■ Are there enough non-renewable resources
which can allow not only advanced countries but
all people in world to enjoy an affluent life
style ?
■ Are we going to hand over a depleted earth and
multiple problems to the future generations?
■ Considering the finite nature of the resources
available to us and infinite demand of them it is not
possible for everyone to enjoy an affluent life style
■ The rate at which we are using our resources and the
way our environment is degrading I would say yes
there would be nothing left for our future
generations. In order to give them the environment
they deserve to live in we must take some measures
and work on ourselves and find a way out .
Thank you