Can the environment wait : priorities for East Asia
Hughes, Gordon | Ackermann, Richard | Keene, Michelle | Lvovsky, Kseniya | Nielsen, Tine
This report answers the question, Does paying too much attention to environmental problems slow economic growth and industrialization? Although the Asia/Pacific region may say yes and the experience of most industrial countries seems to support this view, in fact 1) today's rich countries did address some of the environmental problems associated with urbanization and growth; 2) advances in knowledge and technology have made the cost of reducing pollution low or negligible; and 3) the costs of environmental damage to health rise as countries invest more in the education and skills of workers. To continue current policies for the next 25 years would 1) leave many households without access to clean water and decent sanitation; 2) worsen urban air quality; and 3) increase the risks posed by heavy metals and persistent organic chemicals in rivers and water supplies. In the immediate future the main environmental priority in Southeast Asia is to expand access to water and urban sanitation and to control motor vehicle pollution. In China the main task is to phase out coal use (with some exceptions) and to develop the infrastructure to supply alternative fuels. Medium term concerns include pretreating industrial wastewater before discharging it into river basins; and similarly treating sewage while charging discharge fees. Longer term issues, such as acid rain and ground-level ozone, should be met with economic incentives like encouraging the use of low-sulfur coal.
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