When developing countries try to play "catch up" with the developed world's model of economic development that uses intensive resources from energy to raw materials,what are the long term effects? We need not second guess as the effects from over consumption to massive exploitation of the environment can be seen in the environmental degradation , geo-political instability and vast income disparity.
So why are we still copy cats? Why not set forth to a brave,new world where a different yardstick for development can be started? Why can't we learn from the mistakes of others ? Why does history need to keep on repeating itself?
It's so paradoxical that we can't have the best of both worlds in that we need to sacrifice one for the other.
According to the text "When a billion Chinese jump",Yunnan faces the threat of deforestation and species extinction,opening up road and rail linkages in Tibet could cause a rise in climate.Guangdong's massive rubbish industry is based on recycling or outsourced dirty manufacturing from advanced countries.The level of lead in China's children is 50% higher than the US.Coal fired power plants increase carbon emission ,causing prevalence of respiratory illnesses.Farming uses fertilisers and insecticides which pollute ground water for drinking. Sewage and industrial waste are dumped into seas causing heavy metal to be accumulated in fish.
In poisoning the environment we live in,aren't we shooting ourselves in the foot ?
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