Developing Countries and the Environment

1. Do you think that currently developing countries have the right to exploit forests (and other natural resources) as Europe and the U.S. did to increase their economic well-being? Why or why not?

We now know if forests are destroyed at their current rate we will loose a number of precious resources we cannot get back including an unfathomable ½ of the worlds species to extinction. Although during their economic development Europe and the U.S. had the lawful right to exploit forests, I do not think they had the ethical right. Hundreds of species were extinct in the process and other irreversible environmental effects took place. If we knew then what we know now, I'd like to think we'd have done things differently. Likewise, I don’t think that developing countries have the ethical right to exploit forests and therefore, I don’t think they should have this right legally because exploiting forests will have astounding negative effects both on their futures and on the rest of the world’s. Yet, if an international law or protocol to this regard should come to be, support from industrialized nations should be a part of it. This support should include educating and facilitating developing nations to increase their economic well-being in a sustainable way.

It is possible for developing nations to grow economically without destroying forests. Richard Tobin in his article “Environment, Population, and the Developing World” argues, the export potential of forest products other than timber such as cork, rattan, oils, resins, and medicinal plants provide great economic incentives for these countries. For instance, one-fourth of the United State’s prescription drugs have their origins in tropical plants. Like I said before, to accomplish this sustainable growth, developed countries, such as the U.S. and Europe, should help. This could even be a stipulation within any law that is made to curtail forest exploitation.

2. What expectations do you think industrialized nations should have for developing nations in the climate change debate?

a. Should equity between industrialized and developing countries be a goal in this debate?

I do think equity should be a goal in the climate change debate. It is hypocritical for developed nations to try to curtail the emissions on the part of developing nations without holding themselves to the same criteria. I think we need to take a good look at the emissions rates now and decide how we can lower these rates world-wide, yet allowing for minor increases in emissions on the part of developing countries based on their economic growth. Developing countries still should be concerned about their emissions, however, and equal treatment doesn’t mean that the industrialized nations should be the only ones to amp up their controls. For instance, pollution control devices should be required worldwide. In China, coal is used for most of the countries electrical power and yet the conversion process does not utilize the pollution control devices used in the United States and other countries.

b. What if a developing nation values economic development more than slowing down global warming? In this case, should they be required to participate in reducing emissions? Why or why not?

It is easy to see why a developing nation would value economic development more than slowing down global warming because, in many of these nations, the citizens are worried about surviving now rather than the prospects of their future generations. However, it is imperative that the most populous and largest contributors of emissions of the developing nations be required to participate in reducing emissions. Industrialized nations should support the efforts of these developing nations by supporting some of their other urgent needs such as food, health, and education resources (and likewise help them lower their population growth rates in an ethical manner).

No doubt the industrialized nations are the greatest contributors to emissions, but, for instance, China is a huge contributor to emissions as well even though it is a developing nation. According to Tobin, between 1999 and 2003, 40 percent of the increase in the world’s demand for petroleum was due to China and yet this demand is set to double between 2003 and 2025. Tobin also notes that, “If recent projections are accurate, China will provide the world’s largest absolute increases in carbon dioxide emissions between 2000 and 2020.”

As of 2004, the estimated population in the worlds developed countries was 1.206 billion and the totals for the developing countries were 5.190 billion. It is a very scary prospect to think that the developing countries will become as big of contributors to emissions as industrialized nations are at the moment. Industrialized nations better set the stage for lower emissions soon, before the rest of the world follows in the footsteps of our technologies.