Economic growth is depended on the availability of resources, mainly energy, finance, and economic planning. Rapid growth in the last one and half century was possible due to the availability of cheap and abundant fossil fuels (Heinberg 7). But the burning of fossil fuel has a negative effect on our environment because it causes the release of Green House Gases (GHGs) to the atmosphere. Higher concentration of GHGs traps heat in the atmosphere, causing global warming. Unrestraint rise in global temperature can cause melting of glaciers and rise in sea level submerging landmasses, changing weather patterns with frequent incidence of hurricanes and floods and droughts. Sustain development, which came to the public attention during the Rio conference held in 1992, addresses these issues.
Jeremy Rifkin on the article “The European Dream: Building Sustainable Development in a Globally Connected World” finds that Europe is ahead of the United States in creating a sustainable society (24). He argues that the Europeans are better suited at adapting sustainable life style than the Americans due to their historical past. The Europeans give highest preference to communal happiness and to the quality of life, whereas Americans give preference to individual success and availability of opportunity to be successful in life. As per Rifkin, on many occasions, cooperation, not competition brings happiness. This is the likely reason for Europeans experiencing a higher quality of life in comparison to Americans. The risk is another area that distinguishes Europeans and Americans. Americans are predominantly risk takers, whereas Europeans have shifted from risk taking phase to risk prevention phase. That is why Europeans take initiatives to apply the precautionary principle to protect nature and human beings.
Ronald Bailey in the article “Wilting Greens” put up the arguments to debunk the compatibility of sustainable development with human welfare (32-33). He argues in favor of poverty eradication through economic development and opines that source of environmental destruction can be found in human hunger. He shows his distaste for the Greenpeace activists for their attitude towards globalization and economic growth.
I find the arguments put forward by Jeremy Rifkin in favor of sustainable development more convincing because he has explored the reasons that distinguish different approaches towards sustainable development. Economic development and human welfare are paramount, but this can be achieved without causing irreversible environmental degradation. Unprecedented economic development of the world has been achieved by the application of science and technology. Nevertheless, history has shown us that science and technology have also been used for destructive purposes.
Work Cited
Heinberg, Richard. The End of Growth. New Society Publishers, Canada, 2011. Print.
Bailey, Ronald. “Wilting Greens”. Taking Sides Clashing Views on Environmental Issues, 4th ed., edited by Thomas Easton, McGraw Hill, Thomas College, pp. 32-36.
. Rifkin, Jeremy. “The European Dream: Building Sustainable Development in a Globally Connected World”. Taking Sides Clashing Views on Environmental Issues, 4th ed., edited by Thomas Easton, McGraw Hill, Thomas College, pp. 24-31.
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