Changing Views and Perspectives on the Environment-Development Nexus

Abstract

The period encompassing the last two to three decades has witnessed prolific growth in the literature on the relationship between economic development and the environment. It is now widely recognised that the economic development—environment relationship can be delicate and that a ruthless pursuit of growth can cause substantial irreversible damage to the environment and can threaten sustainability of development (Ahmed and Doeleman 1995; Pearce 1993). As Woodhouse (1992, p.121) succinctly puts it:

... the concern with ‘global environment’ has become one of the potent political factors shaping politics in industrialised countries, engendering a debate that concerns not only the environmental consequences of economic development through industrialisation, but also environmental degradation in non-industrialised economies... the question of environmental change has become a key element in discussion and analysis of Third World development.