Environmental Impacts Rich Vs Poor

Suppose you wanted to study the environmental impacts of a rich versus a poor country. What factors would you examine, and how would you compare them?

There are many factors that have an effect on whether a country is rich or poor. The environment has a very significant impact on a countries wealth. People care for the environmental not only for their fear of upsetting Mother Nature but also because it has an important role in our economy. Three factors of the environment that have an effect on our economy are important to examine. A change in climates can affect many things in the region. The environment can affect factors the change life expectancy which plays a big role in the economy. Finding ways to utilize the resources that a nation's environment provides also has a big impact on the economy of a rich or poor country. The climate, life expectancy, and resources all have a big impact on the wealth of a nation.

The climate of a region can have an influence on many factors of the economy. Agriculture depends highly on the change in climate and weather patterns (5). Changes in precipitation, CO2 concentration and temperature can have an impact on crop growth (5). Being able to grow crops can be vital to the stability a nation's economy. The climate can also have an effect on forests. Forests can have important implications on traditional living, industry, biodiversity, soil and water resources and these lead to changes in agricultural productivity (5). Climate can have an effect on human health. Temperate climates with cold winters are helpful to human health by killing viruses and diseases that would survive year round in tropical settings (6). Disease can have a huge affect on an economy. A disease would shorten the life span of workers, keep many workers out because of illness, and lower the percentage of productive adults that support the economy (6). Heart related illnesses can also be influenced by the change in climate (5). Climate can influence other things that could prove to be risks to a society. Floods and droughts can both be harmful to an economy. Floods can be harmful by ruining homes and resources. Droughts can be detrimental to agriculture practices. Climate is just one factor of the environment that has an influence on whether a country would be rich or poor.

Life expectancy of a nation's citizens has a big impact on whether a country will be rich or poor. The life expectancy of residents of a country can be influenced by the environment. The environment can play a role in the expected age of the people. Environmental factors such as water quality and air pollution can have an effect on the life expectancy in a nation (5). Climate and lack of resources are also part of the reason why there is so such a low life expectancy. A disease could sweep a nation and really hurt their economy. Health interventions which have increased life expectancy are the creation of safe water and sewage disposal systems, and improved nutrition are available in rich nations but not in poor nations (3). When a nation is unable to meet the standards of healthy environmental practices then they are likely to have a low life expectancy. In poor countries only 44% of their water is safe drinking water while in rich countries 99% of the water is safe to drink (1). In poor countries the life expectancy is 49.3 years compared to the average of 77.8 years in rich countries (1). Low life expectancy hurts the economy because the members of society are not able to stay in the work force very long.

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