By: Zhinan Lin
Many environment protection activists call for clean air and water, resource conservation, and less pollution of the city. This is a great effort that will benefit generations of children in the future. However, there is the fundamental question of how development will sustain the daily living of population of today. Supporting development while keeping the balance of environmental protection is extremely valuable.
People need to survive; without sufficient manufacture, an economy can not guarantee the normal survival of social community. This theory of sustainable development tries to meet people’s needs, but at the same time, stresses that human development should follow the laws of nature.
One good example is the emission trade that Mr. Dale proposed some forty years ago. Many factories have to emit waste; it’s impossible to order them to stop, but emission trade will help prevent disaster. Emissions have different levels with different units and each company was assigned certain units by government. If a company needs to pour more waste, it needs to “purchase” the emission right from another company which emits less waste with an exorbitant price. This financial obligation prompted many companies to spend money to find ways to reduce waste.
Simply stressing the evils of over-manufacturing might not be enough. People from different angles must work together to find ways to encourage sustainable development.
