UIL LD Fall 2021 Topic

Resolved: When in conflict, environmental protection ought to take precedence over natural resource extraction

Analysis of the TopicNotice there is no agent in this resolution

We could be talking about the U.S. or any other nation or group of nations. The challenge in any such resolution is to evaluate whether the instances cited by the affirmative (which will likely be US-based) are more important than the instances cited by the negative (likely to be developing country-based) – in every LD resolution, “on balance” is implied

Analysis of the Topic

“When in conflict . . .”

This implies there will be some instances where “environmental protection” and “resource extraction” are not in conflict –we are not talking about such instances

Analysis of the Topic“When in conflict . . .”

Is Fracking actually an example of a conflict between environmental protection and resource extraction?

Daniel Raimi, (Prof., Energy Policy, U. of Michigan Energy Institute), THE FRACKING DEBATE: THE RISKS, BENEFITS, AND UNCERTAINTIES OF THE SHALE REVOLUTION, 2018, 132.

The shale revolution has reduced carbon dioxide emissions in the United States substantially over the past decade, primarily by providing a low-cost substitute for CO2-intensive fuels, namely, coal.

Analysis of the Topic

“ought”

This implies a normative obligation, imposing an increased burden on the affirmative; this gives something of a presumption to the negative

Analysis of the Topic

“environmental protection”

Tim Forsyth, professor at the London School of Economics in the 2008 book, Companion to Development Studies:Brown Environmentalism: Environmental conditions related to poor living conditions such as safe housing, drinking water, proper sanitation, etc.Green Environmentalism: Environmental conditions related to loss of biodiversity, deforestation, climate change, etc.

Analysis of the Topic

“take precedence over”

According to the Macmillan Dictionary, “precedence” means “a more important position or status than something or someone else, or the right to a more important position or status” (https://www.mac millandictionary.com/us/dictionary/american/precedence).

Analysis of the Topic“resource extraction”

Yashpal Singh Narwaria, (Prof., Bhagat Singh College, University of Delhi), NATURAL RESOURCES, 2016. Retrieved Oct. 14, 2021 from https://www.sbsc.in/pdf/resources/1585920369_Natural_Resources_final-1.docx

Resource extraction involves any activity that withdraws resources from nature. This can range in scale from the traditional use of preindustrial societies, to global industry. Extractive industries are, along with agriculture, the basis of the primary sector of the economy. Extraction produces raw material, which is then processed to add value. Examples of extractive industries are hunting, trapping, mining, oil and gas drilling, and forestry.

Analysis of the Topic“resource extraction”

Yashpal Singh Narwaria, (Prof., Bhagat Singh College, University of Delhi), NATURAL RESOURCES, 2016. Retrieved Oct. 14, 2021 from https://www.sbsc.in/pdf/resources/1585920369_Natural_Resources_final-1.docx

Resource extraction involves any activity that withdraws resources from nature. This can range in scale from the traditional use of preindustrial societies, to global industry. Extractive industries are, along with agriculture, the basis of the primary sector of the economy. Extraction produces raw material, which is then processed to add value. Examples of extractive industries are hunting, trapping, mining, oil and gas drilling, and forestry.

Analysis of the Topic“resource extraction”

Louis Sears et al. (Prof., Cornell U.), “Lessons from Groundwater Resource Extraction in California,” Oct. 15, 2021. Retrieved Oct. 20, 2021 from http://clinlawell.dyson.cornell.edu/groundwater_management_synthesis_lessons_paper.pdf

Groundwater is a critical natural resource whose management is often considered a classic example of a ”common pool resource” problem; in addition, its partially nonrenewable nature further confounds sustainable management. In this paper, we draw lessons from our spatial dynamic analyses of groundwater resource extraction in California, where groundwater resources have operated under a de-facto open access environment for much of the state’s history.

Analysis of the Topic“resource extraction”

Simon Fraser University, RESOURCE EXTRACTION IN BRITISH COLUMBIA,Aug. 4, 2020. Retrieved Oct. 20, 2021 from http://www.sfu.ca/geog/geog351spring09/group01/fishery_econ.html

The fishery industry of B.C. is a complex industry, as it’s composed of numerous sectors and subdivisions. The industry is composed of four sectors which are, commercial fishing, aquaculture, sport fishing and seafood processing. Firstly, Commercial fishing is the capture of marine species from their environment. This is a form of direct resource extraction.

Analysis of the Topic“resource extraction”

Fossil fuel extraction: Oil, Coal, FrackingMining of minerals FishingHunting WaterNotice the overlap to the policy topic (water)

Analysis of the TopicStock Issues in Any Value Resolution

1. What is the Core (most important) value in play?

2. What is the Criterion for the value?3. What contentions/arguments apply the

Criterion to support your side of the resolution (affirmative/negative)?

Analysis of the TopicWhat Core Values Systems Are in Play?

Preservation of Human LifeSafetyCost-Benefit AnalysisCommon GoodPoverty ReductionJusticeNational Security

Analysis of the TopicWhat Are Some Examples of Criteria for the

Value?Take the common example of “justice”

Is it Rawlsian Justice: Preference to the least advantaged?Is it criminal justice: Punishing the guilty?Is it environmental justice: Preserving environmental qualityIs it procedural justice: Due Process or “giving each person what they

are due?”Is it restorative justice: Duty to repair damage done – Polluter pays, for

example

AFF Case Idea #1: Fossil FuelsCore Value: Preserving human lifeCriteria: A livable environment is a precondition for

preserving lifeContentions:

Coal extraction destroys the environment (air pollution, water pollution)

Hydraulic fracturing destroys the environment (air pollution, water pollution)

Renewable energy resources can replace fossil fuel use – no need for fossil fuel extraction

AFF Case Idea #1: Fossil FuelsCoal Extraction:Li Xia, (Staff, New Security Beat), THIRSTY POWER: MEASURING THE WATER RISK OF CHINA’S COAL INDUSTRY, July 6, 2017. Retrieved Aug. 20, 2021 from https://www.newsecuritybeat.org/2017/07/thirsty-power-measuring-water-risk-chinas-coal-industry-mingxuan-wang/While coal’s air pollution already places a huge burden on the economy, environment, and human health in China, the risks for water supplies in the country’s arid north are potentially even greater. Half of China’s population and two-thirds of its farmland are already vulnerable to worsening droughts and water pollution. Nearly half of the groundwater in northern China is so polluted it cannot even be used for industrial purposes.

AFF Case Idea #1: Fossil FuelsCoal Extraction:Edward Wong, (Staff, New York Times), COAL BURNING CAUSES THE MOST AIR POLLUTION DEATHS IN CHINA, STUDY FINDS, Aug. 17, 2016. Retrieved Aug. 20, 2021 from https://www.nytimes.com/2016/ 08/18/world/asia/china-coal-health-smog-pollution.htmlBurning coal has the worst health impact of any source of air pollution in China and caused 366,000 premature deaths in 2013, Chinese and American researchers said on Thursday. Coal is responsible for about 40 percent of the deadly fine particulate matter known as PM 2.5 in China’s atmosphere, according to a study the researchers released in Beijing.

AFF Case Idea #1: Fossil FuelsRenewable Alternatives Are Available:

Leslie Hook, (Staff, Financial Times), WIND POWER HAS CAPACITY TO MEET WORLD’S ENTIRE ELECTRICITY DEMANDS, Oct. 24, 2019. Retrieved Aug. 20, 2021 from https://www.ft.com/content/ 7c36dd38-f69b-11e9-a79c-bc9acae3b654Offshore wind power has the capacity to meet all of the world’s electricity demand, and is set to be a “game-changer” for energy systems, according to the International Energy Agency.

AFF Case Idea #1: Fossil FuelsRenewable Alternatives Are Available:

Environment America, IT’S 2021 AND CLEAN ENERGY IS CHEAPER THAN EVER, Jan. 6, 2021. Retrieved Aug. 6, 2021 from https://environmentamerica.org/blogs/environment-america-blog/ame/it%E2%80%99s-2021-and-clean-energy-cheaper-ever Research published over the last couple of months makes it clear that, entering 2021, these critical climate tools have not only gotten cheaper than ever before, many now rival in cost the fossil fuel technologies they need to replace: According to the latest from Lazard, which has been tracking energy costs for years, wind power was 71% cheaper in 2020 than in 2009 and the cost of solar energy dropped by 90%. In many cases, getting energy from new wind turbines and solar panels is now cheaper than getting energy from existing coal and gas plants.

AFF Case Idea #2: ClimateCore Value: SafetyCriteria: Slowing climate change is essential to

safetyContentions:

Global warming is the greatest threat to human civilization, will cause ecosystem collapse, threatens world peace, imminent catastrophe

Fossil fuel extraction and use is a primary cause of global warming

Global warming will devastate developing countries

AFF Case Idea #2: ClimateThreat from Climate Change

David Wallace-Wells, (Fellow, New American Foundation), THE UNINHABITABLE EARTH, 2019, 7-8. The U.N. projections are bleaker: 200 million climate refugees by 2050. Two hundred million was the entire world population at the peak of the Roman Empire, if you can imagine every single person alive and living anywhere on the planet at that time dis-possessed of their home and turned outward to wander through hostile territories in search of a new one. The high end of what's possible in the next thirty years, the United Nations says, is considerably worse: "a billion or more vulnerable poor people with little choice but to fight or flee." A billion or more.

AFF Case Idea #2: ClimateThreat from Climate Change

David Wallace-Wells, (Fellow, New American Foundation), THE UNINHABITABLE EARTH, 2019, 12-13. At two degrees, the ice sheets will begin their collapse, 400 million more people will suffer from water scarcity, major cities in the equatorial band of the planet will become unlivable, and even in the northern latitudes heat waves will kill thousands each summer. There would be thirty-two times as many extreme heat waves in India, and each would last five times as long, exposing ninety-three times more people. This is our best-case scenario.

AFF Case Idea #2: ClimateThreat from Climate Change

Bob Berwyn, (Staff, Inside Climate News), UNCHECKED GLOBAL WARMING COULD COLLAPSE WHOLE ECOSYSTEMS, MAYBE WITHIN TEN YEARS, Apr. 8, 2020. Retrieved Aug. 26, 2021 from https://insideclimatenews.org/news/08042020/global-warming-ecosystem-biodiversity-rising-heat-species/ Global warming is about to tear big holes into Earth’s delicate web of life, pushing temperatures beyond the tolerance of thousands of animals at the same time. As some key species go extinct, entire ecosystems like coral reefs and forests will crumble, and some will collapse abruptly, starting as soon as this decade, a new study in the journal Nature warns.

AFF Case Idea #2: ClimateThreat from Climate Change

David Wallace-Wells, (Fellow, New American Foundation), THE UNINHABITABLE EARTH, 2019, 31. Warming of 3 or 3.5 degrees would unleash suffering beyond anything that humans have ever experienced through many millennia of strain and strife and all-out war.

AFF Case Idea #2: ClimateFossil Fuel Extraction to Blame

Jeremy Rifkin, (Prof., Wharton School, U. of Pennsylvania), THE GREEN NEW DEAL, 2020, 1. We are facing a global emergency. Our scientists tell us that human-induced climate change brought on by the burning of fossil fuels has taken the human race and our fellow species into the sixth mass extinction event of life on Earth.

AFF Case Idea #2: ClimateFossil Fuel Extraction to BlameMarc Schaus, (Science Journalist). OUR LIVABLE WORLD: CREATING THE CLEAN EARTH OF TOMORROW, 2020, 20. According to a United Nations report on biodiversity loss, more than one million species of plants and animals are now at risk of extinction worldwide. Climate change created by the burning of fossil fuels, according to the report, has simply made it too hot, wet, or dry for some species to survive. Sadly, nearly half of the world's land mammals and nearly a quarter of birds have already had their habitats damaged significantly by climate change. Scientists at the University of Arizona have further calculated that as many as one third of plant and animal species could be gone in 50 years' time.

AFF Case Idea #2: ClimateWorst Impact Will Be Felt in Developing CountriesWorld Vision, HOW CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS POVERTY, June 21, 2021. Retrieved Aug. 26, 2021 from https://www.worldvision.ca/stories/climate-change/how-climate-change-impacts-poverty Money pays for air conditioning and cottages where air is fresher. Higher incomes allow people to live in safe places, away from swelling rivers and tinder-dry wooded areas. Privilege fills grocery carts, even as food prices soar. Wealthier federal budgets can compensate their citizens when climate change harms livelihoods. Impoverished families in developing countries are often the least to blame for man-made climate change. Yet they typically bear the worst of the impact.

AFF Case Idea #3: Resource Curse

Core Value: National Self-InterestCriteria: Cost-Benefit Analysis

Contentions: The costs to developing countries of prioritizing

resource extraction outweigh the benefits: Undermines economic growth, Promotes violence, Undermines democracy and promotes authoritarian rule, ”Dutch Disease,” Benefits always to to wealthy corporations in the 1st World

AFF Case Idea #3: Resource CurseResource Extraction Undermines Economic Growth

Addisu Lashitew, (Analysts, Brookings Institution), ARE NATURAL RESOURCES A CURSE, BLESSING, OR A DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD?, July 16, 2020. Retrieved Aug. 26, 2021 from https://www.brookings.edu/blog/future-development/2020/07/16/are-natural-resources-a-curse-a-blessing-or-a-double-edged-sword/The negative indirect effect shows that, over the long term, natural resources undermine the development of institutions. Since institutions are major determinants of economic development, the deleterious effect of resources on institutional quality translates into a significant adverse effect on development performance.

AFF Case Idea #3: Resource CurseResource Extraction Undermines Economic Growth

Olga Vasilyeva, (Senior researcher at the Amur Laboratory for Economic and Social Studies of the Economic Research Institute), RESOURCE CURSES ARE MORE LIKELY IN FRAGMENTED AUTHORITARIAN REGIMES, Sept. 2, 2020. Retrieved Aug. 26, 2021 from https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/businessreview/ 2020/09/02/resource-curses-are-more-likely-in-fragmented-authoritarian-regimes/

Abundant natural resources like oil and gas rarely turn out to be a real blessing for a country. More frequently they distort economic policies, discourage entrepreneurial activity and ultimately suppress economic growth.

AFF Case Idea #3: Resource CurseResource Extraction Causes Increased Violence

Chelsea Harvey, (Staff, Washington Post), HOW EXPLOITING THE EARTH CAN FUEL VIOLENT CONFLICT, Mar. 22, 2016. Retrieved Aug. 26, 2021 from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/03/22/how-exploiting-the-earth-can-fuel-violent-conflict/ But, he said, studies are increasingly suggesting that natural resources and the environment are often a central factor in these conflicts — and this can happen in three main ways. First, issues involving natural resources can be the direct cause of conflicts. Second, they can help prolong conflicts that already exist. And third, they can help revive conflicts that had paused or ended. Evidence of these trends can be seen in conflicts that have occurred all over the world. In fact, a 2009 UNEP report concluded that natural resources play a role in at least 40 percent of all internal conflicts in countries.

AFF Case Idea #3: Resource CurseResource Extraction Undermines Democracy

Darryl Reed, (Prof., Business, York U.), JOURNAL OF BUSINESS ETHICS, 2002, 210. Historically, REIs [resource extraction industries] have acted in ways that have had adverse effects on political development. Perhaps, the most blatant cases involve the direct support by firms for the overthrow of legitimate governments (which typically occurs after such governments have asserted their sovereignty over their natural resources).

AFF Case Idea #3: Resource CurseResource Extraction Enriches Multinational

Corporations

Suraj Patel, (J.D.), TULANE ENVIRONMENTAL LAW JOURNAL, Winter 2012, 71. Multinational corporations engaging in natural resource extraction are often enticed by nascent foreign regulatory regimes and private dispute settlement mechanisms intended to induce investment. The results of a complicit government and poor operational practices can be environmental devastation and widespread human rights violations for which there is little redress.

AFF Case Idea #3: Resource CurseDutch Disease: Resource Extraction in One Sector Hurts

Every Other Part of the Economy

Fabian Mendez Ramos, (Economist, World Bank), SUDDEN INFLUENCES OF RESOURCE WEALTH TO THE ECONOMY, 2020. Retrieved Aug. 26, 2021 from https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/ handle/10986/33614

Dutch Disease is a condition in which a sudden increase of resource wealth from an extractive sector (such as oil, gas, coal, or mining) undermines other areas of the economy (such as agriculture, manufacturing, or tradeable services), shrinking them while spurring an appreciation in the real exchange rate. Although this may have some positive effects in the short run, Dutch Disease episodes can potentially lead to sectoral concentration and lower economic growth in the long run.

AFF Case Idea #3: Resource CurseWhat Is “Dutch Disease?”

The term Dutch disease was coined by The Economistmagazine in 1977 when the publication analyzed a crisis that occurred in The Netherlands after the discovery of vast natural gas deposits in the North Sea in 1959. The newfound wealth and massive exports of oil caused the value of the Dutch guilder to rise sharply, making Dutch exports of all non-oil products less competitive on the world market. Unemployment rose from 1.1% to 5.1%, and capital investment in the country dropped.

NEG Case Idea #1: Reduce PovertyCore Value: Poverty Reduction (#1 Among UN’s

Millennium Development Goals)Criteria: Money for the poor in the developing worldContentions:

Resource extraction reduces povertyDevelopment assistance is a poor substitute for tradePoverty reduction should take precedence over

environmental protection because as poverty is reduced, the capability to protect the environment increases

Resource extraction in the U.S. is not in conflict with environmental protection (I will provide a link to some negative briefs on the policy topic)

NEG Case Idea #1: Reduce PovertyPoverty Reduction Is the Most Important Goal

Ban Ki-moon, (UN Secretary-General), MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS, 2009. Retrieved Aug. 20, 2021 from www.undp.org/mdg/. Looking ahead to 2015 and beyond, there is no question that we can achieve the overarching goal: we can put an end to poverty. In almost all instances, experience has demonstrated the validity of earlier agreements on the way forward; in other words, we know what to do. But it requires an unswerving, collective, long-term effort.

NEG Case Idea #1: Reduce PovertyThe Developing World Has a Wealth of Natural Resources

Ray Bush, (Prof., Politics, U. of Leeds, UK), REVIEW OF AFRICAN POLITICAL ECONOMY, 2008, 361. Africa holds 42% of the world’s share of bauxite; 38% of its uranium; 42% of the world’s reserves of gold; 73% of its platinum; 88% of diamonds. The continent also has enormous reserves of non-ferrous metals like chromite (44%), manganese (82%), vanadium (95%) and cobalt (55%).

NEG Case Idea #1: Reduce PovertyExtraction of Natural Resources Is Key to Poverty Reduction

World Bank, OIL GAS AND MINING: A SOURCEBOOK FOR UNDERSTANDING EXTRACTIVE INDUSTRIES, Mar. 20, 2018. Retrieved Aug. 20, 2021 from https://www.worldbank. org/en/news/feature/2018/03/20/a-guide-to-good-governance-in-extractive-industries Natural resources play a dominant role in about half the countries on earth, collectively counting for a quarter of world GDP and half the world’s population. With good governance, transparent management, respect for community needs and the environment, revenues from extractive industries can have a dramatic impact on reducing poverty and boosting shared prosperity.

NEG Case Idea #1: Reduce PovertyBotswana Offers a Prime Example of the Benefits of Resource

ExtractionKevin Morrison, (Prof., Government, Cornell U.), WORLD BANK RESEARCH OBSERVER, Oct. 27, 2010, 56. One good example of this dynamic is Botswana, a country that has benefited from its natural resources economically and politically. Botswana’s growth rate has been among the highest in the world over the past 40 years, and it has had freely contested democratic elections since independence. In their analysis of Botswana’s success, Acemoglu, Johnson, and Robinson note the critical importance of the existing institutions when diamonds appeared on the scene: “By the time the diamonds came on stream, the country had already started to build a relatively democratic polity and efficient institutions. The surge of wealth likely reinforced this.

NEG Case Idea #1: Reduce PovertyResource Extraction in China Has Brought Hundreds of

Millions Out of Poverty

Jack Goodman, (Staff, BBC News), HAS CHINA LIFTED 100 MILLION PEOPLE OUT OF POVERTY, Feb. 28, 2021. Retrieved Oct. 20, 2021 from https://www.bbc.com/news/56213271In 1990 there were more than 750 million people in China living below the international poverty line - about two-thirds of the population. By 2012, that had fallen to fewer than 90 million, and by 2016 - the most recent year for which World Bank figures are available - it had fallen to 7.2 million people (0.5% of the population). So clearly, even in 2016 China was well on the way to reaching its target. This suggests that overall, 745 million fewer people were living in extreme poverty in China than were 30 years ago.

NEG Case Idea #1: Reduce PovertyAltogether, Billions Have Been Lifted Out of Poverty

Bjorn Lomborg, (Dir., Copenhagen Consensus Center), HOWCLIMATE POLICIES HURT THE POOR, Sept. 26, 2019. RetrievedOct. 20, 2021 from https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/governments-must-reduce-poverty-not-emissions-by-bjorn-lomborg-2019-09Over the past 25 years, nearly 1.2 billion people around the world have been lifted out of poverty, while both malnutrition and the risk of death from air pollution have decreased.

NEG Case Idea #2: Right to DevelopCore Value: JusticeCriteria: Those responsible for harm should be the

ones responsible for redressContentions:

Developing countries are primarily responsible for climate change

Developing countries have a right to develop just as wealthy nations have done

It is fundamentally unjust to require developing countries to forego resource extraction in order to pay the cost of environmental protection

NEG Case Idea #2: Right to DevelopDeveloping Countries Have a “Right to Develop”

Patrick Macklem, (Prof., Law, U. Toronto), GLOBAL POVERTY AND THE RIGHT TO DEVELOPMENT, 2013, 19. The Declaration on the Right to Development refers to the right to development as “an inalienable human right by virtue of which every human person and all peoples are entitled to participate in, contribute to, and enjoy economic, social, cultural and political development, in which all human rights and fundamental freedoms can be fully realized.” It defines the right as an entitlement to “a comprehensive economic, social, cultural and political process.”

NEG Case Idea #2: Right to DevelopNatural Resources Play a Key Role in Development

UN Environment Programme, UNDERSTANDING THE LONG-TERM IMPACTS OF NATURAL RESOURCE EXTRACTION, May 16, 2016. Retrieved Oct. 20, 2021 from https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/understanding-long-term-impacts-natural-resource-extractionNatural resources extraction is an important economic activity that will contribute to many of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The linkages between the extractives sector and the SDGs are numerous and well documented.

NEG Case Idea #2: Right to DevelopEnvironmental Awareness Increases With Development

Bjørn Lomborg, (Fellow, Hoover Institution of Stanford University), FALSE ALARM: HOW CLIMATE CHANGE PANIC COSTS US TRILLIONS, HURTS THE POOR, AND FAILS TO FIX THE PLANET, 2020, 44. The biggest environmental killer, outdoor air pollution, initially increases as incomes go up, but then it starts declining as individuals become even richer. Put simply, when immediate concerns like hunger and infectious diseases are tackled, people start demanding more environmental regulations.

NEG Case Idea #2: Right to DevelopEnvironmental Awareness Increases With Development

Bjørn Lomborg, (Fellow, Hoover Institution of Stanford University), FALSE ALARM: HOW CLIMATE CHANGE PANIC COSTS US TRILLIONS, HURTS THE POOR, AND FAILS TO FIX THE PLANET, 2020, 44. Deforestation follows the same pattern. We see vast deforestation in poor countries because there is a strong need for more development, but as countries get richer they become more likely to reforest, in part because citizens increasingly demand more biodiversity and nature. All of which is to say that we should not assume that rising GDP de-notes only bad things for the planet. Higher GDP not only means better social and economic outcomes but also mostly better environmental outcomes.

NEG Case Idea #3: Development Saves the Environment

Core Value: Common GoodCriteria: Greatest good for the greatest number

Contentions: Poverty reduction must be the first priority of developing

countriesResource extraction offers the superior means of

preserving the environment in the long run: According to the Environmental Kuznets Curve, as incomes rise, both the interest and the capability to protect the environment are increased

NEG Case Idea #3: Development Saves the Environment

Poverty Is Debilitating

Mercy Corps, WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT GLOBAL HUNGER,May 8, 2020. Retrieved Oct. 20, 2021 from https://www.mercycorps.org/blog/quick-facts-global-hungerAround the world, 821 million people do not have enough of the food they need to live an active, healthy life. One in every nine people goes to bed hungry each night, including 20 million people currently at risk of famine in South Sudan, Somalia, Yemen and Nigeria.

NEG Case Idea #3: Development Saves the Environment

Poverty Reduction Saves the Environment

Bjorn Lomborg, (Dir., Copenhagen Consensus Center), HOW CLIMATE POLICIES HURT THE POOR, Sept. 26, 2019. Retrieved Oct. 20, 2021 from https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/governments-must-reduce-poverty-not-emissions-by-bjorn-lomborg-2019-09Moreover, policies that reduce poverty are climate policies. History has shown conclusively that making people richer and less vulnerable is one of the best ways to strengthen societies’ resilience to challenges such as climate threats.

NEG Case Idea #3: Development Saves the Environment

Development Saves the Environment: Kuznets CurveMatthew L. Lopez, (J.D. Candidate), PHOENIX LAW REVIEW, Summer 2010, 704. Economist, Simon Kuznets developed the Environment KuznetCurve ("EKC") to show the correlation between a country's economic growth and its contribution to environmental degradation. The EKC demonstrates that as a country experiences lower levels of GDP, the country is more inclined to create higher levels of environmental degradation. As a country's GDP rises, it will begin to devise environmental regulations and technologies that reduce the amount of pollution emitted, and take various other steps to help make improvements to the quality of the environment.

NEG Case Idea #3: Development Saves the Environment

Development Saves the Environment: Kuznets Curve

Simon Kuznets, winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1971 –The environmental Kuznets curve suggests that economic

development initially leads to a deterioration in the environment, but after a certain level of economic growth, a society begins to improve its relationship with the environment and levels of environmental degradation reduces. Suggests that economic growth ends up being good for the environment because as people become more wealthy, they demand better quality of their environment and the society has more wealth to enable environmental improvements.