With the acceleration of the modernization process, climate change has become an
important concern. Statistics indicate that Earth’s surface temperature has risen about
2 degrees Fahrenheit since 1850 (Lindsey & Dahlman, 2020). However, due to the
negative correlation between carbon emissions and poverty, developing countries face
the trade-off between economic growth and carbon emissions (Fuhr, 2021). Although
environmental protection is a consideration, developing countries should not
compromise economic growth to carbon emissions because it could cause
unemployment, social instability and international unfairness.
Firstly, limiting economic growth could cause serious unemployment and social
instability in developing countries. These countries heavily rely on exporting low-end
products and foreign direct investment to drive economic growth. If the carbon
emissions are strictly restricted, workers engaged in low-end manufacturing industries
may face mass unemployment, resulting in a decrease in output. Furthermore, the
increase in unemployment and decrease in output tend to cause social instability
(Pervaiz, 2012), which leads to more loss than pollution. Meanwhile, according to the
research by Khan (2019), in the long term, poverty results in greater carbon emissions,
because poor people are not skilled, they have to consume natural resources in an
original and unsustainable way for their survival and profits.
Secondly, compromising economic growth to carbon emissions is unfair to
developing countries. According to economic growth theory, for an economy to
significantly increase productivity, it must have sufficient capital accumulation, and
this accumulation process typically comes at the cost of certain environmental
pollution (Kaldor, 1961). In history, developed countries achieved this process of
capital accumulation through the Industrial Revolution with the cost of pollution,
thereby dominating the top of the global production value chain (Jovane et al., 2008).
Similarly, developing countries also require such a process of capital accumulation. If
strict limitations on carbon emissions are imposed on developing countries, it would
undermine their right to development fairly. Thus, compromising economic growth to
carbon emissions leads to international unfairness.
Yet, people may argue that the economic growth of developing countries could
heavily cause irreparable harm to the environment. While it is true that economic
growth in developing countries may increase carbon emissions, developed countries
should bear more responsibility in carbon reductions rather than impose restrictive
measures on developing countries. According to the research by Duong and Flaherty
(2023), developed countries produce much more carbon emissions than developing
countries. Therefore, developed countries should take more responsibility rather than
force developing countries to restrict economic growth. In this sense, I am reasonable
in arguing that developing countries should not compromise economic growth to
carbon emissions.
In conclusion, developing countries should not compromise economic growth to
carbon emissions. Instead, in the process of economic growth, more innovative
methods will emerge to promote carbon reduction.
