Insight of Educational Institution about Environment & Economic

Growth
The relationship between environmental protections, the economy has been an
issue of harsh contention for decades. Environmental economics is an emerging
area in the realm of economic science. Environmental economics is a distinct branch
of economics that acknowledges the value of both the environment and economic
activity and makes choices based on those values. Environmental economics is the
application of the principles of economics to get the better idea of managing
environmental resources. The goal is to balance the economic activity and the
environmental impacts by taking into account all the costs and benefits. The
assumption in environmental economics is that the environment provides resources
(renewable and non-renewable), assimilates waste, and provides aesthetic pleasure
to humans. The social and economic welfare of human beings is closely linked to
their environment. Any change in the socioeconomic fields will have an impact on
the earths environment and vice versa, whether positively or negatively,
immediately or eventually. And in many cases, negative results are irreversible.

Economic Growth & Welfare of Human Being is the Focal Point

Economic growth is the prime focus to environmental economist and main stream
educational institution. Environment is considered as the sub matter of economic
development.

According to the academician, there is close link between

environment and economic development which is used in the broad perspective and
the overall development of human beings without any distinction. Analysts and
policymakers of all points of view seem to agree that a strong relationship exists
between environmental protection and development. According to the policy
makers or environmental economists, environmental protection tend to harm the
economy and destroy jobs or to facilitate economic growth, If the latter is the case,
can the positive affects be quantified and estimated at a meaningful level of detail.
So it is the human being or economy is the center of all concern. To the economist
in most cases, they put economic development at upper hand and consider
environment as dominion of economic activities. The environment in this current
realm has value only as environmental goods, services and amenities that can be
bought, sold, traded, saved, or invested, like any other commodity. To the economist

as well as environmentalist the major objective of development should be to ensure

the satisfaction of human needs and aspirations of a material kind other than
environment. Environment is considered as the economic and social asset which
can produce important service to betterment of human being. The development and
progress of civilization is always take place at a cost of nature. Every development
project, whether it is building dam on river or open a new mine near to the village or
bio diversified area is constructed to bring comfort for human being. All these are
doing by destructing bio diversity and disturbing the harmony of nature. Nature is
the subordinate of man and the progress of civilization is going on at expense of
nature.
There is tradeoff between economic growth and environment because of desire to
high growth and excessive use of resources that cause environmental pollution. In
this it is important to mention that development is narrowed down only to the
economic growth whereas the quality of environment in general is not quite so
important as abundance, quality and accessibility of natural resources of raw
materials and energy central for the economy. For the development natural
resources are desperately desired and there is very little choice therefore overuse of
environment is a regular phenomenon and to destroy natural environment simply to
survive. However, according to the present discourse of Academician if there is rise
in income and consumption levels then there is likely to be net increase in
environmental destruction. Meeting increasing consumption demand while keeping
environmental degradation at a minimum is an uphill task. As the countries desire
more economic growth their will use of more available natural resources resulting in
environmental degradation. Even there is strong claim regarding environmental
protection cost harm the economic overall. Environmental regulation in the United
States stands accused of causing a broad array of undesirable economic
consequences and It is said that environmental regulation is too expensive, reduces
economic growth, hurts international competitiveness, and causes widespread
layoffs and plant closures moreover sometimes, it is said, it even forces businesses
to flee to more accommodating countries (Arnold, Forrest & Dujack, 1999).

Missing Link between Human and Nature

Economic development is the prime focus at the present situation. Therefore use of
environment is inevitable or in other way it can be said, environment is the
dominion of economy. So protection of environment is required because of the
further development but not environment as the unique entity or distinctive value
system. Preservation of nature is required only form the standpoint of human being.
In addition it is also important to mention that there is a missing link between
human and nature. Human being alienates itself from nature for long ago.
Considerable attention has been paid to the idea that people in western
industrialized countries increasingly see themselves as separate from nature. As is
specified in the U.S. Wilderness Act (1964), nature is set aside as something pristine
and free of the modern human touch. Although many have addressed the issue of
the human place in nature, after analyzing the courses taught, in academic institute
there is no such attempt to find out connectedness between nature and human
being. People are likely to perceive themselves as a separate entity from nature.

Environment and Pollution control

At present situation, The Environmentalists and environmental economist all over
the world has emphasized the need for maintaining environmental quality through
sustainable use of resources. . Environmental pollution is the major facing by every
country. Natural resources are depleting rapidly, creating scarcity problem for the
next generation. A large number of population particularly a large segments of
societies are suffering badly. On the one hand, every country is trying to increase
economic growth to alleviate living standard of their people and on the other hand,
environmental problems are becoming complicated due to excessive use of
resources. Human activities designed and implemented for the economic growth of
a country and the social needs would have directly or indirectly impact on
environment. The qualitative and in some cases quantitative change in water, land
and other resources have the same effect across the world. It emphasized the fact
that over exploitation of resources may compel human societies to compromise
their ability to meet the essential needs of their people in future. Settled agriculture,
the diversion of watercourses, the extraction of minerals, the emission of heat and
noxious gases into the atmosphere, commercial forests, and genetic manipulation,
were all mentioned in the report as examples of human intervention in natural
system during the course of development

Tagors Insight to Environment in brief

Rabindranath Tagor is the pioneer environment thinker who consider that
nature has its own intrinsic value and preservation of nature is important not
only for the wellbeing of mankind but because of its own intrinsic value. He
consider that the nature has its own intrinsic value and there is a relationship
between man and environment, which is broken in many years ago.
According to the Tagors thought, there is no such thing which is isolated as
well as environment itself. Throughout his life, tagor emphasize that man and
nature is the integral part and all aspect of the world. So, Tagor put
emphasize on the symbiosis and symmetry between man and nature. Tagor
understand the necessity of open and free environment.

Comparison between Tagors

institution about environment

view

and

thought

of

academic

To analysis and to find out the result of analysis six universities are selected.
The universitys name are mentioned below

University of Vermont
Bournemouth University
Stanford University (Stanford Environmental and Energy Policy Analysis

Center )
University of Massachusetts-Amherst
Dhaka School Economics
London school of Economics & Political Science

The six universities are chosen to understand view of academic domain.

Therefore content of all degree offered by the university on environment are
analyzed as well as

course materials of environment along with this

philosophy of these degrees are analyzed. The result of analyzing the

courses, syllabus and philosophy of all degree offered are described above.

To analysis the existing thought about environment in academic domain and

to compare these thought with the tagors

view about environment we

divided prevailing thought about environment into three parts which are
mentioned below

Complementary to the tagoss thought

Supplementary to the tagors thought
Contradictory to the tagors thought

Reference
Arnold, F., Forrest, A., & Dujack, S. (1999). ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION: IS
IT BAD FOR THE ECONOMY? A Non-Technical Summary of the Literature (p.
1). Washington, D.C: Office of Economy and Environment & Office of Policy
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.