Sustainable Development and Welfare

It is certain that economic activities have an important impact on the environment. In fact, the impact is critical. One of its most obvious consequences is the greenhouse effect. We know that the accelerating rate of technological progress has certainly lead to improved life conditions for the humankind, at least in some regions of the world. However, actual technical progress is not sufficient to allow us the handling of all the natural phenomena that occur on the planet Earth. And, while the planet provides us with optimal conditions for sustaining life, these conditions are the outcome of a very fragile equilibrium. It is certain that with our actual technologies, we cannot cope with an alteration of this equilibrium. Hence, we have to seek a rate of activity and development that comes at peace with the above mentioned equilibrium.
Development is important. Why is it important? It is important because it facilitates better life conditions for the human species. It comes with an extending of the life span for the Homo sapiens; it provides a better handling of the existent resources and a more even distribution of these resources among individuals; this in turn leads to decrease in frictions (wars etc.) between humans. Eventually, it will provide us with the tools needed to cope with the major changes in the earth’s environment.But, once established that we do need development, we do need technical progress and we do need economic and productive activities, we will have to look into the proper rate of development, in such a way that it will not impair the planet’s natural equilibrium.
People were not aware through most part of the XXth century that development and sustained economic activity can seriously harm the environment. At least, not so much as they are today. The effects of the climate change are easily detectable and forced many to become aware of the negative externalities of human activity.
These threats for the natural climate were triggered by human activities, especially by the intense economic activity in the last century. It is rather useless to ask which nation or which continent had a higher contribution to these changes, but one thing is sure, and that is that the negative effects affect us all, in all regions of the world, on all continents.