Damage to the environment is an inevitable consequence of worldwide improvements in the standard of living. Discuss.

Nowadays with the development of the economy and technology, humans pursue various material or mental comforts frequently. The standard of living is a social-economic indicator which reflects people’s quality of life (Steve Dowrick, Y. D., 2001). It can be measured by means of economic indicators (GDP per capita, income distribution, the price level) and social (infrastructure, education, health, culture, employment and environment). For example, manufacturers produce various different products to satisfy the needs and wants of customers. Moreover, infrastructure construction facilitates economic productivity and enhances …show more content…

Infrastructure construction is vital for supporting economic growth and improving the quality of life. It is provide facilities and essential infrastructures such as roads, power stations and irrigation works and that stimulate economic development and meet the needs of all aspects in terms of society and human beings. However, it can also provide massive environmental problems such as damage of ecosystems, soil pollution along with depletion of natural resources. Firstly, infrastructure expansion occupied a large amount of forest and land. For example, road, railway or canal and related facilities that takes up a substantial amount of space that led to quantitative loss of nature habitat space damage of ecosystems (Cuperus et al., 1993). Another study by Chomitz (2006), stated energy, especially where power plants or industry burn coal can induce acid rain and other biophysical effects that deteriorate crops and soils. The same study also said that in India, acid rain has acidified soils in a large part of the country and decreased crop yield by up to 50 percent in the immediate environs of large power plants. In addition, Irrigation works can lead to overuse of water land degradation. The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA) claims that irrigation already consumes 20–30 percent of the planet’s available freshwater resources. As evidently described the infrastructure produces negative impacts towards the environment.

While it cannot be denied