In chapter 12 of Naked Economics, a particular passage about economics and environmental health struck me as interesting. Before, I would not associate the two notions as being synnonymous. I had the "typical understanding" of a growing Economy requiring the increase in waste. As Wheelan points out that "the very act of staying alive requires that we produce waste." I always thought that the way to boost environmental health would be to stifle industrial production and consumption, which would hurt the economy significantly. However, Wheelan proves me wrong. In the short run, if we produce more, we will pollute more as well. But as we get richer, we will pay more attention to the environment. For an example, Wheelan uses data from London: " the city's current air quality is better than at any time since 1585." This is shocking, who would have guessed... as industrialization continues to increase, so does the care in the environment. I also contend that we as a nation are fortunate to have the ability to even worry about the environment.
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