Economic Development and Environmental Protection
Economic development and environmental protection are a pressing issue
primarily for developing countries where, in trying to catch up with developed countries,
they have to consume natural resources on an unprecedented scale.
This has seriously polluted our environment and, with the global environmental
campaign gaining momentum, many people in China call for the precedence of
environmental protection over economic development.
Any attempt to pose economic development and environmental protection as
diametrically contradictory is simple-minded. Since no country is willing to stop its economic development,
the best way is to strike a balance between the two and to heighten the
environmental awareness of those solely concerned with economic development.
European countries both economically developed and environmentally friendly
can serve as perfect examples for China.
Their success story in both undertakings illustrates that environmental
protection does not mean a complete standstill of economic activities
or exploitation of natural resources, but rather an active development and application
of effective technologies to minimize environmental consequences.
In Germany, environmental protection has become part of economic development as it boasts the world’s most successful environmental industry.
With a developed economy, we are well equipped to develop sophisticated
technologies that can effectively safeguard our environment.
The relationship between economic development and environment protection is a
complex one. For modern men, neither a primitive society which is perfectly
ecologically friendly nor an industrial civilization which is ecologically hostile is what we want.
Environmental problems arise as a result of industrialization and only technologies can
deliver solutions to those problems. Rather than simply returning to the past of non-human activity, we can seek active technological solutions in solar energy and wind energy
to replace fossil fuels. By the time this key contributor to environmental deterioration is eradicated,
man will achieve a win-win result between economic development and environmental protection.
【值得熟记的句式与短语】
1. consume natural resources on an unprecedented scale以史无前例的规模去消耗自然资源
2. global environmental campaign gaining momentum全球范围内的环保运动势头日趋强劲
3. many people in China call for the precedence of environmental protection over
economic development中国国内的许多人便大声疾呼，相对于经济发展，环境保护应被摆在首要位置。
4. strike a balance between the two在两者之间达成一种平衡
5. to heighten the environmental awareness提高环保意识
6. a complete standstill彻底陷入停顿
7. exploitation of natural resources对自然资源的开发利用
8. to minimize environmental consequences将环境后果降至最低限度
9. environmental industry环保产业
10. develop sophisticated technologies that can effectively
safeguard our environment研发尖端的技术，真正有效地保护我们的环境
11. a primitive society which is perfectly ecologically friendly nor an industrial civilization
which is ecologically hostile完全环境友好型的原始社会，或者是充满生态敌意的工业文明
12. only technologies can deliver solutions to those problems只有技术才能对这些问题带来解决之道
13. environmental deterioration环境恶化
14. a win-win result一种双赢的格局
