2.3 Relationship between Environment and Human Well-being
It is observed from the literature on environmental impacts of
structural adjustment programme that if the victims of depletion and
degradation of natural environment are not identified and compensated
by the beneficiaries, the vulnerable sections face additional economic
hardship, which may fuel inequality further (Dasgupta, 2001). It has
been argued by Boyce (2003) that, "social and economic inequalities
can influence both the distribution of the costs and benefits from
environmental degradation and the extent Ofenvironmental protection.
When those benefit from environmentally degrading economic activities
are powerful relative to those who bear the costs, environmental
protection is generally weaker than when the reverse is true." The
analysis suggests that socio-economic inequality leads to environmental
inequality, which may consequently affect the overall extent of
environmental quality. Therefore any attempt to reduce inequalities
would eventually result in environmental protection.
It is increasingly believed that environmental problems should
no longer be viewed as the side effects of development process. On
the contrary, a new approach focusing on promotion of their integration
need to be adopted (Ginkel et al., 2001). The objective has been met
through Target 9 of the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs),12 which demands that environmental conservation and
12 "Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and
programmes and reverse the losses of environmental resources" - Target 9 of the
UN's MDGs.
10
conservation of natural resources from quantitative depletion and
qualitative degradation, should be an integral part of any economic
and development policy.
Melnick et al. (2005) highlight the critical importance of
achieving environmental sustainability to meet the MDGs with respect
to poverty, illiteracy, hunger, gender inequality, unsafe drinking water
and environmental degradation. They argue that achieving
environmental sustainability requires carefully balancing human
development activities while maintaining a stable environment that
predictably and regularly provides resources and protects people from
natural calamities.
2A Relationship between Economic Growth and Human
Development
The literature suggests a two-way relationship between EG
and HD, implying that nations may enter either into a virtuous cycle of
high growth and large HD gains, or a vicious cycle of low growth and
low HD improvement (Ranis, 2004). It is also observed that higher
initial level of HD corresponds to positive effects on institutional quality
and indirectly on EG (Costantini and Salvatore, 2006). The study by
Agarwal and Samanta (2006) involving 31 developing countries,
observed that EG is not correlated with social progress, structural
adjustment or governance. Nevertheless, all of them might have an
impact on the EQ within a country like India, where a two-way causality
between EG and HD is observed, indicating possibilities Ofvicious cycles
(Ghosh, 2006), which might have environmental repercussions.