Abstract
Currently, there have been talks about economic growth and trade. As well, there has been the issue of economic growth and environmental conservation which has become a global issue. This means that there should be a way of addressing this global issue while at the very time encouraging global trade. This is the reason why there has been the move towards trading in Environmental Goods and Services which can improve the environmental quality while promoting economic growth and development. It would be important that environmental conservation should be seen by all people as one of the most important achievements that can be registered by man. This is so because the integrity of the environment is what determines the living conditions of the people and how nature influences their lives. This paper gives an analysis of how trading in environmental-friendly goods and services may be important in improving the quality of the environment and at the same time promote economic initiation and development, which has been a current economic problem.
Introduction
There can never be any doubt that the world can make a big contribution in fighting climatic changes by ensuring that we have opened markets that deal with clean goods and services that will not harm the environment. In that case, there have been a number of negotiations on trade offering avenues for the access of goods such as air filters, scrubbers and any other services that will help in the management of energy (Robert, 2003). The Environmental Goods and Services sector, ENVIRONMENTAL GOODS AND SERVICES is made up of a number of producers and manufacturers of goods, services and technologies, dealing with products that will help in environmental conservation. These products have been designed so that they can effectively help in controlling, measuring, preventing, and restoring the damages that have been done to the climatic patterns and the environment as well. Other forms of damages done to the environment include increased wastes, noise pollution, damaged landscapes and ecosystems and even biodiversities. Therefore, it means that these goods and services should be integrated with cleaning technologies that will help prevent or reduce the rates of pollution to our environment. Currently, this has been a major global economic issue (Robert, 2003). This is because there is the need to improve economic growth while at the same time maintaining a quality environment. This is what has led to the improved trade-in Environmental Goods and Services.
Background Information
The definition of Environmental Goods and Services has been something highly debated. But that being the case, it would be true to note that one cannot fail to give an acceptable definition, and hence ENVIRONMENTAL GOODS AND SERVICES will be used to refer to all the actions, services, or products that are not directly exploitative of the natural environmental settings. Having this definition in relation to production, we can say that these ENVIRONMENTAL GOODS AND SERVICES would be friendly goods and services to the environment which shall improve economic growth through trade while at the same improving the quality of trade and environmental conditions. These will include organic products, eco-tourism, and ecosystem-certified woods together with their products. Therefore, it will be agreed that these are goods and services will be effectively aimed in the improvement and conservation of the environment in which man dwells. This means that such ENVIRONMENTAL GOODS AND SERVICES will definitely result in a sustainable environment. Therefore, this leads us to the definition of Environmental Sustainability (Ekins, 2000). Environmental sustainability is nothing much but the strategies and operations aimed at ensuring that all the needs of man are met without compromising or destroying the available resources for the generations of the future. Today, all the operations carried out by man should hence be aimed in the achievement of a sustainable environment. That being the case, any move aimed at achieving any form of environmental sustainability would encompass the processes such as improving the ecosystems, keeping all populations in check, conserving the environment, and at the same time reducing all factors and human activities that stand a threat to the environmental dynamics (Robert, 2003).
Current Congressional Views
There have been current views that have been voiced by different individuals from different parts of the world towards the issue. From these current congressional views, it would hence be important that we appreciate any idea that will result in the conservation of the environment. It is very true that human beings were given the mandate of controlling and caring about the environment. Current concerns are aimed at ensuring that there would be an overall improvement on the economy only if there would be proper maintenance of the economy. This has caused many individuals to suggest a move towards improving overall trade and cutting down trade on some of the goods and services that might damage the economy. This has been seen by the greatest majority as the appropriate approach since it would resolve two things or issues at the same time. It would hence be something important in putting a man on top when it comes to his contribution in disrupting the structure and co-existence in the environment.
In that case, it has been proposed that man should be keen in understanding that we entirely depend on this environment and its natural resources for us to exist on earth and the reason maximum conservation is inevitable, and by so doing cater for the future generations. It has been suggested that it would be greatly necessary to trade effectively in these goods and services that will have positive impacts on the environment and not in any way harm the environment. This will be adopted as part of an implementation aimed at safeguarding the environment towards curbing all weather changes, climate issues, chemical emissions, and their compositions in the atmosphere. This is why this issue has been purely economic and a very big global issue. Without this kind of approach, then it shall be noted that the majority of the issues shall not be achieved and realized. As well, I purely think that this kind of trade operation might play a great role towards solving the current economic crisis and financial instabilities that have been facing the majority of the countries presently. Such a sustainable development shall play a very big role in increasing carbon intake and as a result in economic improvement (Robert, 2003).
Therefore, I totally feel contented that the world should today adopt this kind of trade on goods and services which would have positive implications on the environment. This will be part of a move in the conservation of our biodiversity. There would be the regulation of all gaseous emissions and their compositions in the atmosphere, the hydrological cycles, and issues of climate change, hence bettering the living conditions in the world. There is also the trading in a number of medical-related health drugs that are would mainly be derived from the dynamic environment and which shall not pollute or even harm the human environment. It would hence be necessary that this kind of trade in the ENVIRONMENTAL GOODS AND SERVICES is embraced because such goods and services play a major role in bringing about the economic developments and at the same time resulting in conservation and improvement of the environment (Robert, 2003). However, there have been a number of barriers and taxations that have hindered the trade in these goods and technologies. This has been a major barrier towards this kind of performance and hence it would be necessary that appropriate measures are put in place towards ensuring that such a global crisis is resolved accordingly. It would hence be very important that all efforts are designed towards eliminating these barriers in the trade operations so that there can be improved strategies for protecting the environment (Mattsson, 2005). Currently, current congressional views have been saying the same thing if the would is to achieve this stability.
From the current global news and reports, a number of countries have already lifted some of these barriers in trading operations of the Environmental Goods and Services. The move has seen an increase in the trade flows when it comes to these environmental products from both the developed as well as the developing countries. Another important thing is that majority of the World Trade Organization (WTO) members have also been making proposals towards the adoption of products that are preferable to the environment (David, 2004). Some of these products include objects like small bicycles and decomposing organic materials which can be listed to be among the Environmental Goods and Services. Today, it is only a small number of the developing countries and the least developed nations, who are members of the WTO, making many market-opening strategies concerning these goods. In that case, there should be a policy that would describe the originality and workability of the present negotiations on trade and also explain all the positions that different nations have taken and what has to be done next. There should be an examination of all the existing barriers when it comes to the trading of such goods and how such barriers can be reduced or done away with once and for all. In that case, it would be much easy to have free trade in these goods and by so doing increase environmental benefits and trade liberalizations (David, 2004).
Policy Implications in Trading in Environmental Goods and Services
From this kind of approach when it comes to the trading of these goods, it would be necessary to have their trade perfected so that the environment conservation measures can go the right way. This means that there should be the realization of policies that will have to be adhered to by all nations which sign the trade treaty towards improving the economy while at the very time conserving the environment. This is to say that there would be positive policy implications from the move. For instance, we have a number of goods and services that will facilitate measures for pollution management in the environment. Policies would come up with ways of mitigation hence leading to pollution control and management of our environments (Mattsson, 2005).
Therefore, trading on such goods and services shall as well play a key role in the management of waste-water and solid wastes as well. They shall also play a big role in helping in cleaning up soils, draining stagnant-surface waters, reducing any form of noise pollution and excessive vibrations, and in the very end bringing responsiveness on economic growth. Having reduced the trading barriers, the outcome is that the involved countries would be able to scale the heights in terms of economy. This should as well come up with ways of integrating the trading on goods that are of cleaner technologies. The clean goods and technologies are very important because they are very resourceful towards controlling and conserving our environment while at the same time improving economic performances. An example that can be enumerated here is like the use photovoltaic solar power. This kind of solar plant is automatically clean as compared to coal-fired plants, though both may produce equal power or energy quantities. It will therefore be agreed that the goods in this category of renewable as well as resourceful materials will be important in controlling any sort of indoor pollutions, the supply of water, and also help farmers manage their farms, fisheries and even forests effectively (Ekins, 2000). Therefore, the policies that have been realized with this kind of trade operations would be appropriate towards improving performance of different economies. The environment shall always be agreed to be the right thing that would propel the economy towards the right direction and hence it would be necessary that we begin with the environment before going ahead with other operations and economic motives (Hirsch, 2001). Therefore, environmentally friendly goods would as well include trading in goods that will be effective in conserving energy. Today, there are a number of firms and companies that provide services such as power and transport through the use of environmental-friendly means. In that case it would be necessary to have some companies and firms being given mandate so that they can freely involve in this trade by their efficiency in the provision of services that will play a big role in the conservation of the environment.
Trade in Environmental Goods and Services and Economic Growth
As experts argue, trading in Environmental Goods and Services would be the very first approach towards economic development and sustenance. Currently, trade on these goods and services have been a cause of conjecture, and hence the reason human kind has to adopt such a trade on the goods. We should therefore be willing to increase the access and use of Environmental Goods And Services because they will yield to a large number of advantages such as the control of environmental deteriorations by minimizing water, air and land pollutions. This would as well play a big role in helping towards the production of energy and other resource-friendly mechanisms that will not in any manner bring harm on the environment (Hirsch, 2001). This is the key reasons why people need to adopt the trade on the goods and services and be able to achieve the green revolution dream.
As well, the important thing here is in the need towards improving the economy, and making it stable at the same time. Today, we should encourage gradual liberalizations in trade affairs and make sure we also have carefully managed markets in all sectors dealing with the Environmental Goods And Services. This is the most outstanding thing with this adoption of environment friendly materials. It would be something great for man to be proud of the environment because a trade like this one on Environmental Goods And Services would bring about economic development and at the same time result in control of climate changes. This would be something very important and a key instrument towards the development of any given country’s economy through overall creation of opportunities for employment hence bringing better living standards.
There is a another correlation between this kind of trade and economic development through improvement in technology, and this is so because majority of the people shall be willing to come up with new ideas that will bring in new generation of newer products like power from non-exhaustible resources hence pioneering overall economic growth. Such skills in technology shall as well be transferred from one place to another in the entire world hence increasing chances for economic development and sustenance. This shall result in an overall increase in living standards for the people thus bringing an overall improvement on their health conditions. This would be so because people shall be living in safe and healthy environments which are free from any kind of wastes or pollutions. In short, we should be well informed about the importance of this kind of economic production and proliferation of Environmental Goods and Services which shall eventually result in overall economic performance. Once all these operations have been properly managed and organized within the trade liberalization, there would be an increased approach towards achievements for all developments that will be aimed at the improvement of all global economies (Jerry, 2003). Therefore, there should be increased liberalizations which shall help towards creating market opportunities in the trading of such goods and services hence improving the economy.
There should be overall encouragement of international trade so that different communities and nations can be willing enough in exchanging the products they have that will play a big role in the conservation of environment and at the same time improving the performance of different economies (Hirsch, 2001). All global nations should as well be willing to sign and effectively abide to all the signed treaties which have been aimed in conserving the environment. While at the same time improving the economic performance, it shall be noted the globe shall be able to come up with proper ways of addressing current issues to do with climatic changes, issues of pollution sand and even with current global warming. There should as well be opening of exportation opportunities for a number of nations so as to have more business operations which shall improve economic performance.
Conclusion and Recommendations
In conclusion, there should be the need to come up with measures which shall help in protecting as well preserving our environment while at the same time aimed in improving the economy. This has been the common talk each and every day in different countries, both the developed and the developing ones. This has led to the initiation of policies which have been aimed in improving performance and as well improving the climatic conditions. Currently, the issues of climatic changes and global warming have been on the limelight and hence it would be necessary that policies are derived which shall ensure that all economic operations are done in the right way towards improving overall performance. This should hence be integrated as part of the main measures useful in the achievement of the economic establishments and conservation of the ecosystem. In that case, the removal and overall reduction of tariffs in trade operations shall be a positive approach if the world was to realize a fully developed economy. This would also improve the chances of solving current economic issues which have been facing different nations like economic meltdowns and financial crisis (Jerry, 2003). There will also be the need to embrace technology so as to be able to come up with new ways of harnessing electricity from both air and water or from sea waves, and reduce consumption of coal. Environmental and economy experts should also be involved in the making of key policies that will help in achieving fair and free trade operations hence securing our environment. Therefore, the future solution for all the global worries and problems lies in the green revolutionary dream.
References
David, P. (2004). Global Trade and Environmental Impacts. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Ekins, P. (2000). Economic growth and environmental sustainability: The prospects for green growth. London: Routledge.
Hirsch, F. (2001). Social Limits to Growth. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Jerry, A. (2003). Contingent Valuation: EGDs Assessment. Amsterdam: Elsevier Science Publishers.
Mattsson, L. (2005). Environmental Economics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Robert, K. (2003). Managing Natural Resources and Development. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.