environmental pollution costs nothing

Externalisation of the economy is the scientific term for the passing on of costs or damages to the public or the environment:

If a oil Tanker in the coast runs close to 800 million litres of Oil, as in the case of the Explosion of the BP-Deepwater Horizon oil rig, into the water, beaches and the coast, brings a growth spurt for the economy: the special units of environmental engineers need to move out, the Oil is chemically bound, contaminated Sand is excavated and transported away. The environmental disaster that creates demand for goods and services.

The reduction in the quality of air, soil, water, plants is not included in the accounts. Also the transport of raw materials and goods across the globe are economically only viable because fossil energy carriers are very cheap.

According to estimates of the world Bank and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the annual environmental damage amounts to at least 8%, maybe even 15% of China’s gross national product. This means that in the longer term, the environmental damage and resource losses, to break the economic success.

This Text comes from the book sustainability of Iris Pufé – will be published soon at UTB: 14,99 € (D), 1. Edition, 260 pages, ISBN 978-3-8252-3667-0