The link between environmental destruction and poverty Environmental impacts like pollution and loss of wildlife often hit the poor hard. Pollution affects the presence of resources that the poor may depend on.
It is important for us to know that poverty and environmental issues are interrelated. There is stress put upon the environment when poverty is greater, and environmental problems cause suffering to the poor. All of us consume water, food, and natural resources in our daily living, and all economic activities are directly, indirectly or remotely based on natural resources. Any pressure on natural resources can cause environmental stress.
When the rivers become polluted, the many poor whose livelihoods depend on the rivers will be affected. The poor often do not have many skills and alternatives to turn to, and so this becomes a tricky problem.
When the forests are burned, it sometimes also mean that the resources the poor depended on, become scarce.
Negative environmental impacts also mean that the poor will end up poorer, as more resources are needed to help them get out of situations.
There has been a water scarcity in some places for some years, and this is mainly due to development, or in the case of Bali, tourism development.
Costs of environmental impacts higher for the poor
The poor pay a heavier price for the negative environmental impacts. This rather lengthy documentary highlights the plight of climate refugees in Bangladesh:
The poor often have fewer alternatives and so their already meagre or limited resources and capacity makes it very hard to cope with pollution and other environmental devastations.
The poor are also sometimes blamed for contributing to environmental issues like pollution; the poor uses cheaper forms of energy and such energy often contributes to pollution. It must be said though, that the poorer and the developing nations are the ones who are often seen as carrying the environmental burdens of the richer nations.
Loss of tangible and intangible cultural and heritage assets, is another thing that contributes to making the lives of the poor worse. The poor often has little chance or ability to react to losses of aspects of their culture, be it ingredients needed for certain foods and medicines.
