ICEH Papers

THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATIONS AND ECONOMIC ISSUES IN BIO-MEDICAL WASTE MANAGEMENT IN URBAN COIMBATORE, TAMILNADU, INDIA

Mohandasundaram, Dr. V. “The Environmental Implications And Economic Issues In Bio-Medical Waste Management In Urban Coimbatore, Tamilnadu, India” in Martin J. Bunch, V. Madha Suresh and T. Vasantha Kumaran, eds., Proceedings of the Third International Conference on Environment and Health, Chennai, India, 15-17 December, 2003. Chennai: Department of Geography, University of Madras and Faculty of Environmental Studies, York University. Pages 270 – 275.

Abstract:

The conflict between economic development and environmental quality has been well established in the environmental economics literature. Equally well established has been the trade-off between trade and environmental protection. That is, when an economy grows on the lines of an export-led growth strategy, then it uses more and more resources (renewable as well as non-renewable) to get into higher production levels thereby causing infliction or damage to the environment (in various forms of pollution). The country in question may not be interested in investments that will prevent pollution for the fear of cost disadvantage. That is, to be competitive in the market they have to produce goods at a cheaper cost which means they spend no money on pollution prevention or control measures that will increase their cost of production. Similar is the case with the individual firms. The firms are reluctant to invest or spend money either to prevent or to control the pollution levels that are causing immeasurable damage to the environment. This may be due to three major possibilities; they don’t want to reduce their profit: (i.e., such measures are costlier to adopt, especially when there is no incentive) they have not assessed the real damage to the society or the environment around them (i.e. the problem of measurement of environmental damage becomes very difficult when it is intangible or they are in no way affected by such pollution levels, that is lack of knowledge, information and awareness about the damages of the pollution on the one hand and lack of understanding about the social as well as economic values of preservation of natural environment on the other.

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