Can Sustainable Development be Clean and Cheap?
Copyright (c) 2008 Daniel Lafleche Must the costs of clean development necessarily be prohibitive for developing nations? Let’s take a closer look at exactly how this is called into question. There is a common belief that the most efficient way to rein in greenhouse gas emissions is to implement a two-tiered regime in which developed nations will shoulder a much greater burden. The justification for this belief is that because it is wealthier, the necessary foregoing of present consumption will be much less as a proportion of national income. The hardship endured will therefore be substantially less. There are a number of arguments as to why the nominal costs of developing green infrastructure and power generation should be greater or lesser in developing countries. Those who suggest the costs are greater point to the need to import (often expensive) hardware and foreign technical expertise. Those who argue that it can in fact be less costly point to lower labor costs in developing cou
