Pollution in Developing Countries

Pollution in Developing Countries
Literature Review
One of the biggest concerns for people living in developing countries has been pollution in recent years. This can lead to respiratory issues and allergies, which can greatly detriment their productivity levels. Some studies suggest that pollution could be reducing a country's productivity by as much as one-third. There are several ways through which developed countries have managed to reduce pollution and help improve the lives of people living in the developing world at the same time. However, these ways have not been effective enough to reduce the pollution levels to the extent that would enhance productivity in such countries. If developing countries are to reduce the amount of pollution in the air, they will have to follow some of the methods used in developed countries. In developed countries, Industrial chimneys release pollutants from industrial plants into the air. However, it is common for industries to be situated near or even inside peoples' homes in developing countries. This increases the risk of pollution for people living in these areas and can lead to many respiratory problems. This paper will focus on a literature review and research proposal on reducing pollution in developing countries and how it could enhance productivity.
The impact of reducing pollution in developing countries can be better understood by focusing on the impact of such pollution on productivity. According to a study by Balthazard-Accou, Emmanuel, Agnamey, and Raccurt (2020) on water pollution, the impact of pollution in developing countries has lowered the rate of productivity. The study found that water pollution has a huge negative impact on livestock productivity by increasing the mortality rate. The study also indicated that there was also a possibility of productivity being reduced due to increased morbidity and decreased weight gain in the livestock. Water pollution also reduces productivity by making the water unconducive for irrigation. This leads to fewer crops being grown in the areas, thus causing food shortages in the developing countries. In addition to this, industrial pollution also leads to a reduction in productivity. According to Nazir, Mahdi, Bilal, Sohail, Ali, and Iqbal (2019), the EPA estimates that 150,000 deaths a year are caused by airborne particulates from power plants, vehicles, and factories. A high death rate reduces the number of experienced workers occupying various job positions. In such a case, companies face the obligation of recruiting new employees. These employees require training on how to accomplish organizational tasks effectively. The gap created during the training period reduces the organization's productivity rate. The study found out that if the pollution levels are reduced in the environment, there will be an increase in productivity, which could help contribute to economic growth.
Numerous economic benefits can be derived from reducing pollution in developing countries. The growth of low-income to middle-income nations is influenced by environmental factors, such as air and water quality, land use, sanitation, waste management, and climate change (Ferronato, N., & Torretta, 2019). According to this study, the lack of resources such as education, healthcare, energy, and fresh water in developing countries contributes to their economic downfall. In addition to this, other factors have a severe impact on the growth and development process by causing pollution levels to increase. The level of development for every country depends on the type of resources present in the environment and the level of pollution that exists in these areas. Many experts have suggested that countries with higher levels of pollution tend to have lower growth levels than those with low levels of pollution. Numerous examples demonstrate this fact. For example, according to the WHO, deaths from air pollution in developing countries are up to 20% lower than those in developed countries. This means that improving air quality can reduce deaths significantly. Several studies have also indicated that if pollution levels are reduced, there is a higher probability of economic growth occurring. For example, according to (Ferronato and Torretta (2019), rapidly growing economies such as China and India have seen their per capita income rise by between 10 and 15% on average. Such was attributed to their rapid industrialization. This would not have been possible in other countries due to the lack of resources in these areas.
The main causes of pollution in developing countries include emissions from industries, agriculture and transport, waste disposal, and urbanization. According to (Balthazard-Accou et al., 2020), water pollution is the main cause of reduced productivity in developing countries. A majority of people in developing countries do not have access to improved water sources, which leads to poor health and food insecurities. In addition to this, poor sanitation and inadequate water quality can lead to various diseases such as malaria, typhoid, and cholera. The spread of such diseases limits the employees' working capabilities and can impair their productivity. In some cases, these diseases can even lead to death, which will lead to a serious setback for both companies and individuals. Industries are also a major source of pollution due to the lack of strict regulations against pollution in developing countries. Technicians working for companies such as mines, refineries, and power plants are mainly responsible for this type of pollution. This is because of the lack of proper safety and climate change controls. In addition to this, there are also poor waste management systems, resulting in the leaking of toxic chemicals into sources of water used for agriculture and human consumption. Such pollution levels would reduce people's productivity levels by rendering the water useless.
A study was carried out by Shoaib, Rafique, Nadeem, and Huang, S. (2020) regarding the impact of financial development in developing and developed countries due to carbon dioxide emissions. According to the study, an improvement in financial development in developing countries will increase economic growth and stability. The study also found that if developing countries can achieve a similar level of financial development compared to developed countries, carbon dioxide emissions will reduce by 10.1%. This is mainly because of the increased ability to successfully use viable renewable sources of energy and government regulations that reduce the amount of carbon dioxide emissions from various sources. The study pointed out that financial development and pollution reduction are interrelated because many of the technologies used to reduce pollution also contribute to economic growth. Therefore, for a country to enhance its productivity levels, it has to reduce pollution from different sources. The enhanced productivity levels would also play a major role in reducing pollution. The only limitation of this study is that it only focuses on certain countries. The impact of monetary development depends on each country's type of environment. If a country possesses a rich natural environment, then industrialization is the best way to reduce pollution and increase productivity levels. Therefore, further research needs to be done regarding the impact of the environment or location on a country's productivity. In such research, pollution ought to be a constant to find out whether the location of developing countries has made them less advantaged in terms of economic growth.
Another study by An, Ji, Yan, and Guan (2018) shows that pollution in developing countries affects people's health, thus making them less productive. The study focuses on the issue of air pollution and its relationship with obesity and economic growth. The researchers found that they could predict obesity in different countries by combining data from many other studies. They found that obesity was more prevalent in wealthier economies than in poorer economies. The researchers also observed that obesity is correlated with various types of financial development, including the quality of health care, education, and public safety. The researchers also found out that there is a difference between the quality of life for the rich and poor individuals in different countries due to air pollution levels. Countries with high levels of pollution recorded a high number of obesity cases. This is because those countries have poor health care systems, which attract individuals to spend their money on private health care so that they can get better treatment. The study also observes that there is a difference in the quality of life between the rich and the poor in developing countries, especially among those who do not have access to air pollution abatement devices.
The relationship between economic growth and pollution reduction remains unclear. This is because of the complex nature of this relationship and the different environmental factors that affect it. Several factors influence the relationship between economic growth and pollution reduction. These factors include government policies, cost of production, and availability of raw materials. According to Gündoğdu and Walker (2021), a country's ability to reduce pollution depends on its ability to produce goods and services at an affordable cost. Reducing production costs reduces the likelihood of polluting the environment. This is because the business will not want to pay more money towards waste disposal and pollution abatement equipment and employees. This can affect various businesses differently, depending on their production methods. For instance, emission-intensive firms will be forced to reduce the level of pollution they produce, which may result in decreasing their production costs. In some cases, these firms may even be forced to close down if they cannot further reduce their emission levels. Pollution-intensive production industries include mining, steelmaking, chemicals, and rubber manufacturing.
Pollution reduction can be achieved by implementing new technologies in production. This technology can reduce pollution emissions and make the polluting industry more efficient and profitable. This makes polluting businesses more willing to reduce their emission levels further and improve the quality of the environment they dispose of or use as raw materials. Environmental impact is another important factor that affects the reduction in production costs and pollution levels of businesses. This is because the need to reduce production costs can influence businesses to use less polluting raw materials in their production methods. Furthermore, when there is an increase in pollution levels, the need to reduce the production costs may be more stringent than other factors influencing business success. This means that if pollution levels are high, businesses will be forced to take more steps to decide how to achieve a balanced reduction of costs and emission levels.
Governments play a vital role in reducing pollution by implementing strict ...