The Effects of Economic Growth on the Ecosystem and Future Generations

Abstract

Balancing human development with sustainability is a complex challenge without a simple solution (Pathiranage, 2024). While economic growth improves living standards and provides essential goods and services (Roser, 2021), it often comes with environmental damage and social inequality (Population Matters, 2024). As endless economic growth continues, there is a worldwide ecological overshoot, illustrating that finite natural resources cannot sustain infinite growth (Population Matters, 2024). Given that the environment is the basis of human existence (Yan et al., 2022), there is a pressing need to rethink current economic growth models‒not only for current generations, but also posterity, as we all share a responsibility to future generations who will likely face worse climate change effects (Syropoulos & Markowitz, 2023).