Environmental Degradation: Causes and Consequences

The subject of environmental economics is at the forefront of the green debate: the
environment can no longer be viewed as an entity separate from the economy. Environmental
degradation is of many types and have many consequences. To address this challenge a number of
studies have been conducted in both developing and developed countries applying different
methods to capture health benefits from improved environmental quality. Minimizing exposure to
environmental risk factors by enhancing air quality and access to improved sources of drinking and
bathing water, sanitation and clean energy is found to be associated with significant health benefits
and can contribute significantly to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals of
environmental sustainability, health and development. In this paper, I describe the national and
global causes and consequences of environmental degradation and social injustice. This paper
provides a review of the literature on studies associated with reduced environmental risk and in
particular focusing on reduced air pollution, enhanced water quality and climate change
mitigation.