Urban Environmental Problems: The Poverty - Environment Nexus

The relation between poverty and the environment has been widely studied. Many argue that poverty leads to environmental degradation but others rather claim that environmental degradation is caused by current patterns of economic growth. Whatever the argument is correct, good governance plays a central role in addressing the relation between poverty and the environment. Poverty is an economic residual variable. The exclusive concerned about economic growth is what results in increasingly numbers of environmental issues, which aggravates poverty (Daniere). Also, the current patterns of consumption hamper the government ability to promote environmental protection (Daniere; Satterthwaite, 2003). Poverty can also be seen as a result of inadequate governance. Even though Haitians have tried to give monetary value to the environment, explore alternative sources of energy, and replicate best practices across the country, the lack of governance contributes to environmental degradation, which amplifies the poverty issues (Flintoff, 2009). Urbanization is another reason behind persistent poverty. The more people move in to large cities, the higher are the chances that resources and energy are overused and misused. The pollution caused by environmental degradation falls especially on low-income households (Douglass). Governance plays a pivotal role in balancing the equation between poverty and environmental protection. Inadequacies in government structures and its inability to pay surmounted by lack of capacity, resources, and institutional means to coordinate investments and policies at different levels accentuate the disequilibrium between poverty and the environment (Nunan, 2001). The solution, therefore, is bottom-up, that is, populations -- especially low-income populations -- holding politicians and public agencies accountable for social and environmental related issues (Nunan, 2001; Satterthwaite, 2003). Finally, the paradigm between poverty and the environment should be reassessed. Urban environmental hazards are major contributors to urban poverty -- not the opposite -- and meeting the environmental health needs of poorer groups do not imply greater environmental degradation -- economic development can coexist with environmental protection (Satterthwaite, 2003). References: Daniere. “Environmental Management Systems in Southeast Asia”, Rethinking Environmental Management in the Pacific Rim. Douglass, M. et al. “Urban Poverty”, Urban Poverty and the Environment. Flintoff, C. “Haitians Seek remedies for Environmental Ruin”, NPR, July 15, 2009. Nunan, F; Satterthwaite, D. “The influence of governance on the provision of urban environmental infrastructure and services for low-income groups”, International Planning Studies, v. 6, n. 4, pp. 409-426, 2001. Satterthwaite, D. “The links between poverty and the environment in urban areas of Africa, Asia, and Latin America”, The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 590, 2003.