ABSTRACT
Economic growth had taken place for thousands of years before that in all save the most rigidly traditional societies. What is new in own time is the intense preoccupation with economic growth which most countries have shown during the past thirty or forty years. Some of the developments aimed at economic growth which arouse the strongest opposition are those which disrupt or pollute the environment. Prime examples are urban and rural motorways cutting ruthlessly through houses or shops, green fields or woodland, whether elevated or at ground level, producing noise. The single-minded pursuit of economic growth as an ultimate good in itself must be replaced by the notion of utilising growth to improve the environment, and of improving the environment even without economic growth. The central government, local authorities and ad hoc bodies are already engaged in a wide range of activities directed towards the control or prevention of environmental pollution.
