ABSTRACT
Economic growth offers a path to new goods and services, employment, and development. But depending on its make-up, growth can also leave a trail of environment degradation and trample on health, natural resources, free time, and other contributors to the quality of life. Gross domestic product (GDP) is the final value of goods and services produced within a country in one year. It is a common measure of growth in the economy, and the media often herald GDP growth as a uniformly splendid event. Defensive goods and services are purchased in response to pollution, congestion, work-related anxiety, and other unfortunate side effects of economic growth, and to recover from unwelcome events such as crime. Utility and economic growth can be derived from a host of activities that tread lightly on the environment. It is therefore a fallacy to present economic growth as the antithesis of environmental goals.
