Chapter 17, Problem 1CR

To determine

The reason behind the decisions and actions taken by the U.S and China will progress the world towards a sustainable future. The reason behind the presence of economic, political, and ethical aspects in the core case study given in the chapter.

Answer to Problem 1CR

The U.S implemented several environmental laws, and China cut its birth rate in half. These actions played a significant role in shifting the world towards a more sustainable future. This chapter has economic, political, and ethical aspects because all three of them are presented in a comparison of economic growth in the United States and China with consideration of the future and its importance in global sustainability.

Explanation of Solution

The United States experienced rapid economic growth along with severe pollution and degradation of air, water, and land from 1940 to 1970. This prompted the U.S Congress to pass a number of environmental laws that led to the improvement in the nation’s environmental quality. China, on the other hand has the world’s largest population and the second largest economy. Since 1960s, China cut its birth rate in half after which its population started growing at a rate slower than that of the U.S. These actions played a major role in shifting the world to a more sustainable future.

The core study contains the economic, political, and ethical aspects of environmental problems and solutions. These three aspects are presented in a comparison of economic growth in the United States and China, along with consideration of the future of such growth and its importance in the global sustainability.