Poverty and pollution Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Poverty and pollution - Case Study Example Ethical implications of businesses polluting in a third world country The world is ever concerned about the impact of business on the environment. A firm dealing with manufacturing operations must put into considerations how they operate. All business enterprises are not only responsible for ensuring sufficient ecological safety precautions, but are also liable for faults under their watch (Have & Henk, 2006). Doing business in a third world country requires a consideration that most nations do not have standards for environmental safety. In the current social and political climate, firms associated with polluting the environment in third world countries may face severe consequences especially in the American media. Everyone hates being associated with dumping chemicals into a water source and thus a company should consider integrity and ethics in running its business. Business ventures have an obligation to avoid damaging the surroundings in ways that affect human life in a negative way. In most cases, exocentric and anthropocentric interests overlap. For instance, water, air, and toxic waste pollution, release of fluorocarbons, and excessive carbon dioxide equally affect humans and environmental collections. When businesses are found guilty for polluting a certain environment in a third world nation, a number of corrective measures may be open to them. For example, they may be required to restore a stream, which is a costly procedure, or they may compensate a community for living near a polluted stream. This may be less costly. Businesses polluting in a third word country should be automatically bound to environmental regulations required by the nation’s law. If companies fail to respond appropriately, they may seem uncaring and arrogant, which harms both their reputation and human life (Callan &Thomas, 2007). Reasons why a business may conduct operations in a third world country and disregard any standards of pollution control Operating a business in a third world country may mean that the poor citizens pay the price of pollution caused by the operations of the business. The health-impairing pollution costs depend on the revenues relinquished from more injuries and deaths. The economic rationale behind polluting in a third world and ignoring the pollution control standards may be viewed by such companies as flawless. Another reason is that, pollution increases with disproportionate pollution costs. Everyone values a tidy environment when their incomes increase. If it balances with other needs, costs of pollution in developing countries fall. A business may disregard the pollution control measures to eliminate the restrictions that protect the citizens of that country in order to increase protection for business interests. Standards of commerce for health, environmental, or other social welfare may be strictly challenged or limited. By ignoring the right to condition investment on certain pollution control standards like redlinin g neighborhoods, a country may damage the control or power that it had to a certain business behavior, and thus allowing it to continue with its operations no matter the consequences. After all, imposing public social and environmental costs like toxic dumping is a way for firms to boost their profits. Consumers, communities, and workers in a third world country lose; short-term gains soar and complex ventures â€Å"wins.† Pollution is the price for progress Since environmental policies often involve trade-offs, there should be a balance between cots and profits. The greatest cause of depression in many countries is poverty. It is only by economic development that people can be lifted out of poverty. However, if economic growth signifies progress, then logical environmental policies are necessary for lasting economic growth, or at least environmental protection and progress are compatible. Environmental pollution can limit economic growth and the health impacts of pollution i n a nation’