Grow Green or Grow Poor
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Grow Green or Grow PoorMany continue to make the appeal that protecting the environment is the most important matter in our world but think about poor people who have to work so hard to make a living. We are not going outside of our home; we are taking Kosovo as an example. In this small country with around 2mil people it is impossible to grow the economy without diminishing the environment. Which green you want more? (A tree or a hundred euro bill) IMAGE on PPConsidering Kosovo with a GDP per capita 3500 Euro per year, is that most of us care more about our standard of living than we do about the health of some species. In our presentation today, we will explain that there is no way we can grow Kosovo’s economy without diminishing the environment. We took 4 factors which are the main ones to grow our economy; these are: Power plant “Kosova e Re” ,Mining “Trepca”, Wood Industry and InfrastructureInfrastructureImportance of infrastructure Years ago when our country started to invest in infrastructure we used to say why we are spending millions on highways while we can give this money to poor people, build them houses, give them food and cloths, or invest in factories where we can create new jobs and decreased unemployment. Yes creating factories would decrease unemployment but how could we export goods that would be produced in these factories.Investing in infrastructure the economy of a country will increase, on the other hand will have negative impact in the environment and I will give you facts on these.Benefits of highwaysNetwork Easy way to export and importEmployment and earningsIn order to achieve all these of course the environment will be diminished. For example when Kosovo build these new highways, agriculture was destroyed in some parts because they were build on the land where we could grow fruits and vegetables for our own goods, but who is doing that now days ( that is another topic, which would keep me here for hours, but maybe next time.) On my way to Peja for example I see that the highway goes right next to the private houses; noise, air pollution and the risk of getting hit by cars are the main negative factors that a highway could bring. But our question is, can we grow our economy without diminishing the environment, the answer is NO!According to
One of the best examples of not being able to raise our economy without destroying our environment is TREPCA because it represents the best opportunity to raise our economy if the investments are done but also in the same time it represents the huge damages that could cause along with the investmentsThe environmental effects of TrepcaMinerals in Kosova : zinc, lignite, copper etc. According to the World Bank Kosova has the 5th place of lignite in Europe. it contributes 97% of production of energy and 3% in hydrocentral, with 14700 million ton, KOSOVA has the 5th place of reserves of lignite in Europe.Countries around the world have intentions to reduce carbon dioxide emissions . Yet each tone of lignite burned produces more than a tone of carbon dioxide. In combination with its low energy content per tone and high proportion of impurities, lignite is a very undesirable energy source which in Kosova is used 97% in producing energy. Trepca mines and the deposits of waste of minerals that are around Kosova cause a really big and dangerous problem for our land and society.The negative effects:Acidic effluents dust emissionsunsecured working – the conditions in mines are bad, basically it’s a unsafe place for employers there. poorly maintained and unstable tailings are a serious problem for people who live nearby waterways are polluted Air pollutionAdverse impact on land use and biodiversityLung disease The most polluted areas are :Mitrovicë, NovobërdThe impact of investments of trepca in Kosova’s economyTrepca is significant for Kosova’s future .If investments will be done all according in Trepca mines& metallurgical complex it will have huge impact in our economy. First during the reconstructions there will be new jobs where citizens of Kosovo would be engaged to work . the construction would lead to thousand new employers in Trepca ,the investments will be according to law of mines and environmental which will minimize the negative effects that are nowadays. This will influence our GDP growth, which we as a country are in need of it.Kosova e Re power plantThe long awaited project is now becoming a reality but should we feel threatened by it or should we look at it as a way out for Kosovo’s economy?‘Kosova e Re’ is looked as a promising project which would turn Kosovo to the leading exporter in the Balkans (who wouldn’t want that). But due to high costs many people thought that this would not be the solution for Kosovo because we are already into debts and we wouldn’t want more of that. One of the groups that disagreed with this project is KOSID, according to them such constructions shouldn’t be made because of these main reasons:1. It is unnecessary