Acct 552 Week 4 Case Study

1. I believe all waste should be disposed of safely in an area relative to where it was produced. However, this is rarely the case. The rationale is that sending our trash elsewhere, particularly electronics, is a plus for the receive country because it gives them an opportunity to salvage valuable metals and scrap parts that can be used to fuel their economies growth. However, in the long run many of these companies don’t engage in safe recycling or trash disposal practices and are exposing people to toxic materials directly during the recycling process and indirectly as the materials seep into the ground and into the water supply. The receiving country’s people health and environment is further exposed when the materials are burned and smoke filled with carcinogens is released into the air. I am not sure if the amount of metals and spare parts is enough to offset the rising health care costs of people becoming sick in these areas.

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Unfortunately weakening environmental standards will promote economic growth as industries flock and flourish in areas where the costs of operating are cheaper. Some companies have been forced to close down as bankruptcy looms because the cost of environmental efficiency is too much for them to bare. So operating in areas where carbon taxes don’t have to be paid and factories are free to pollute and contaminate is more business friendly although not the most moral or ethical thing to do. In my opinion, weakening environmental standards to promote economic growth is not the best ethical practice however it will and has helped struggling economies in the short term and long term, especially if you don’t factor the cost of the impact to the environment into the equation over the long