Environment in the 21st Century and New Development Patterns : Springer : 9780792367215 : 0792367219 : 31 Dec 2000 : Economic growth after World War II was made possible through dramatic increases in the use of material resources and energy. It is apparent that current development patterns followed by industrialized countries are causing serious environmental problems and that they are neither ecologically nor socially sustainable. In recent years, many Asian developing countries, which have suffered from poverty for decades, are experiencing high rates of economic growth by introducing material-intensive production and consumption patterns. The globalization trends magnify on a global scale the problems associated with current development patterns. How can we transform existing economic and social systems into more environmentally benign and sustainable ones? This book presents a number of issues that must be considered whn discussing new development patterns, which are e