Present development styles and environmental problems

Latin America occupies a special place when consideration turns to what should be done to develop authentic and environmentally rational development styles. Most of the countries of the region have long experience of economic and social development and possess first-hand knowledge of the social and environmental problems connected with the rapid attainment of high levels of industrialization and economic growth, while at the same time they have suffered from grave social and environmental problems deriving from poverty, the manifest inequalities in the distribution of goods and income, and regional disparities in standards of living and resource development. Examples of this are the very-high levels of air pollution, the loss of soil, the disappearance of the forest cover, and the colossal environmental problems of the urban centres. Many Latin American countries have suffered particularly severely from the economic and environmental problems created or aggravated by their weak bargaining power in the international trade field and investment markets. At the same time, however, some have tasted the promise of self-reliant and socially satisfactory development held out by technical and economic co-operation among the developing countries themselves. As they generally have high levels of literacy and a strong social conscience, they are also in a good position to initiate and maintain broad-based and lasting development styles.