ENV250Y5 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1a: European Environment Agency
Document Summary
This chapter provides a clear and compelling indication of the magnitude of economic costs inflicted by the environmental burden of disease in canada. The economic costs of illness, injury, and premature death caused by environmental hazards are enormous, inflicting over billion in annual costs by a conservative estimate. . 7 billion on environmental protection in 2010 (including expenditures by business and all three levels of government), demonstrating the need for increased investments in this area to reduce the excessive costs. 90 this information should motivate the public, politicians, and policymakers to strengthen environmental laws and increase environmental budgets. The fact that the health and economic benefits of environmental protection outweigh the costs means that improvements in ecosystem health, which are difficult to monetize, are akin to icing on the cake. Economic data on the costs of disease can help counter one-sided arguments put forward by business interests that focus exclusively on the costs of preventing pollution.