Conflict Measuring Progress

Michael Gonzalez

UST 206

Critical Thinking Essay #2

Conflicts in Measuring Progress Ever since the 20th century Capitalism was a global economic model and growth-measuring standard. This system of capitalism allocates production and capital goods under ownership of several private sectors. What economic growth in capitalism is defined by prosperity and consumption of luxurious merchandises. Many economists would often criticize this capitalist model, or even the Western model of growth, for creating a sense of economic inequality, often contributing to huge gaps between social classes in a society, and even threatening the environment. These claims accurately describe the current situation in Beijing, China. As the result of mismatch economic

China has since strived to become one of the biggest manufacturers and exporters in Asia over utilizing both that of cheap labor and natural resources. While these actions have resulted in China becoming the most economically and socially powerful nation in the world, China’s poverty levels continue to flourish as citizens continue to deal with increasingly poor living standards. As the poor seemingly become more poor the rich only seem to become more and more wealthy.. China’s spin the on capitalist model would encourage private owners to concentrate the nation’s human and capital resources to further enrich the wealth. As mentioned earlier, this Western economic growth measuring standard is based on the pursue of a glamorous lifestyle and it’s materialistic pursuit.. As the wealthy continue to expand their consumption of wealth it has resulted in the middle and lower classes continuing to live in poverty and heightened pollution rates made clear as a direct consequences of manufacturing

This issue is made more clear in Beijing, which is the capital of china and the biggest megacity.. Many reports and researches have been conducted to study the dangerous effects of air pollution in this country and possibly the remaining of the world. An environmental measurement that “combines estimates of environmental stress, human vulnerability to environmental risk and institutional capacities to improve the environment” place China significantly below other developed countries in term of being environmental competent (Rowe, 29). The rate of toxic air has never been more alarming in Beijing. The increasing demand for luxury lifestyle from the Chinese upper social class attracts even more foreigner automobile companies. Beijing has more car owners than ever before. This trend continues contributing to the worsen air quality. Its residence’s lives are deeply affected in many ways, especially children of the younger generation.

A study once showed that pregnant women who are constantly exposed to polluted air increase their fetuses' risk to suffer permanent lung diseases, autism, anxiety, attention-span issues, and other mental disabilities. Chinese parents in Beijing restrict children's outdoor play times for their own sakes. Children in Beijing now have very limit exposure to the world surrounding them, they don't get to go outside and play with friends. Parents try their best to keep their offspring indoor with air