{"id":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issue/development","schemaVersion":2,"name":"Economic Development","category":"Nature","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issue/development","json":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issue/development.json","ask":"","position":"No country has reached prosperity without abundant, reliable energy and intensive agriculture. Poor countries remain poor in large part because of inadequate access to energy, food, infrastructure, and industry. Climate policy that restricts developing economies’ energy growth, such as limitations on fossil fuel use, entrenches poverty and costs lives. Such restrictions are also hypocritical. Wealthy countries industrialized through coal, cut down their forests for agriculture and fuel, and often colonized other peoples to produce these same resources. And now, environmental groups try to restrict financing for natural gas infrastructure in Africa and limit fertilizer use for poor farmers.","faq":[{"question":"What is economic development?","answer":"Economic development is the long-term process by which societies become more productive, prosperous, and technologically advanced. Development typically brings higher incomes, better infrastructure, greater access to energy, improved health and education, and longer lives. Development enables people to meet basic needs, make choices about their lives, and pursue greater opportunities."},{"question":"Why are poor countries poor?","answer":"Countries have remained poor for many reasons, including weak institutions, conflict, inadequate infrastructure, limited energy access, low agricultural productivity, historical conflict and exploitation, and barriers to investment and trade. Development requires building institutions, technologies, infrastructure, and productive capacity that can support sustained economic growth."},{"question":"How do poor countries become rich?","answer":"Countries become richer by increasing productivity, building infrastructure, and creating more valuable goods and services. Historically, development has involved industrialization, mechanized agriculture, abundant energy, modern infrastructure, technological adoption, education, trade, and effective institutions. Sustained economic growth uplifts incomes and living standards over time."},{"question":"Can economic development and environmental protection coexist?","answer":"Yes. Economic development and environmental protection can reinforce each other. Wealthier societies possess more resources and societal capacity to invest in clean energy, efficient infrastructure, conservation, and pollution control. Through technological innovation and greater productivity, countries can in turn improve living standards while reducing emissions, pollution, land use, and other environmental impacts."}],"experts":[{"name":"Vijaya Ramachandran","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/people/vijaya-ramachandran"},{"name":"Ted Nordhaus","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/people/ted-nordhaus"}],"startHere":[{"title":"Green Colonialism: Rich Countries’ Climate Policies Keep the Global South Poor","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/energy/green-colonialism-rich-countries-climate-policies-keep-the-global-south-poor","date":"2021-11-03"},{"title":"Let Them Eat Carbon","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/journal/no-16-spring-2022/let-them-eat-carbon","date":"2022-03-29"},{"title":"Convergence, Development, and Energy-Intensive Infrastructure: Getting Africa to High-Income Status","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/food-agriculture-environment/convergence-development-and-energy-intensive-infrastructure-getting-africa-to-high-income-status","date":"2021-09-07"}],"latest":[{"title":"It's Time for the World Bank to Scrap Its Climate Finance Targets","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/energy-for-development/its-time-for-the-world-bank-to-scrap-its-climate-finance-targets","date":"2026-06-19","type":"Analysis"},{"title":"Paul Ehrlich Was Wrong About India","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/food-agriculture-environment/paul-ehrlich-was-wrong-about-india","date":"2026-03-30","type":"Analysis"},{"title":"AIM for Scale","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/food-agriculture-environment/aim-for-scale","date":"2025-11-18","type":"Report"},{"title":"Climate Finance Is Everything—And So Nothing","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/energy-for-development/climate-finance-is-everything-and-so-nothing","date":"2025-11-17","type":"Analysis"},{"title":"Sub-Saharan Africa Can’t Afford to Eat on a Carbon Diet","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/food-agriculture-environment/empty-promise-green-fertilizers","date":"2025-07-18","type":"Analysis"},{"title":"Adaptation Finance and The Multilateral Development Banks: From Concepts to Practice","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/energy/adaptation-finance-and-the-multilateral-development-banks-from-concepts-to-practice","date":"2024-10-31","type":"Report"},{"title":"Can Development Banks Do Better on Climate Adaptation Finance?","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/energy-for-development/can-development-banks-do-better-on-climate-adaptation-finance","date":"2024-08-05","type":"Analysis"},{"title":"Land Grabs for Carbon","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/conservation/land-grabs-for-carbon","date":"2024-05-28","type":"Analysis"},{"title":"The West Needs to Come to Grips with African Fertilizer Needs","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/food-agriculture-environment/the-west-needs-to-come-to-grips-with-african-fertilizer-needs","date":"2024-04-29","type":"Analysis"},{"title":"On the Difference Between Techno and Technocratic Optimism","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/issues/energy/on-the-difference-between-techno-and-technocratic-optimism","date":"2023-07-31","type":"Analysis"}],"policyHub":"https://thebreakthrough.org/policy?topics=reactor-deployment","policyAreas":[{"slug":"reactor-deployment","name":"Reactor Deployment","records":1,"url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/policy?topics=reactor-deployment"}],"policyRecords":[{"id":38977,"title":"ICYMI: Foreign Policy Magazine: Rich Countries’ Climate Policies Are Colonialism in Green","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/press/icymi-foreign-policy-magazine-rich-countries-climate-policies-are-colonialism-in-green","type":"Statement","date":"2021-11-04","stance":"none","subject":"","subjectUrl":"","summary":"","authors":"Vijaya Ramachandran"},{"id":38548,"title":"ICYMI: Times of India - COP26: Instead of Lectures to India, West Needs to Pay Up","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/press/icymi-instead-of-lectures-to-india-west-needs-to-pay-up","type":"Statement","date":"2021-10-28","stance":"none","subject":"","subjectUrl":"","summary":"","authors":"Jamie Livingston"},{"id":24451,"title":"Statement: Energy Sector Innovation Credit (ESIC) Act Gives Support for Nuclear and Other Clean Energy Innovation","url":"https://thebreakthrough.org/press/statement-energy-sector-innovation-credit-esic-act-gives-support-for-nuclear-and-other-clean-energy-innovation","type":"Statement","date":"2021-07-29","stance":"none","subject":"","subjectUrl":"","summary":"","authors":"Adam Stein"}],"dateModified":"2026-11-12T08:26:15-08:00"}