Background
In the wake of the increased pace of climate change caused by the enhanced rates of fossil fuel burning and the rise in CO2 production, the importance of selecting sustainable development has been amplified (Hickel & Kallis, 2020). As a result, green policies and the shift to the use of resources that are deemed more sustainable than fossil fuel have been generally approved as the right choice (Khan, 2019). However, the transition to the green approaches in a range of industries also has significant ethical implications due to the lack of consideration of the possible side effects of the specified alternatives (Zografos & Robbins, 2020). This paper will consider the questionable green options such as lithium mining and green strategies’ implications, such as water pollution, child labor, challenges faced by local farmers, and the sue of coal for electric vehicles.
Significance
Given the current focus on environmental sustainability and the pursuit of transitioning from the oil-based resources, as well as any energy sources requiring fossil burning, the evaluation of some of the alternatives and the side effects that they may entail is likely to be biased (Rigg et al., 2020). As a result, a large number of adverse outcomes that the described options entail may be overlooked (Sovacool et al., 2021). Since this paper will seek to shed light onto the specified issues and point to the opportunities for resolving them, thus, raising awareness, its significance can be described as moderate.
Methodology
Since there is no need to quantify the research outcomes, and since the primary goal of this study is to examine the existing issues associated with green economy, the study will be based on the qualitative approach. Specifically, the interpretivism paradigm will be utilized to evaluate the data that will be obtained for the study. Additionally, the inductive approach will be applied as the basis for developing a theory based on which the further strategy for addressing sustainability issues will be developed (Mohajan, 2018). The research will be based on the method of the grounded theory since a framework for managing the problem observed during the implementation of green strategies will be designed. To encompass the full complexity of the issue, a cross-sectional study will be performed. The key data will be collected by considering the available reports and literature on the integration of green approaches and the side effects of these endeavors (Lin et al., 2018). The sample size will consist of 15 cases, with the organizations facing ethical challenges during green strategies’ implementation being the target population. The randomized sampling technique will be used to ensure that the sample contains enough diversity.
Expected Outcomes
It is believed that the further analysis of the issue will reveal the presence of multiple adverse effects of the proposed green strategies that advanced companies utilize. For instance, the problems such as child labor, water pollution, lithium mining, and the impact on local farming communities, are believed to surface first (Lee et al., 2020). Thus, the basis for further improvements of the current green approaches will be created.
Ethical Problems
The research in question is believed to have a fairly limited range of ethical concerns since it will be based on the analysis of the existing evidence reported in scholarly sources. However, the problems such as testing the veracity and accuracy of information may become an issue.
Research Materials
In order to conduct the study, access to the existing reports on the implementation of green technologies will be required. Specifically, academic journals and reports relieved by state officials and the related organizations will be incorporated into the data collection process.
References
Hickel, J., & Kallis, G. (2020). Is green growth possible?.New Political Economy, 25(4), 469-486. Web.
Khan, S. A. R. (2019). The nexus between carbon emissions, poverty, economic growth, and logistics operations-empirical evidence from Southeast Asian countries.Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 26(13), 13210-13220. Web.
Lee, J., Bazilian, M., Sovacool, B., Hund, K., Jowitt, S. M., Nguyen, T. P.,… Kukoda, S. (2020). Reviewing the material and metal security of low-carbon energy transitions.Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 124. Web.
Lin, M. X., Lee, T. Y., & Chou, K. T. (2018). The environmental policy stringency in Taiwan and its challenges on green economy transition. Development and Society, 47(3), 477-502. Web.
Mohajan, H. K. (2018). Qualitative research methodology in social sciences and related subjects.Journal of Economic Development, Environment and People, 7(1), 23-48. Web.
Rigg, J., Phongsiri, M., Promphakping, B., Salamanca, A., & Sripun, M. (2020). Who will tend the farm? Interrogating the ageing Asian farmer.The Journal of Peasant Studies, 47(2), 306-325. Web.
Sovacool, B. K., Turnheim, B., Hook, A., Brock, A., & Martiskainen, M. (2021). Dispossessed by decarbonisation: Reducing vulnerability, injustice, and inequality in the lived experience of low-carbon pathways.World Development, 137. Web.
Zografos, C., & Robbins, P. (2020). Green sacrifice zones, or why a green new deal cannot ignore the cost shifts of just transitions.One Earth, 3(5), 543-546. Web.