Final answer:
Affluence contributes to environmental degradation by promoting excessive consumption and pollution, while poverty causes degradation via over-exploitation of resources for survival.
Step-by-step explanation:
Environmental degradation can occur as a result of both affluence and poverty. Affluence often leads to excess consumption, waste generation, and pollution, all of which cause environmental harm. For example, affluent societies often have significant carbon footprints due to their reliance on fossil fuels for energy. Furthermore, their consumerist lifestyles contribute to the overexploitation of natural resources and the creation of waste that pollutes ecosystems.
On the other hand, poverty can also lead to environmental degradation due to the necessity of survival. Many impoverished communities rely heavily on natural resources for their livelihoods, which can lead to overuse and depletion. Activities such as overgrazing, deforestation for agriculture, and extraction of oil, gas and minerals have devastating effects on the environment. In extreme cases of poverty, individuals might resort to illegal activities such as illicit logging and wildlife poaching, destroying habitats and biodiversity.
Therefore, both affluence and poverty contribute to environmental degradation in their unique ways.
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