Industrialisation and pollution in Southeast Asia: the impact of trade and investment strategies
Dr. Rhys O. Jenkins
School of Development Studies, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, United Kingdom. Tel: 44 1603 592 330. Fax: 44 1603 451 999. Email: r.o.jenkins@uea.ac.uk.
Abstract of paper presented at the conference Environmental Change and Vulnerability: Lessons from Vietnam and the Indochina Region, Hanoi, Vietnam, April 4-5th 1998.
Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia experienced rapid industrial growth in the quarter century up to the economic crisis of 1997. This has been accompanied by a substantial increase in the degree of industrial pollution and a deterioration in the quality of the urban environment in the three countries. The paper considers the extent to which trade has been a factor in ameliorating or intensifying the negative environmental consequences of industrial development, and the impact of the adoption of more outward-oriented industrial strategies on pollution. The paper draws particularly on the Malaysian experience, drawing parallels and contrasts with the experience of Indonesia and Thailand.