Introductory Chapter: Carbon Capture

*Syed Abdul Rehman Khan and Zhang Yu*

## **1. Introduction**

Environmental degradation is not a new problem for this world, while the intensity of the problem is increasing due to non-seriousness and lack of an appropriate plan to protect the natural resources and nourish the earth's sustainability [1, 2]. There are some questions, which need to be answered before making any plan for environmental sustainability. First of all, whether are we serious about protecting the natural resources of the world? Second, can we compromise on economic growth for the sake of environmental sustainability? After answering these two questions, governmental bodies can develop a master plan to address environmental issues effectively.

### **2. Are we serious?**

There is no doubt that the industrial revolution is a prominent cause of global warming and climate change. However, in reality, the problem is older than the industrial revolution. Besides, the industrial revolution only increased the speed of environmental degradation.

Environmental problems cannot be solved overnight. It will take time to restore and nourish environmental beauty through creating awareness in public, which will create indirect pressure on firms to produce eco-friendly products for the sake of their consumers' demand [3–5]. There are many other pro-environmental policies, which can help to improve environmental sustainability. The critical factor, which plays a vital role, is governmental bodies' willingness and seriousness to address the problem.

### **3. Can we compromise?**

The consumption of fossil fuel and energy is not only fueling economic growth but also environmental problems. This is a primary cause why the environmental policies failed in the execution phase, and governmental bodies are unable to enforce it. According to Munir et al. [6], Economic growth and environmental sustainability have an inverse relationship. They also highlighted that economic growth is heavily based on the cost of environmental sustainability in developing nations. Wang and Zhu [7] argue that developed countries shifted their low-tech and laborintensive manufacturing in developing nations, which is also a significant cause of social and environmental problems. Several researchers highlighted that China is a world-factory and fulfilling the demand of the European and Western world,

while China's social and environmental performance is the worst in the world [8, 9]. Similarly, India and other developing countries are blindly following China to improve their economic performance without catering to social and environmental issues facing the Chinese people and government [3, 6, 10, 11].
