Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Because economic growth is so important for modern societies, economic development should not be slowed down by concerns about the environment. There has been a lot of debate as to the economy and protection of the environment. Personally, I believe we should not accelerate economic development at the cost of the environment, even though the former plays a significant role in our lives. I feel this way for two main reasons, which I will explore in the following paragraphs. First of all, if we damage the environment for the purpose of economic growth, the consequent cost might far outweigh the economic gain. In the short run, the benefits of favoring the economic factor are very tempting; these include rising yield, considerable profit and more job opportunities. However, unsustainable economic development often causes serious long-term problems like pollution, which may take a lot of resources to solve, such as money and time. Foremost, illness from industrial pollution may take people's lives. What happened to the villagers in my hometown is a compelling example of this. Ten years ago, a chemical plant was introduced in my hometown by the government to promote the local economy. To maximize the profits, the plant discharged harmful substances directly into the air and the water, which hazarded the residents' health. Therefore, they could no longer work and had to spend a great deal of time treating their illnesses. Meanwhile, the authorities had to fund the money to recover the environment.