Earnie Deavenport

Earnie Deavenport is the chairman and CEO of Eastman Chemical Co. in Kingsport, Tennessee. In the following viewpoint, Deavenport argues that in order to protect global resources and maintain environmental quality, governments should encourage economic growth through free markets. Deavenport contends that societies in which free markets are allowed to operate experience high rates of economic growth, resulting in the development of industrial technologies that are less environmentally destructive and wasteful. Therefore, Deavenport insists, free enterprise is more effective than government regulations at protecting the world’s resources.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. According to the World Bank, cited by Deavenport, what is the income threshold at which a society chooses to improve the environment?
2. How do international environmental protection conventions affect economic growth, according to the author?
3. In Deavenport’s...