Mindless exploit of natural resources can make you wealthy, but it also destroys your enviroment and finally all the human race will suffer, for example in china there are "lighter" law governing agriculture, and as the article shows they use dangerous chemicals without second thought, another example is that germany doesn`t allow some teas from the east because of this.
My town produces pesticides and artificial fertilizer, the factory produces amoniac and lets it freely to our atmosphere, sometimes our sky is purple and the air stinks and it is unbreadable, every year this factory is sanctioned they pay the fee and keep on going, because people are buying their stuff and further destroying the plants and the soil by using it, it is a viscious circle that goes on everywhere, but my towns folks around 200.000 peoples life expectancy is lower.
Our natural enviroment is far more important than national economics
I'm not sure what national economics is, but of course our world wide economics is more important than our natural environment. Our economic situation is measured by the choices we have and having choice gives us the ability to be happy and healthy. When there is a conflict between human happiness and environmental health, I'll choose humanity every time.
Our winters are becoming warmer, our food has no vitamins, nor taste, if this situation agravates we won`t be happy.
Philosophycally speaking we should make decision in the name of our whole human race, we have one lifetime to live, but I want to have children and I want my children to have children too, and I want them to live, I wouldn`t like too see them breathing smog and facing another ice age, because of economic interest.