ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION AND ITS IMPACT ON ECONOMIC GROWTH IN IRAQ (AN APPLIED STUDY ON THE REALITY OF THE IRAQI ECONOMY)

Abstract

The research aims to study the environmental impacts resulting from the practice of various economic activities, which have serious repercussions on the environment, which represents the comprehensive container for the elements of natural wealth, and on society and life in general. The problem of environmental pollution is represented by the transformation of many environmental resources, represented by rivers, water bodies, air, and soil, from being free commodities to being economic commodities whose supply is characterized by relative commodities. This problem is expected to worsen if the volume of economic activity continues to increase. It is clear that economic progress is accompanied by an increase in the costs that must be borne to keep the environment clean, and economists distinguish between private costs and social costs. It is possible, in principle, to control or limit pollution resulting from economic activity through multiple means and policies, the most important of which is the policy of state intervention, directly or indirectly, through the use of its economic tools such as taxes and subsidies. The problem of environmental pollution is a global problem that no country can get rid of, and Iraq is one of the countries that has suffered greatly from this problem over the past three decades as a result of the scourges of wars, neglect, poverty, destruction, etc., all of which have had a negative impact on the Iraqi environment, in addition to the fact that Agricultural and industrial economic activities in particular and the methods used in them have also been reflected in the exacerbation of this problem.