KNOWLEDGE AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Some analysts of our planet’s economic and environmental problems suggest that the future growth of knowledge will more or less automatically lessen or even eliminate environmental problems. For this reason we wish to take a closer look at the “expansion” of knowledge and its infl uence on numerous economic and environmental problems of the present world. In the process, we want to examine the impact of knowledge on the shaping of environmental protection policy and the infl uence of such policy, particularly on the growth of population and per capita consumption. The question is how to make a turn in our economic development in order to eliminate or reduce its adverse effects on the
environment. Through the use of analysis and comparison methods in this paper, we have established the fact that knowledge development is exceptionally important for the future
sustainable development of mankind and for environmental protection. Yet, it is evident that knowledge development will not have the capacity to fully replace natural capital. In other
words, this means that there are and will always be certain limits to economic development, imposed by natural capital. In this connection, state policies must play the key role in the
promotion, creation and dissemination of knowledge in general, but also create the kind of knowledge that would help toward a better quality of the environment.