An examination of the environmental and social costs and the prospects for sustainability of an island system development model: The Puerto Rican case

This study looks at the relation between development strategies and industrialization programs, their impacts in the natural resources, quality of the environment, and living conditions on the island of Puerto Rico. A major goal is to describe elements of sustainable development in the context of dependent industrializing economies, and their environmental and social costs.; The dissertation includes a revision of the development concept and the idea of economic-environmental interactions. It describes and uses the idea of sustainable development as an alternative framework to development analysis and planning.; The study presents a revision and analysis of the history of Puerto Rico's development during the last four decades (1950-1990). It also describes and assesses some economic-environmental interactions such as: land use related change in food production and people supporting capacity, toxic waste released per unit of product in the manufacturing sector, toxic waste release per employee in the manufacturing sector, energy yield, energy use and GNP-GDP relation, employment and GNP ratios.; The identification, description, and projection of some of these variables uses historical information, and empirical data. A system's model is developed to describe and analyze some of the relations. The model describes the system based on the use of ratios and projects impact of manufacturing sector growth on employment, toxic waste release and capital benefits exported, and land use productivity. Land use, energy imports dependence, and toxic waste are used as indices of the island's economy potential to be sustainable.; The study concludes that although development programs were instrumental in the achievement of higher levels of economic production and higher standards of living, these did not integrate the protection of the long term productive capacity. Therefore, these have an unsustainable impact on the resource base on which productive activities, directly or indirectly depend, as well as on the quality of life of the island residents.