Breaking the poverty - environmental damage cycle An in-depth examination revealed the interrelationship between poverty and environmental degradation in Rosetta, Egypt. Climate Change and Environment © Shutterstock Environmental degradation is the deterioration of the environment through the depletion of natural resources such as air, water and soil, the destruction of ecosystems and the extinction of wildlife. In fragile ecosystems such as coastal areas like the Mediterranean where the population relies heavily on the environment and natural resources for survival, the effects can be economically devastating. In short, this leads to poverty which essentially means that people are deprived of the physical, economic, human and societal fundamentals that establish the quality of life. In light of this, the MED-CORE project conducted an in-depth examination of the interrelationship between poverty levels and environmental quality existing in the area of Rosetta, Egypt. Particular focus was on the socioeconomic conditions and the inherent factors of poverty with the goal of breaking the link between poverty and environmental degradation. The process unfolded over various stages. The first stage consisted of an assessment of the poverty levels in the area in order to distinguish prevailing poverty levels across various groups. Following this, environmental issues in each area were pinpointed and their connection to poverty levels were analysed. The results revealed that although the poverty level in the Rosetta area is high, it is not linked to social and demographic factors. However, poverty was found to be linked to environmental conditions. This concludes that an extensive strategy is needed to incorporate the economic, social and environmental features in order to break this cycle.
