The economic growth of developed countries has been powered by the consumption of enormous amounts of energy since the Industrial Revolution, but their development was accomplished at the sacrifice of the natural environment.

Developed countries have started to address global environmental problems such as acid deposition as high-priority problems. In developing countries, however, problems such as poverty, sickness and inadequate education are often considered to be more urgent than global environmental problems. Developed countries need to consider how global environment problems can be solved in cooperation with developing countries.