【答案解析】
There are some people who argue that, compared to the environmental protection, the top priority should be given to economic development. They think that environmental problems are inevitable and unavoidable in the process of economic development. They are only the by-products of economic development, which can be handled later when we have the time and money.
However, other people hold different opinions that we should attach more importance to environmental protection rather than economic development, because serious environmental problems will threaten the health of the residents and hinder the advance of the economy.
As far as I am concerned, environmental protection and economic development can coexist in parallel. Our ultimate aim in economic development is to provide a comfortable and happy life for our people. What is the point of economic development if we achieve it at the cost of our environment? Actually, there has been much evidence to prove that a balance between the two helps more rapid and continuous development of the society. Nowadays, we advocate a low-carbon economy, which means an environmental-friendly way of developing our economy. If we follow this way, I believe environmental protection and economic development can stay in harmony.