Green growth involves rethinking growth strategies with regard to the impacts on environmental sustainability and the environmental resources available to poor and vulnerable groups. In rethinking growth, we need to focus on the current reality of resource-constrained world. Resource intensive and, in particular energy intensive processes will need to make way for more efficient and resource frugal development strategies if we are to avoid an economic dead end or a world in which only a small elite is able to enjoy affluence in the midst of a sea of poverty.

Which one of the following statements best reflects the crux of the above passage?

The correct option is: "Maintaining high environmental standards is now a prerequisite for achieving a steady, sufficient and inclusive growth."

Explanation:

To understand why this is the crux of the passage, let us break down the statements in the text step-by-step:

1. Defining Green Growth: The passage starts by defining green growth as rethinking growth strategies with a specific focus on environmental sustainability and the resources available to poor and vulnerable groups. This directly points to the need for "inclusive" and "environmentally sustainable" growth.

2. The Resource-Constrained Reality: It highlights that we live in a resource-constrained world. Continuing with resource-intensive and energy-intensive processes is unsustainable and will lead to an "economic dead end" (meaning growth cannot be steady or sufficient) or a highly unequal society where only a small elite enjoys affluence while the majority remains in poverty (meaning growth will not be inclusive).

3. The Solution: The passage asserts that we must transition to efficient and resource-frugal development strategies. This transition is essential if we want to avoid economic failure and social inequality.

4. Synthesizing the Crux: Therefore, maintaining high environmental standards (by moving away from resource-intensive processes to efficient, resource-frugal ones) is not an obstacle to growth, but rather a necessary condition (prerequisite) to ensure that future economic growth is steady (avoiding a dead end), sufficient, and inclusive (preventing a small elite from monopolizing affluence while others remain in poverty).