When it comes to product export, South America is a force to be reckoned with. These countries trade in a variety of exports in order to keep their economy afloat. Argentina, for example, is well-known for exporting meat and wine from its famous Mendoza area. There is also Bolivia, which produces tin, gold, and jewels, Colombia, which is a petroleum and coal powerhouse, and Venezuela, which exports petroleum and gas. To maximize foreign income, all of these countries have substantially engaged in the export sector. The main economic factor that affects export dependence in Latin America is the high export duty and tariffs that are charged to all goods. Companies incur extremely high charges from the government when they want to export their products globally. It discourages most firms from exploiting global markets. The government should facilitate export processes and reduce export duty in an attempt to promote international trade.
Latin American countries spend the significant revenue through the import of different products. It tends to stretch their economies prompting their governments to seek foreign aid with the purposes to sustain their development projects. Some of the commodities Latin America countries import include petroleum products, machinery, and equipment. In order to substitute imports, the governments of these nations need to invest greatly in local governments and industries. Authorities should promote local markets through incentives and tax holidays. Consequently, local firms will be empowered to produce even higher quality commodities. There is also the issue of barriers to entry of new businesses into the market. The governments of these countries should ease the processes through which prospective businesses can become involved. Thus, the local market will replace the import one. Citizens should also be advised to purchase locals products in an attempt to promote the local industries (Green & Branford, 2013).
The Latin America’s debt crisis can be traced back to early 1980’s. It is the period during which Latin nations borrowed huge amounts of cash from international creditors. This time is commonly referred to as the “lost decade”. However, even currently, most of these countries are yet to settle their debts and still rely on the foreign aid to sustain their development projects. Factors such as high bank interest rates and taxes have inhibited these states from liberating themselves from international creditors. It is believed that the World Bank and IMF should reduce interest rates charged on such nations in order for them to be able to settle their debts (O'Toole, 2007).
Free trade agreements between nations have massive impacts on the parties involved. NAFTA, for example, created numerous advantages for its member states. Some of these benefits include the increase in trading activities. It is stated that the trade between Canada, the USA, and Mexico quadrupled because the agreement resulted in the eradication of tariffs among member states. Secondly, prices of commodities that the parties trade are reduced. Therefore, the USA now imports oil at a lesser fee than before as a result of the agreement. Thirdly, the economic output within the trade area has grown. Member nations are currently experiencing the increased foreign income due to the same reason. Fourth, NAFTA has created job opportunities for citizens of member countries. It is acknowledged that within the first four years since NAFTA’s inception about 800,000 jobs have already been created. It is also important to note that foreign investments have tripled among member states as a result of the agreement (Gallo, 2014).
Impact of Climatic Change
It is evident that the world’s climate is rapidly changing and most of these changes are being caused by human activities. Over the past few decades, both Japan and China have experienced massive economic expansion and have now become superpowers in the global market. However, such phenomena have greatly been driven by the reliance on the fossil fuel production that possesses the well-known adverse effects on the environment.
According to the World Wide Fund (WWF), electrical energy generated from fossil fuels causes the air pollution, which in turn results in the acidic rain. The latter wreaks havoc on the agricultural production, leading to massive losses worldwide. Liquid wastes produced by industries are normally disposed of to water bodies causing harm to the aquatic life. There is also the element of the nuclear power that pollutes water and land, resulting in enormous environmental catastrophes.
Solar energy offers a clean alternative source to the currently used fossil fuels such as gas and coal, which often cause land, air, and water pollution. The use of solar energy will prevent the destruction of natural habitats. Nuclear and fossil fuels rely on pristine forests for their raw materials. Their production, therefore, results in the massive deforestation, which leads to diminishing the animal population. Switching to the solar power will, however, promote keeping these natural habitats intact (Philander, 2012).
China, for example, is considered to be one of the largest emitters of methane and black carbon. In China, the average air temperature has risen from 0.5–0.8°C. It is expected to further increase in the future. It is evident that the climatic change, directly and indirectly, affects the human health. Extreme weather conditions and heat waves increase the risk of death among citizens of both China and Japan. It is basically because these conditions cause cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, especially in the elderly. Climatic change may also lead to a wide range of extreme weather situations in these countries including typhoons, floods, blizzards, windstorms, drought, and famine.
Multiculturalism and Indigenous Social Movements in New Zealand and Australia
Culture basically refers to the shared behavioral patterns and interactions acquired through socialization. This notion has been derived from a French term, which in turn comes from the Latin term “colere” meaning “to cultivate and to nurture”. It is the way of life unique to a certain group of people. In New Zealand and Austria, various tribes and groups of people with very distinct norms and beliefs still exist nowadays.
There are three main similarities that exist between Australia and New Zealand. First, the urban societies of the two nations were founded by the British. Secondly, approximately about 20% of the population of both nations is composed of immigrants and, lastly, both states are located in the same part of the world.
Although these nations depict various elements of similarities, they have both been subjected to very distinct historical and environmental influences that have caused cultural differences. Australia was founded to be what is referred as a penal colony. New Zealand, on the other hand, was founded to be a religious colony. The latter possesses the positive climatic conditions. It is the fertile soil, lakes, and glaciers. Australia, on contrary, has a harsh geographical location. It is basically a desert (Marston, 2017).
The Maori culture in New Zealand is far more prominent in the nation than Aboriginal cultures that exist in Australia. For instance, Maori is an official language of the state. It is taught in schools and is also used in government departments. To compare, Aboriginal language does not exist. In terms of race, New Zealand is more racially conscious than Australia. It is, however, essential to note that no matter what type of culture people are the part of as it is subjected to changes. It is, therefore, necessary for all nations to embrace these positive societal changes as they occur.
References
Gallo, J. (2014). Free trade agreements: Selected analyses from NAFTA to the Trans-Pacific partnership. Nova Science Pub Inc.
Green, D., & Branford, S. (2013). Faces of Latin America. Monthly Review Press.
Marston, S. A. (2017). World regions in global context: Peoples, places, and environments. Pearson.
O'Toole, G. (2007). Politics Latin America. Harlow, England: Pearson Longman.
Philander, S. G. (2012). Encyclopedia of global warming & climate change. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.
