Environmental Policy, Global Trade, and External Debt Analysis
Landscape Protection and Environmental Impact
The European Landscape Convention (ELC)
Who recognized the public interest role of landscape?
The European Landscape Convention, signed in Florence in October 2000.
What did the ELC state about landscape in October 2000?
The Convention stated:
“Landscape has an important public interest role in cultural, ecological, environmental and social fields, and constitutes a resource favourable to economic activity and whose protection, management and planning can contribute to job creation.”
Human Impact on Landscape
How does the construction of cities transform the landscape?
Cities radically transform the landscape. They create an artificial ecosystem that cannot sustain itself because natural resources and energy must come from other areas.
Why does urbanization on the coast influence the environment?
Huge tourist urbanization plays a major part. This includes the construction of thousands of holiday homes and hotels, as well as marinas and golf courses, leading to landscape deterioration.
Environmental Challenges in Spain
What causes desertification in Spain?
- The existence of arid zones, which lack rain and have long seasonal droughts.
- Poor soil with a tendency to erode.
- The loss of woodland due to forest fires.
- The overexploitation, pollution, and salinization of aquifers.
Protected Natural Areas
What are the principal objectives of the National Park Network?
- To ensure the conservation of the natural assets of these unique areas.
- To balance conservation with public access.
- To encourage scientific research.
List three types of protected areas, apart from National Parks.
- Nature reserves.
- Natural monuments.
- Protected marine areas.
Defining Protected Areas
- Nature reserves: These are dedicated to protecting biodiversity, geographic and geological features, and fragile ecosystems.
- Natural monuments: These are spaces that protect a valuable natural feature, such as rock formations, underwater caves, ancient forests, etc.
- Protected marine areas: These were recently created to protect and restore marine habitats that have been damaged by human activity.
Global Trade and Commercial Activity
Fundamental Trade Definitions
Define the term: Trade
Trade is the buying and selling of products and services to satisfy the needs of the population.
What are two basic types of trade?
Domestic trade and international trade.
List the principal elements of trade.
Sellers, Buyers, Goods, Markets.
Define the terms: Domestic Trade, International Trade, Sellers, Buyers, Goods, Markets. (Set 1)
- Domestic trade: The commerce that happens inside a country.
- International trade: Describes transactions between states.
- Sellers: Individuals or companies that have goods or services they want to sell.
- Buyers: Individuals or companies that want to buy goods or services.
- Goods: Products that are bought and sold for money.
Factors Influencing Trade
List the principal factors that influence trade.
The principal factors influencing trade include:
- An efficient infrastructure and a transport network
- Positive financial results
- Business confidence
- A large market
Other factors influencing trade include: Prices, taxes, advertising, and discounts.
How does an efficient infrastructure and transport network influence trade?
An efficient infrastructure and a transport network gets goods to consumers in the shortest time possible and in the best possible condition.
What do positive financial results do for trade?
Positive financial results generate consumer confidence and stimulate the economy.
How does a large market influence trade?
A large market with many potential consumers increases business confidence. Electronic commerce (e-commerce) online helps companies to buy and sell materials and products anywhere in the world.
Types of Retailers
List the different types of retailers.
- Traditional retailers: Often have small family shops, such as a local grocery shop or small supermarket.
- Department stores: Offer consumers a huge range of products. They are usually located in city centers and have many floors.
- Large shopping centers: Are usually located on the outskirts of cities, where the land is cheaper and there is access to motorways and railways. Shops in these centers often belong to multinational chains and sell large quantities of goods at cheaper prices.
- Street markets: Set up stalls in the open air on a particular day each week. The stallholders sell a wide variety of products, from food and clothes to craft goods.
Define the terms: Traditional Retailers, Department Stores, Large Shopping Centers, Street Markets. (Set 2)
Traditional retailers: Often have small family shops, such as a local grocery shop or small supermarket.
Department stores: Offer consumers a huge range of products. They are usually located in city centers and have many floors.
Large shopping centers: Are usually located on the outskirts of cities, where the land is cheaper and there is access to motorways and railways. Shops in these centers often belong to multinational chains and sell large quantities of goods at cheaper prices.
Street markets: Set up stalls in the open air on a particular day each week. The stallholders sell a wide variety of products, from food and clothes to craft goods.
Global Finance: Understanding External Debt
What is external debt?
External debt is the money some countries owe to foreign creditors. These countries have to return the money they owe, with interest, to private organizations or international institutions, such as the World Bank or the International Monetary Fund.
Explain reasons why external debt is so serious.
- Many investments intended to grow new crops and set up new companies and industries fail.
- Epidemics and environmental disasters make the situation worse.
- Corrupt governments in some poor countries do not invest the money borrowed in a proper way.
What are the two sides to the debt debate?
The debate surrounding external debt involves two main positions:
- Position A: Debt Cancellation. Some countries advocate canceling all or part of the debt to help the borrowing country.
- Position B: Opposition to Cancellation. In many developed countries, canceling debt is opposed by some political and social sectors that do not want to lose any money owed to them.
Redundant Definitions (Included as per requirement)
Define the terms: Domestic Trade, International Trade, Sellers, Buyers, Goods, Markets. (Set 3)
- Domestic trade: The commerce that happens inside a country.
- International trade: Describes transactions between states.
- Sellers: Individuals or companies that have goods or services they want to sell.
- Buyers: Individuals or companies that want to buy goods or services.
- Goods: Products that are bought and sold for money.
Markets: These are places where commercial transactions take place. There are two basic types of markets: physical markets, where material goods are traded, such as a farmers’ market, and non-physical markets, where abstract or virtual goods are traded, such as a stock exchange.