The Dependence On Fossil Fuels - 1859 Words

Title Since the invention of the car over a century ago, people have become highly dependent on fossil fuels. Over the past few decades it has become clear that this dependence has been having disastrous effects on the environment, our health, our economy, and our future. Not only that, but fossil fuels are a finite supply and once they are depleted, there is no getting more. If we are to continue to thrive as a society, it is imperative that we reduce our dependence on non-renewable fossil-fuels, and move towards renewable energy sources such as electricity, biofuels, and hydrogen. Fossil fuels have been used to power our vehicles since the invention of the car in the late 19th century. And with more people driving cars over the years, the total consumption of oil has increased dramatically. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the United States used 8.8 million barrels of gasoline (368 million gallons) a day for transportation in 2014 (Energy Information Administration). This is an alarming rate, considering the world only has so much oil. The EIA has predicted that the world has enough oil to carry the industries that rely on it through 2040 (Energy Information Administration). Beyond that, it is uncertain if we will have enough oil, not only for transportation, but also for the thousands of other industries that depend on it as their primary source of energy. Besides going scarce, another issue with relying on fossil fuels for energy isShow MoreRelatedAmericas Dependence On Fossil Fuels1307 Words   |  6 PagesThe main social issue that we would like to address is America’s dependence on fossil fuels and the possibility of switching to environmentally friendly energy sources. Energy is the key conflict factor during our era. So new energy development is a vital project that not only can decrease the conflict that base on energy but also improve our environment, meanwhile it also can decrease the conflict that created by the environmental issues. Our audience will be mainly comprised of young adults, particularlyRead MoreGlobal Dependence On Fossil Fuel1485 Words   |  6 Pagesheating and cooling can decarbonize electricity, significantly reducing the share of fossil fuels to less than 50% in the total energy requirement. Sharing best practices across borders can help transfer innovative technologies and support energy transitio n plans for many of the developing countries that are majorly dependent on coal as a primary source of energy. Over the coming years the dependence on fossil fuel will have to gradually reduce and much of investment must go into making this transitionRead MoreEarths Dependence on Fossil Fuels2011 Words   |  9 PagesEARTH’S DEPENDENCE ON FOSSIL FUELS CINDY MOYER AXIA COLLEGE UNIVERSITY OF PHOENIX In today’s world, more and more people are becoming aware of the problems that are caused by the use of fossil fuel and are looking for earth-friendly and economical energy to use as a source to heat and cool their homes, drive their vehicles, use electric or whatever they do to use energy. Scientists are busy thinking up a variety of ways of producing renewable energy to replace the use of non-renewableRead MoreThe World s Dependence On Fossil Fuels1785 Words   |  8 PagesRunning head: THE WORLD’S DEPENDENCE ON FOSSIL FUELS 1 The World’s Dependence On Fossil Fuels Is The Top Ecological Problem Kareem Singleton Rutgers University Running head: THE WORLD’S DEPENDENCE ON FOSSIL FUELS 2 The global dependence on fossil fuels is a major ecological problem, and it has had negative impacts on the natural ecosystem of the globe. The world must change its dependence on fossil fuels and make the top energyRead MoreThe World s Dependence On Fossil Fuels1706 Words   |  7 PagesThe World’s Dependence on Fossil Fuels Introduction: When you think of fossil fuels what comes to mind? Perhaps you think of the massive oil rigs set up around the world or maybe your mind wonders to how fossil fuels formed in the Earth millions of years ago. Truthfully the full extent of our usage of fossil fuels around the world is widely not realized. Around the Christmas season as you decorate your Christmas trees consider this: if your Christmas tree is artificial then it is likely manufacturedRead MoreOur Dangerous Dependence on Fossil Fuels Essay703 Words   |  3 Pagesdepends on fossil fuels in many different ways, from travel to large industries. What will happens when the world runs out of fossil fuels? Renewable energies have the power to save our environment and change the world as we know it. Fossil fuels are not going to last forever. America has already started to implement renewable sources of energy, such as, wind mills, dams, solar power and nuclear power. Eventually we will need to utilize these resources in areas that are dependent on fossil fuels. FossilRead MoreHow Can The United States Lessen Its Dependence On Fossil Fuels?1302 Words   |  6 PagesHow can the United States lessen its dependence on fossil fuels? Joan Milton Western Governor’s University How can the United States lessen its dependence on fossil fuels? Introduction The U.S obtains more than 84% of its energy from fossil fuels including oil, coal and natural gas. This is because people rely on it to heat their homes, power industries, run vehicles, manufacturing, and provision of electricity. It is apparent that the country’s transportation industry highly depends onRead MoreFossil Fuels : The World s Primary Energy Source952 Words   |  4 PagesFossil fuels are currently the world s primary energy source. Fossil fuel includes coal, natural gas, and oil. In 2015, The United States consumed 97.7 billion btu of energy, 81% of that was from fossil fuels (U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2016). Fossil fuel use will cause air and water pollution that will negatively affect all life on Earth. In 2012, it was estimated that air pollution caused 6.5 million deaths worldwide (WHO, 2016). These pollutants can worsen or cause respiratory andRead MoreBio-Fuels Are Better than Fossil Fuels1336 Words   |  6 PagesFossil fuel plays leading r ole in upsetting environmental, economical and climate protection. Our earth is at catastrophic risk by the exploitation of fossil fuels. Therefore, pressure is on to find viable alternatives for energy to bring a stable, safe and clean revolution. In that case, bio-fuels make an attractive alternative for energy than fossil fuels. Various provocative questions need discussion that what are the attractive differences between both the fuels? Why fossil fuel dependence isRead MoreThe Effects Of Climate Change On Fossil Fuels1431 Words   |  6 Pagesatmospheric carbon dioxide produced by the use of fossil fuels.† (Google Dictionary). Due to our dependence on fossil fuels as our main source for energy and our carbon dioxide emissions over decades, climate change has rapidly emerged on Earth. Yet, we still have those who deny any scientific evidence of the effect of the dependence on fossil fuels. Climate change is a threat one should not ignore but want to reverse with the trans ition from fossil fuels to clean energy. An issue, which one should consider

Country Analysis †Myanmar Free Essays

Myanmar is a resource-rich country and also known as the Asian rice bowl suffers from pervasive government controls, inefficient economic policies, corruption, and rural poverty. The economy suffers from serious macroeconomic imbalances including unpredictable inflation, fiscal deficits, multiple official exchange rates that overvalue the Burmese kyat, and unreliable statistics. In trade activity, Myanmar’s main imports are fabric petroleum products and crude oil, fertilizers, plastics, machinery, transport equipment food products and also construction materials. We will write a custom essay sample on Country Analysis – Myanmar or any similar topic only for you Order Now The major exports of Myanmar are natural gas, wood products, pulses and beans, fish, rice, clothing and jade and gems. On July 2012, the population in Myanmar is said to be 54,584650 people. Several considerations were made in counting and estimating the population including the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS. This can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected. Most people live in the 40,000-odd villages of the country, while the majority of the urban population resides in the capital city of Rangoon. Among the population engaged in agriculture, 37 percent of the people do not have any land or livestock. Poverty and misery have increased in the past 3 decades. It is estimated in the CIA World Factbook that in1997 23 percent of the Burmese population had incomes that placed them below the poverty line. PRICE STABILITY Inflation is the general increase in the level of price. Each and every country’s government has their own targets for the inflation rate in order to achieve price stability. It is impossible for a certain country to achieve zero level of inflation so an average of 2%-3% inflation is already good enough. The main indicator of price stability is the Consumer Price Index (CPI) which measures the degree of change in price as a whole. Figure 1. 0 The Percentage of Inflation in Myanmar Figure 1. 0 shows the graph of the inflation rate of Myanmar from 2007 to 2011. The year before 2007 shows a very high level of inflation in Myanmar which is around 35%. During that time, Myanmar’s economy is at the peak level. The export of Myanmar at that time was at the highest. The increase in the exports of rice and agricultural product caused demand pull inflation. This is because export is one of the components of the aggregate demand (AD). The high export rate causes the income of the local citizen becomes higher. A high income results in the increase in consumption. The increase in export and consumption which both are the component of AD causes demand pull inflation. To get a clearer view, refer to the graph below. In the contemporary, both of this component is also injection in the economy and causes the injection to become more than leakage. This creates a multiplier effect thus expands Myanmar’s economy. Figure 1. 1 Demand-pull Inflation In the year 2007, the basic commodity prices rose from 30 to 60 percent. At this particular time, the workers demand for more wages. The cost of production will increase thus shifting the short run aggregate supply (SRAS) to the left. This causes cost push inflation to the economy of Myanmar. But instead showing the increase in inflation level, the graph shows a slight inclination in the inflation rate. This is because the government implemented a contractionary policy to Myanmar’s economy. To the worst, the Cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar and this causes a negative growth of inflation to happen at a very high rate. Due to the disaster that happened, the government spending had to be focused on the welfare of the estimated 2. 4 million homeless victims. The money that should be invested on other things had been used for the recovery from the disaster. Meanwhile, Myanmar kept on exporting the rice in order to gain more profit without considering the number of seed that is reduced due to the destruction caused by the cyclone. This causes the production of rice and other agricultural product to be reduced in a great amount due to the disaster that happened. Besides, the length of production factor also will result on a huge shortage of food supply. This unknowingly converts Myanmar from a net rice exporter to importer. The higher amount of import than the export and added with the decrease in investment, also the government spending causes a shift in the AD to the left and results a decrease in the rate of inflation at a dramatic rate. Figure 1. 2 The year 2009-2011shows an increasing trend of inflation in Myanmar. This is when Myanmar enters the recovery phase of its economy. Probably during this phase Myanmar had already recovered from the cyclone and starts to increase their economic activity. More people will get employed and the consumption will increase. At the same time the government also spends a lot to bring back the economy of their country. This will shift the AD to the right thus increasing back the inflation rate. Figure 1. 3 FULL EMPLOYMENT Full employment means that every person in the labor force gets employed. It has become a significant objective for a country because it is closely related to the efficiency in resource allocation and also in achieving non-accelerating inflationary rate of unemployment (NAIRU). Both efficiency in resource allocation and the NAIRU are important to achieve a stable economy. Figure 2. 0 The Unemployment Rate in Myanmar The unemployment rate of Myanmar peaked at the year 2008. This is probably because the Nargis cyclone that hit Myanmar during that year causes death and destruction. The destruction also includes the farms and fields where most of Myanmar citizen works. This is called seasonal unemployment. Furthermore, during the financial crisis, the lack of import demand from other country causes many shutting down of shops and factories such as clothing factories, gemstone polishing and carving workshops, rubber factories and also the magazine and the publishing house. As a result, during that period of time, crimes such as theft and prostitution rate were seemed starting to rise. From 2008-2011, the rate of unemployment shows a decreasing trend. This is probably because of the agricultural sector that already recovered after the disaster that happened had opened a lot of job opportunities. In addition, an economic reform also had been made and training programs also were conducted such as the market opening policy. This increases the availability for the people in the labor force to get employed. The long run aggregate supply (LRAS) curve will shift to the right due to the changes in the government policy and also the education and training that have been made. Figure2. 1 Shift of Long-run Aggregate Supply In Myanmar, the participation of woman in the work force is still low and does not show any significant change in the labor participation which is majority participated by males. This is due to the trend in Myanmar where only male works while the female stays at home. ECONOMIC GROWTH Reviewing back to the economic problem, wants are unlimited but resources are scares. The objective of the economy is to solve this problem. So, economic growth is very important in order to satisfy more wants. Of course, there are several special consideration placed on the economic growth. One of them is the limitation of usage of resources for the future generation to use. Figure 3. 0 Myanmar GDP by-year Chart Overall, the economic growth of Myanmar on 2007-2011 shows an increasing trend. The year 2007-2008 shows the drop in economic growth and afterwards, the years after that show recovery. The world economy crisis that happened in the year 2008 really gave a huge impact on Myanmar economy because Myanmar is highly dependent on trading activities. The GDP of Myanmar that decreases to 1. 2% was not only caused by the economic crisis but also because of the Nargis cyclone that hit Myanmar in middle 2008. The â€Å"Lehman shock† that happened which causes a huge bankruptcy at Japan which is one of the main importer from Myanmar in the same year really affected the GDP of Myanmar. This results a decrease in economic growth of Myanmar due to the decreased size of natural resources caused by the Nargis cyclone, the uncontrolled inflation rate which is also relatively high in 2008 and also the political condition that was not so stable at that particular time. However, Myanmar shows an increased economic growth trend the year afterwards which is from 1. 2% to 5. 6%. This is because the export in Myanmar increases during these years. Due to some political tension, Korea increased their import share towards Myanmar and it became the third largest importer after Japan and Germany. As a result the combined export share for Korea and Japan reached 51. 5% and this trend seems to have become stronger in 2010. For the next year, it kept on growing on a steady rate due to no serious problem occurred. EXTERNAL BALANCE An economy that practices import and export is known as the open economic system. This means there are money going out and also coming in into a certain country. External balance means a balance between money inflow and outflow resulting from a country’s transactions with the rest of the world. It is a record of a country’s transaction in goods, services and assets with the rest of the world. There are three components of external balance which are the current account deficit as a percentage of GDP, net foreign debt as a percentage of GDP and the exchange rate. It is one of the macroeconomic objectives and its target is to achieve enough inflow from foreign country to buy imports and also being able to meet its financial obligation to other country. Current account deficit as a percentage of GDP. The current account measures the inflows and outflows of a country. It is divided to two categories which are the current flows and also the capital flows. The current flow consist of the export and the receipts of income payment as the inflow and the import and the income paid to overseas as the outflow. For the capital flows, the inflow is the foreign investment and the borrowing. The outflows are loan repayment and investment made overseas. Figure 4. 0 Current Account Balance in Myanmar The figure above shows the current account balance of Myanmar as a percentage of GDP. Over the years, it shows a decreasing trend from 2007-2011. However in 2009, it shows a sharp increase until 2010 and it falls back. It is certainly not highly affected by the export and import because referring to the graph below (graph 4. 1 and 4. 2) there is not much difference in the export and imports around these five years. The low value of the current account balance is due to Myanmar’s spending to meet its debt from other country. Graph 4. 3 shows the amount of Myanmar’s debt with other foreign country. Figure 4. 1 Exports of Myanmar Figure 4. 2 Imports of Myanmar Figure 4. 3 External Debt of Myanmar Exchange rate The value of a certain currency indicates how well a certain country is able to manage the financial inflow and outflow. A stable exchange rate indicates that the economy of a country is healthy and promotes investor to see that the country’s production is a worthwhile investment. The factors affecting the currency are highly related to the supply and demand for the currency. Figure 4. 4 The Graph of Supply and Demand for Currency In Myanmar, of course fluctuations of the Burmese Kyat (BK) happen from time to time. The exchange rate for BK is the price or value of one BK expressed in terms of foreign currency. The figure below shows the fluctuating BK throughout the five years period. Figure 4. 5 Myanmar Official Exchange Rate per US($) Over the five years the exchange rate of Myanmar shows a decreasing trend. A great depreciate if BK in the year 2007-2008 is due to the high inflation rate. The increase of the commodity prices decreases Myanmar’s export. Being a country that is very dependent on trading business, the decrease in the demand for Myanmar’s currency causes the AD shifts at a great amount to the left thus depreciating the currency. The depreciating of the currency will probably cause the current account deficit (CAD) of Myanmar to worsen. On the contemporary, the unemployment gap will also become bigger indicating the increasing in the unemployment rate. Figure 4. 5 In the year 2008-2009, Myanmar’s currency shows appreciation. This is due to the rate of inflation in Myanmar that is relatively low at the particular time. The low inflation means the price of local product is cheaper. The cheaper local product will make the local product price to be internationally competitive thus increases the export. The increase in demand for Myanmar’s currency will shift the AD to the right thus appreciate Myanmar’s exchange rate. People will also starting to get employed as the unemployment gap has become smaller. The CAD will expected to improve. Prospect Based on all analysis done, I estimated that Myanmar economic growth would continue growing if the government is very aware and carefully observing the fluctuating rate of inflation. The government must know the right time to implement whether a cotractionary or expansionary policy at the right time. For the full employment, it is the responsibility of the government to distribute and if necessary provide training for the population in order to achieve the full employment target. New rules and regulation and also policy must be implemented so that hard core unemployment, frictional unemployment, hidden unemployment and all other types of unemployment could be reduced. The economic growth of Myanmar is now in quite good position. However, it is unpredictable for something unwanted to happen such as global recession, increase in commodity price and natural disaster. So, economist and the government must take a serious consideration on planning a preparation for the economy to face unwanted situations to happen. For the exchange rate, it is better for Myanmar to maintain the value of Burmese kyat than trying to appreciate or depreciate it due to certain circumstances such as a cold diplomatic relationship with other countries and the unstable political condition inside the country itself. If any action is taken it is worried that a riot or the hampering of foreign investment from other country would happen. However, Myanmar should broaden their vision and observing how other country’s economy works. This is in order for Myanmar to improve its economy and foster a harmonious relationship with other countries abroad. If this could be achieved and be done, it is not impossible for Myanmar to leap up to the first rank in the world for the most high income country but with a low rate of inflation. Conclusion To wrap up, it is quite hard to say whether Myanmar have achieved or not achieved even any of the macroeconomics objectives. Although the economic growth and price stability keeps on fluctuating due to unwanted and also uncontrollable events, Myanmar still manage to overcome the problem or crisis even though still consumes a huge amount of time. How to cite Country Analysis – Myanmar, Papers

Fashion Buying free essay sample

Introduction This assignment compares and contrasts the roles, responsibilities and issues faced by UK based retail buyers when purchasing branded versus own branded fashion goods. It draws on examples from retailers, trade press and academic sources. Fashion retailers are an important sector of the fashion industry, and are the link between fashion products and consumers. These retailers have power over the industry and are able to set trends. Over the past few years, retail own-labels have been leading the fashion industry. This has increased the power and important of the fashion buyer’s role.An understanding of the fashion environment – suppliers, wholesales, designers, marketers – is crucial for fashion buyers. Branded and Own-branded According to the American Marketing Association, the definition of a brand is: â€Å"A name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller’s good or service as distinct from those of other sellers. A brand may identify one item, a family of items, or all items of that seller. We will write a custom essay sample on Fashion Buying or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page † (Marketing Power, 2011) Own-labels or own-brands refer to the products/services manufactured and sold under the retailer’s brand name. These are sold exclusively at the retail organisation’s outlets. These brands are very powerful and are more commonly known than manufacturer brands. Manufacturer brands refer to products/services that are given a brand name by the company that produces it. However, this is usually not the case in the fashion industry, as many retailers source suppliers and manufacturers from low cost countries (such as, in the Far East) to manufacture the goods for them. For example, Nike does not manufacture a majority of its products. The company has switched from being a manufacturing to a marketing company that focuses on the marketing of its brand.If the buyer is purchasing own-brand goods, the brand name and the retailer will be the same. Fashion Buying Cycle A definition of the ‘fashion buying cycle’ is: ‘the key events and processes in which the fashion buyer is involved in order to buy a garment range in for a retailer or mail order company’ (Goworek, 2007:17) The main processes involved in the fashion buying cycle are outlined below, including how the processes differ for buyers of branded products and buyers of own-branded products: * Review of seasons sales – both buyer will review the seasons sales to determine the popularity of each item. This will assist in determining the most preferred fabrics, styles, etc. * Budget planning both buyers will plan a budget on the expenditure of the range. * Comparative directional shopping – both buyers will conduct comparative shopping to evaluate what the competitors are offering. They both will conduct directional shopping to gain insight on the trends and styles of the season. * Fabric sourcing – the own-branded buyer will be involved in this process.