Chapter 13 Homework

Chapter 13, Section 1

1. What are three of the reasons major economic changes are taking place in Europe?

Answer:

Three main reasons that major economic changes are taking place in Europe are the ability to trade freely with other European countries, sharing the same currency, and changing agreements to make each country's economy more productive.

2. Identify changes in the economies, farming techniques, and communications in eastern Europe since the fall of communism in 1989.

Answer:

Economies, for the most part, have grown more productive.  Farming equipment was updated and most of the labor was now done by machines instead of people.  Eastern European countries have also tried to communicate more with the rest of the world, setting up investments and seeking aid.

Creative Writing: Write a paragraph agreeing or disagreeing with the statement: As Europe develops a more unified, service-oriented economy, it is more important for nations to develop more efficient communications systems than to develop more efficient transportation systems.

Answer:

I do agree with this statement.  The more that Europe develops into a service country, the more communicating and talking workers will have to do.  The more communicating that must be done, the more a country needs an efficient communications system so the workers can do their job.  If Europe moves away from a trading and agriculture based economy, the less the countries trade.  And the less trade that happens, the less transportation systems that Europe needs.

Chapter 13, Section 2

1. What are three of the ways industry and farming practices have affected Europe’s environment?

Answer:

Bad farming practices such as over faming, removing too much vegetation, and overgrazing livestock have  resulted in the soil eroding and killing the remaining trees.

Industry has also made a huge impact on the environment.  To make new land, companies have hacked down whole forests.  The smoke and gas produced by smokestacks can cause acid rain.  Acid rain can damage forests, poison lakes and rivers and seas, kill of species of mammals, birds, and fish.  Acid rain can also cause health damage to humans.

2. What steps have been taken by the European Union to protect Europe’s environment?

Answer:

The EU requires all of the countries under it to clean up after their pollution.  The EU also has set emission regulations for industries and vehicles so that the pollution is limited.  It also supports the Kyoto Protocol, which makes countries try to prevent generating and trapping green house gases.  The EU also encourages the use of natural gas and demands that all countries must lower their emissions to 15% lower than 1990's level of green house gases.

Creative Writing: Write a paragraph to agree or disagree with the statement: The pollution laws and controls put in place by members of the European Union are all that is necessary to protect the environment in Europe today and in the future

Answer:  I disagree with this statement.  While these rules and regulations are great for the present, more needs to be done to save the environment.  Countries must completely stop using coal and fossil fuels, using hydrogen powered machines which work just as fine and cause less pollution.  Countries also need to stop being so reckless when cutting down the forests.  There is not an infinite amount of trees, and countries must learn that the trees will run out and that pollution will increase without the trees there.