Despite the urgency of climate change and the rapid fall in the price of renewable energy sources, the world still relies on nearly 80% of its energy source from fossil fuels. Accelerating the shift away from fossil fuels will have large environmental and economic benefits, yet progress is much slower than we need. The problem …
Wheat is the fifth most commonly traded commodity after oil, coffee, gas and gold. It accounts for approximately 21% of the world’s food and the gross world trade in wheat is greater than all other crops combined. Wheat is a key ingredient of bread, flour, and pasta, and is also used in the production of …
War has always had substantial economic costs, but war is becoming increasingly costly for both belligerents and bystanders. This is due to both the monetary costs of fighting and the economic fallout of sanctions. During the cold war, there was a theory that nuclear war would ensure a mutual self-destruction – and this assured mutual …
The main sectors of the economy are: Primary sector – extraction of raw materials – mining, fishing and agriculture. Secondary / manufacturing sector – concerned with producing finished goods, e.g. Construction sector, manufacturing and utilities, e.g. electricity. Service / ‘tertiary’ sector – concerned with offering intangible goods and services to consumers. This includes retail, tourism, …
A look at the main causes of unemployment – including demand deficient, structural, frictional and real wage unemployment. Main causes of unemployment 1. Frictional unemployment This is unemployment caused by the time people take to move between jobs, e.g. graduates or people changing jobs. There will always be some frictional unemployment in an economy because …
The UK population is projected to increase by 9.7 million over the next 25 years from an estimated 64.6 million in mid-2014 to 74.3 million in mid-2039. (ONS). Approx. 50% of the population increase is expected due to net migration. This is a look at the economic and social impact of a rise in the …
Over the course of history, the world has seen rapid population growth. It has enabled a rich diversity of culture, technology and improved living standards. However, population growth is increasingly coming at a cost – in particular to the environment. High population levels are contributing to the depletion of natural resources and causing widespread pollution. …
Readers Question: This is hypothetical, but I wondered what would happen if we developed robots resembling humans who could perform any task a human could perform, but more effectively and essentially for free? More specifically, how would this development affect employment and real per capita GDP, and what would the pros and cons be? What …