| Overview |
| General background - market economy |
| General background - carbon trading |
| Brief notes on "comments on the Stern Review by leading economists" and links to them |
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| Overview |
| Basic science of Carbon including the carbon cycle |
| Photosynthesis & Respiration |
| Combustion - Energy production from carbon based fuels - the science |
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| Overview |
| Energy production from carbon based fuels (technology) |
| Alternative sources |
| Innovation and development |
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| Overview |
| Forest, Ice and Ocean |
| Land usage and impact on climate |
| Developing nations, including political aspects |
| Social change, population and industry |
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| Overview |
| Lesson plans, guides and pedagogy |
| Activities, tasks and assignments |
| Questions & Discussions |
| Software, Web 2.0 tools and data including images etc |
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| Glossary of terms, acronyms etc |
| Links to relevant sections in main National curriculum, GCSE and GCE syllabuses |
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General
background – Market Economy Market
economy is better referred to as FREE market economy since this clarifies
the relationship with democracy and relative freedom from state direction.
In any event it is driven by individual and private rather than state activity
in those areas involving not only manufactured products but also services,
the workforce and indeed capital. Free Market economy might be referred
to as an economic system, or a process or as an identified practice but
it is NOT an ideology as such. Nevertheless, the development of market economies
tend to reflect change in the social and political nature of a nation.In a free market economy, consumers and producers determine what and how much is made and what it costs, responding of course to supply and demand. The individual gains but contributes to the gains of others and where imbalances arise, the system should be self-correcting though sometimes are not e.g. house prices, mortgage and bank rates. Conversely, the balance may be altered with purpose, classically through e.g. advertising flat screen TV in order to create demand, increase mass production etc.  Local
(national) legislation impacts on a free market economy, in most situations
with ready agreement by business especially if it is seen to be independent
and protective e.g. the Competition (formerly Monopolies and Mergers) Commission,
though technically this is not required for it to function. The differences
between the impacts of legislation in different countries can be seen in
the annually published “Index of Economic Freedom.”Central (government) external impact also bears on the free market economy through subsidies and taxes and in this sense can steer both consumer and producer. An impact on those outside the consumer-producer group is called an “externality” e.g. the impact of chemical industry pollution on pedestrians in Widnes and can be negative (undesirable or harmful) or positive (beneficial). Stern identifies externality in his review. Externalities are seen by some as an important weakness in the free market model, equally some see them as an area where government should intervene. Clearly the Stern Review cites market failure and promotes intervention. |
 Market
Economy (wikipedia)What
is a Market Economy?Law
of supply & demandIndex
of Economic FreedomCompetition
CommissionExternality
(glossaries link) |
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