I haven't posted in a little while and that's probably for good reason considering all the madness that has ensued in the last couple of weeks throughout the world.
I would like to touch on Japan and the massive effect that natural disasters have on even the world's richest economies. The 9.0 magnitude quake shifted Japan's coast line by 13ft and tilted the Earth's axis by 4in. Japan is very reliant on nuclear power and the quake has caused a major blow to their nuclear energy sector. The Japanese simply live in an extremely volatile area of the world for a number of reasons. They are an industrial economy that has no domestic natural resources to fuel their growth. They depend on imports for everything they produce which has always put them in a tight spot when things don't go completely as planned. Their investment in nuclear energy makes sense considering their extreme energy needs, but they have failed to update existing facilities and although they were prepared for earthquakes a 9.0 is not the type of earthquake that many can prepare for and Japan is lucky that the crisis isn't far worse considering that out of all the countries for a major earthquake to occur the Japanese are definitely the most prepared.
Japan's location is another cause of their volatility, they are situated on the Ring of Fire in the Pacific; which simply put is one of the most seismically active areas in the world. Since Japan's 9.0 earthquake their have been several earthquakes that have been well above 6.0 which to people in the US, especially where I live in Georgia would cause extensive damage. Nothing is easy in Japan whether its economics, geography, or foreign policy, but somehow they persist and continue to grow. I believe its the will of the Japanese people to accept hardship and understand their situation and generation after generation they continue to rise above the adversity to succeed. I'm optimistic that Japan will recover in time, but will they recover soon enough so that their economic impact will not cause other world markets to double dip? Will we truly learn from disaster's like this one so that modern infrastructure and the people are better protected from these increasing destructive acts of nature? "crises precipitate change."
To be continued.....
I would like to touch on Japan and the massive effect that natural disasters have on even the world's richest economies. The 9.0 magnitude quake shifted Japan's coast line by 13ft and tilted the Earth's axis by 4in. Japan is very reliant on nuclear power and the quake has caused a major blow to their nuclear energy sector. The Japanese simply live in an extremely volatile area of the world for a number of reasons. They are an industrial economy that has no domestic natural resources to fuel their growth. They depend on imports for everything they produce which has always put them in a tight spot when things don't go completely as planned. Their investment in nuclear energy makes sense considering their extreme energy needs, but they have failed to update existing facilities and although they were prepared for earthquakes a 9.0 is not the type of earthquake that many can prepare for and Japan is lucky that the crisis isn't far worse considering that out of all the countries for a major earthquake to occur the Japanese are definitely the most prepared.
Japan's location is another cause of their volatility, they are situated on the Ring of Fire in the Pacific; which simply put is one of the most seismically active areas in the world. Since Japan's 9.0 earthquake their have been several earthquakes that have been well above 6.0 which to people in the US, especially where I live in Georgia would cause extensive damage. Nothing is easy in Japan whether its economics, geography, or foreign policy, but somehow they persist and continue to grow. I believe its the will of the Japanese people to accept hardship and understand their situation and generation after generation they continue to rise above the adversity to succeed. I'm optimistic that Japan will recover in time, but will they recover soon enough so that their economic impact will not cause other world markets to double dip? Will we truly learn from disaster's like this one so that modern infrastructure and the people are better protected from these increasing destructive acts of nature? "crises precipitate change."
To be continued.....
Japan Relief Effort: redcross.org or text 90999 to donate $10
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