HOW TO REPLY TO THE DISCUSSION BELOW AS A STUDENT PEER

One developed country that exists today is Germany. Germany is centrally located in Europe with nine countries that touch the German border. (Germany's Geography | Reach the World, n.d.) It is considered to be an ideal location for trade. However, Germany still faces geographic barriers that affect their economy as well as their future. Germany struggles with limited access to renewable resources. They do not have reserves of natural materials such as oil and minerals. Renewable energy is of great concern for Germany. This impacts the economy with increased costs for production. It has created a gap between supply and demand resulting in extremely high power costs. The supply chain has become vulnerable. In order for Germany to overcome these barriers they can try a couple of options. The first option is prioritizing efficiency and sustainability. They can introduce concepts such as reducing waste, reusing materials, and promoting recycling. Next, it may be beneficial for the country to adopt a "circular economy" According to UN Trade and Development, a "circular economy, provides incentives for reusing products, rather than scrapping them and having to extract new resources. Under this form of economy, all forms of waste, such as clothes, scrap metal, and obsolete electronics, are returned to the economy or used more efficiently. (UNCTAD, 2023) Lastly, Germans can also minimize their usage of Energy. Germany is in the midst of a recent decline in natural gas supply from Russia due to the conflict with Ukraine. (Mills, 2023) The country's expectation of solar and wind power has failed expectations. They were unable to bridge the gap between the supply and demand of nuclear and coal. (Mills, 2023) A recommitment to the adoption of wind, biomass, and solar renewable energy resources would bring great benefit to the country's energy crisis and economy. This would create assurance that energy be available and reduce the amount that the country relies on fossil fuels to supply energy.

References

Germany's Geography | Reach the World. (n.d.). Www.reachtheworld.org. https://www.reachtheworld.org/victorias-journey-germany/world-connections/germanys-geography#:~:text=Germany%20is%20a%20successful%20center

Mills, R. (2023, February 6). Inside Germany's renewable energy boondoggle. MINING.COM. https://www.mining.com/web/inside-germanys-renewable-energy-boondoggle/#:~:text=Renewable%20failure&text=However%20Germany

UNCTAD. (2023). Circular Economy | UNCTAD. Unctad.org. https://unctad.org/topic/trade-and-environment/circular-economy#:~:text=A%20circular%20economy%20entails%20markets