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superpowers-BRICS - Coggle Diagram

- - - - Military characteristics
        -Brazil makes up 60% of South America’s total military budget.
        -But Brazil’s military spending is significantly lower than that of the other BRIC nations.
        -As a percentage of GDP, the total military expenditure has been falling since 1985.
        In 2017 Brazil spent 2.166% of its GDP on its military according to the World Bank.
  - - - Environmental characteristics
        -Brazil faces major environmental issues- namely deforestation of the Amazon rainforest.
        -The Amazon rainforest is home to 13% of the world’s biodiversity
        -Brazil does support global initiatives, such as the UN Global Climate Change Conference however it needs to deal with its own environmental issues too.
        
        Demographic characteristics
        -Brazil is arguably in a better demographic position than many of the other BRIC nations.
        -It has a young population with a median age of 31.3 in 2015.
        -However, the fertility rate is falling and fell from 6 in 1960 to 1.8 in 2015. If this decline continues, an ageing population could result.
        
        The Amazon rainforest
        -Brazil managed to see an 80% decrease in large-scale deforestation of the Amazon between 2004-2012 by increasing law enforcement, expanding protected areas and recognizing indigenous tribes and their territories.
        -They managed to achieve this whilst increasing production of cattle and soy. These were two of the main causes of deforestation.
        -However, between 2015-2017, Brazil’s deforestation rate has doubled again as the political unrest means the law enforcement efforts have relaxed.
- - - - Military characteristics
        -Military spending has increased but Russia has far less military strength than China or the USA. However, Russia does have nuclear weapons.
        -It has half the number of active personnel of China.
        -It does have more aircraft and more tanks than China but many of these are ageing and relicts of the USSR.
        -like china, it has 1 aircraft carrier
  - - - Demographic characteristics
        -Russia’s population is declining. Between 1991 and 2015 it declined for 21 of these 25 years.
        -Its fertility rate is now 1.75.
        -In 2017 it was announced that the government would spend $8.6billion over 3 years on measures to increase the birth rate. Putin has offered mortgage subsidies and payments to new and growing families.
        
        Environmental characteristics
        -Like Brazil, Russia faces deforestation as a large issue. The Taiga or Boreal forest in the North of the country is deforested for pulp and paper production.
        -This logging increases CO2 emissions and reduces biodiversity.
        -Owing to Russia’s historic nuclear weapons program and nuclear energy sector, nuclear contamination of the countryside is another major environmental concern for the country.
- - - - Economic characteristics
        -India is the second largest English-speaking nation in the world (after America) which means it has seen economic growth through the growth of its services sector.
        -Many global TNCs outsource their services in IT to India. BT has call centres in Bangalore
        -India also has universities with global reputations that will allow it to continue being regarded as a well-educated nation.
        -India is expected to grow its economy by 7-8% up to 2020.
        -However, poverty is still high and sanitation is often poor, with many people not using toilets across India.
  - - - Demographic characteristics
        -India has the world’s second largest population at 1.3 billion people.
        -The ability to speak English that has helped India to grow and attracted jobs from TNCs.
        -India's population doesn’t have the problems of other BRICs with an ageing population- the working population may exceed China’s by 2020.
        -It has a youthful population and a fertility rate that remains above replacement level at 2.4 children per women.
        
        Environmental characteristics
        -India is a very biodiverse country with 6% of the world’s plant and animals species.
        -But, similarly to other BRICs, India has severe problems with pollution.
        -It’s the world’s 3rd largest carbon emitter and has many problems with slums.
- - - - The power of OPEC
        -If OPEC members decide to increase their production of oil, oil prices fall. Some countries have to spend more money to extract oil. So oil companies in these nations are more likely to go bankrupt if OPEC members cut oil prices. The American Shale Gas industry is an expensive producer of oil, so it is vulnerable to oil price decreases.
        -Politically, Aramco, the national oil company of Saudi Arabia, was owned by American oil company. During the 1970s, Saudi Arabia was a member of OPEC and put the USA under embargo for a short period.
        -Oil and natural gas are usually cheaper sources of energy than renewables. From an environmental perspective, countries are more likely to use oil as an energy source if it is cheap.