7th grade Unit 3

Environmental and Economic Forces on Southwest Asia

(Middle East)

What you will learnSouthwest Asia (Middle East) has been involved in trade and a world influence since ancient times. The region has experienced a cycle of economic growth and decline over the last several decades. The dramatic rise in oil prices, the continuing struggles with the availability and control of fresh water resources, and diversification of agriculture facilitated this growth and decline. Most nations in Southwest Asia (Middle East) benefit from increased oil revenues. In this unit students will compare and assess the human environment interaction of the region by examining the distribution, pollution and use of natural resources in the area. In addition, students will explore factors influencing the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services in the region through trade and world influences.

� SS7G6 The student will discuss environmental issues across Southwest Asia

(Middle East).

� a. Explain how water pollution and the unequal distribution of water impacts irrigation and drinking water.

� SS7G7 The student will explain the impact of location, climate, physical characteristics, Distribution of natural resources and population distribution on Southwest Asia (Middle East).

� a. Explain how the distribution of oil has affected the development of Southwest Asia (Middle East).

� b. Describe how the deserts and rivers of Southwest Asia (Middle East) have affected the population in terms of where people live, the type of work they do, and how they travel.

� SS7E5 The student will analyze different economic systems.

� a. Compare how traditional, command, and market economies answer the economic questions of (1) what to produce, (2) how to produce, and (3) for whom to produce.

� b. Explain how most countries have a mixed economy located on a continuum between pure market and pure command.

� c. Compare and contrast the economic systems in Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey.

� SS7E6 The student will explain how voluntary trade benefits buyers and sellers in Southwest Asia (Middle East).

� a. Explain how specialization encourages trade between countries.

� b. Compare and contrast different types of trade barriers, such as tariffs, quotas, and embargos.

� c. Explain the primary function of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). d. Explain why international trade requires a system for exchanging currencies between nations.

� SS7E7 The student will describe factors that influence economic growth and examine their presence or absence in Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Iran.

� a. Explain the relationship between investment in human capital (education and training) and gross domestic product (GDP).

� b. Explain the relationship between investment in capital (factories, machinery, and technology) and gross domestic product (GDP).

� c. Explain the role of oil in these countries’ economies.

� d. Describe the role of entrepreneurship.

Unit 3 termsWater pollution irrigation specialization

Traditional economy Command economy Mixed economy

Tariff Embargo OPEC

Quota Human capital Capital goods

Factories Machinery Technology

Natural resources Entrepreneurship Economics

Goods and services Gross domestic product (GDP)

HIGH QUALITY H20?

� Where does your water come from?

� How is that water that you drink purified so that it is suitable to drink?

� What is water distillation, water recycling, and water sewage treatment?

� What else do we use water for besides drinking?

Two major disputes over water1. The Israeli National Water Carrier situation with Israel and

Palestinians and Syria (1965-1966)2. The conflict over Atatürk Dam among Iraq, Syria and

Turkey (1990)

FIND OUT FOR EACH PLACE:1. Where is the water source on a map? 2. How valuable a resource is it to the community?3. How much water is it? 4. How many people depend on the water source?5. Who are the key players in the conflict? 6. Why did the water conflict occur, what happened, and

what were the consequences?7. What was the resolution to the conflict?

SS7G6 The student will discuss environmental issues across Southwest

Asia (Middle East).

I. Environmental issues

A. Limited availability and access to water

1. ME is the world’s driest region

2. Water resources cross national boundaries and these countries are often rivals

3. If problem is not resolved the next major conflict in the ME will be over water, not oil

Israel and its Arab neighbors

Fresh water source

� The Sea of Galilee is Israel's main source of fresh water. It is fed by various sources including the Rivers Jordan, Yarmouk and Hasbani, which rises in Lebanon. Rain and melted snow run down from the occupied Golan Heights.

Holy Water

� Some of the River Jordan flows down the Jordan Valley, where it ends in the Dead Sea, but most is diverted into Israel's national water carrier and used for irrigation and drinking water. The river in which Jesus was baptized is a major attraction for Christian pilgrims.

New Fruit

� Some of the kibbutzim (Israeli collective farms) and Jewish settlements in the West Bank conduct water-intensive agriculture such as growing bananas.

Desert Bloom

� Israeli farmers use sophisticated irrigation systems to water their crops.

Thirsty Work

� In the Jordan valley the heat is often punishing for the Palestinians who are the main agricultural workforce on some Israeli-owned farms.

Traditional Methods

� Palestinian farming methods are more traditional, often using un-irrigated land to graze sheep and goats.

Water Carrier

� Many Palestinian farmers and residents continue to use wells for work and drinking water. Some villages remain unconnected with the mains water supply.

Reservoir

� Water conservation is a big issue in Israel and the occupied West Bank. Demand outstrips the supply of fresh water, and it is growing.

Turkey, Iraq, and Syria

I. Environmental Issues (cont’d)

B. Water Pollution

1. Oil spills

2. Agricultural products

3. Raw sewage

Water Pollution in the Euphrates� During the Persian Gulf

War Iraq burned many oil wells for a period of three weeks straight.

� After Saudi Arabian officials put the fires out the oil and water evaporated into the air together.

� This mixture eventually rained back down on the Middle East disrupting ecosystems and spoiling food webs.

� Drinking water was contaminated and fish kills increased tremendously.

Facts:

� The Gulf's oil rigs produce 30,000 to 40,000 barrels a day

� Causes of pollution include seepage from the seabed, cracked equipment, illegal dumping, leaching vessels and accidental spills

� Dams have greatly reduced freshwater inflow that would dilute the pollution

II. Environment affects daily lives

A. Climate is mostly arid with hot, dry summers and cool winters. Some areas have lots of rain while others do not.

B. People have adapted to their climates:

1. Desert- the few who still live in deserts are mainly nomadic herders. Most have moved to cities.

2. Near water – farmers grow crops using the river sources, esp. in the Fertile Crescent (btwn 2 rivers).

3. Mountains – small farms/raise livestock.

4. Countries with deep sea harbors have many people living near those port cities – many employment opps in transportation, shipbuilding, repair, etc.

C. Transportation methods have also adapted to different conditions:

1. Iraq – even/odd license plate system

2. Afghanistan – crowded trucks/buses –women ride separately from men. Also ride camels, donkeys, horses.

3. Turkey – cheap bus system and extensive roads because railway system is old

4. Iran – heavy use of mass transit and paved roads connect all major cities

III. Oil also affects daily lives

A. Many people in the ME live near where oil is found. The oil industry provides JOBS.

B. Oil is distributed unevenly there. The countries that have oil have made phenomenal amounts of $$, but they have also suffered from mismanagement of money and wars.

C. As oil industry becomes more important and grows, the traditional ways of life in that area are disappearing fast.

• How many basic types of economic systems are

there?

• Name the economic systems.

• Which economic system do most textbooks say is

the most common throughout the world?

• How many basic types of economic systems are

there? 3

• Name the economic systems. Traditional,

Command, Market

• Which economic system do most textbooks say is

the most common throughout the world? Mixed.

The GCEE states that mixed is not an economic

system but rather a blending of two different

types of systems.

Understanding Economics ~ Video Questions

1. What is resource?

2. How do scarce resources require making choices?

3. What are some economic choices businesses might have to make?

4. What are examples of the type of economic choices governments have to make?

5. What is barter?

6. Why is money more convenient than barter?

7. In a transaction involving barter or money, which party—the buyer or the seller—expects to be better off?

8. What is a marketplace?

9. How does price affect the quantity of something buyers demand?

10. How does price affect the quantity of something suppliers or sellers are willing to sell?

11. How does advertising affect demand?

12. How do the laws of supply and demand affect the wages and salaries people get for their services?

IV. Economic Systems

B. Pure

Market:Supply and

demand determines what is produced and sold.

A. Pure

Command: government controls

all aspects of

production.

C. Mixed Market:

Falls somewhere between the other two types.

� What to produce?

� How to produce?

� For whom to produce?

Pure

Market

Pure

Command

Iran

45%

Saudi Arabia

64%

Israel

68%

V. Economic Systems of the Middle East

A. Israel

1. Mixed market economy

2. Challenges to economy include national security and immigration

3. In constant conflict and has to spend money on armed forces.

4. Receives much economic aid from U.S.

5. Government is heavily involved in economic planning

6. Most diversified economy in Middle East

B. Saudi Arabia

1. 1932 – entirely traditional

2. Oil discovered – transformed to a command economy

3. Income from oil accounts for over 75% of country’s budget

4. Starting to diversify economy and move to mixed market. SLOWLY.

C. Turkey

1. Since 1980 has been moving towards mixed market.

2. Used to be command. Gov’t still maintains control in many areas (industry, banking, transportation, communication, etc).

3. But private enterprise is growing in agriculture, textiles, manufacturing.

A. Voluntary exchange of goods and services among people and countries

1. Tariff: tax on imports (goods purchased from other

countries)

2. Embargo:Prohibition of commerce and trade with a country in

order to isolate it and put it in a difficult situation.

3. Quota: specific limit placed on the number of imports that

may enter a country

1. Currency – people exchange currency for another’s currency in order to buy things from other countries.

2. Exchange rate – price of one nation’s currency in terms of another nation’s currency.

3. Exchange rates are determined by the forces of SUPPLY AND DEMAND

A. To encourage economic growth and raise the standard of living, there must be an investment

in

HUMAN CAPITAL

(education, training, skills, and health of a nation’s labor force)

and

CAPITAL GOODS

(factories and machines)

B. Economic growth is measured by increases in real GDP (Gross Domestic Product).

A. An entrepreneur is a person who sees an opportunity,

and then organizes and manages a business undertaking,

assuming the risk for the sake of the profit.

"Entrepreneurs are

simply those who

understand that there

is little difference

between obstacle and

opportunity and are

able to turn both to

their advantage."

Victor Kiam

A. Where businesses focus on the

production of a certain kind of product or

services in order to gain higher efficiency

levels.

B. Many countries specialize in producing

the goods and services that are native to

their part of the world.

C. Very few countries can produce enough

goods to be totally self-sufficient so this

increases our ability to trade globally.

A. What is it?

Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries

B. What is its’ purpose?

To work together to regulate the flow of, access to, and

price of oil around the world.

C.Who belongs?

Countries rich in oil.