EQ2: Impacts of superpowers: global economy, political systems & the environment Typeit

Superpowers a have much bigger impact on the physical environment as a result of a range of factors.  Their populations are often large, which means there is a greater demand for  to support those populations.  Their economies often have a substantial manufacturing base along with intensive use of energy by their populations as a result of a larger proportion of  classes who have the  income to spend on luxury items, especially electronic goods, and have more money available for travel.  This means the  footprint of the average person living in a superpower country is likely to be higher than in other countries.  For example, carbon emissions are the highest per capita in the , which is the world's most powerful superpower.  A predominant reason for such high levels of carbon is the reliance on  for transport.  This country produces lots of oil and gas itself from states such as  and also from offshore reserves in the .  So much of the economy is dependent on oil and gas that governments have not always been keen to agree or sign up to international agreements on climate change such as .   is the largest producer of carbon by total amount so its government has also been reluctant to act.  Superpowers also influence the global agenda through the spreading of cultural ideas and consumer tastes in terms of food, film and music, among others.  This process is often referred to as the  of global culture and is an example of  power.