Answering the inquiry of affects of international financial market, in Russia's case, their economy could experience fluctuations in exchange rates, and lead to weaker currency, which means the inflation rates will jump, as stated in the article.

The U.S has immobilised about 80% of the assets in the Russian banking sector, and the West has blocked several Russian bank's access to international SWIFT payments soon after Moscow invaded Ukraine. On top of this, Western governments have froze around $300 billion of the Russian central bank's reserves.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/washington-pushes-harsher-action-against-banks-with-russia-ties-2023-02-14/

To answer the inquiry question, China has benefited significantly from making masks during the COVID-19 pandemic. With the outbreak of the virus, the demand for masks has skyrocketed globally, and China quickly became the world's largest producer of masks, accounting for about half of the world's production.

The increased demand for masks has led to a surge in exports of medical supplies from China, which has helped boost its economy during the pandemic. In 2020, China's exports of masks and other medical supplies amounted to more than $74 billion, according to the Chinese customs data.

Moreover, the production of masks has provided employment opportunities for millions of workers in China's manufacturing sector, which has helped mitigate the economic impact of the pandemic on the country.

Source: http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2021-01/14/c_139667725.htm

Covid-19 has changed the global political landscape by exposing existing weaknesses in areas including healthcare, social safety nets, and economic inequality. It has also led to a rise in nationalism and populism in many countries, as governments prioritize their own interests over global cooperation/

Source: https://www.asiaglobalonline.hku.hk/asia-global-voices/covid-19-has-changed-global-politics

On the topic of climate change and economic efficiency, environmental degradation poses a great threat to the stability of the world's economy. Heatwaves make labour more difficult, which reduces productivity, and will in turn, hinder GDP per capita for many countries, decreasing economic efficiency.

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In relation to our inquiry question about how economic growth affects the environment, it's my personal thought that it will impact those in a less developed area negatively while those in a developed country will experience the downside of economic growth much less. As the article says, environmental quality is not the same for everyone, and that seems to be pretty accurate in terms of what effects people will face in their environment due to economic growth.

To relate to the inquiry question, I feel that what causes economic success and growth, as the last few paragraphs talk about, is the organization of the country/society/policies. It also relates to all the "rejected" theories mentioned in the article, such as geography, culture, religion, etc. There are certainly geographical, political, social, or even cultural aspects to economic growth, although it's not all there is to it. The success of a country's economy relies on finding the right fit for each country's given resources.

While this theory of "geographical economic inequality" may not work in the global viewpoint, it does when narrowed down to a single country. Known as spatial economic inequality, factors that affect this economic inequality include suburbanization patterns, age and quality of housing stock, school boundaries, land-use regulation, historical housing policies, and more. These different neighbourhood conditions not only create income inequalities, but also helps maintain the wealth gap as the segregated neighbourhoods will make it harder for advantages and resources shared by those wealthier to spill over to those poorer.<br /> Article: https://equitablegrowth.org/geography-of-economic-inequality/

The poverty cycle: trapped in a mental frame that narrows ones view of the world and opportunities. This makes economic choices less rational and cohesive because people less economically fortunate may have the state of mind of "Why try?"

Related Guardian Article https://www.theguardian.com/science/head-quarters/2017/jul/20/the-power-of-framing-its-not-what-you-say-its-how-you-say-it

Perhaps why capitalism has revolutionised and been successful In many parts of the world. Because people are self-regarding and money is a big incentive, turning over ownership and financial opportunities from being all state owned to privately owned would have been a big incentive for people to start “working harder”