The economy of all three countries in North America has grown significantly in the first decade since NAFTA has come into effect: the average annual growth in gross domestic product (GDP) from 1994 to 2003 was 3.6% for Canada, 3.3% for the United States and 2.7 for Mexico, despite the severe recession of 1995; from 1996 to 2003, Mexico's growth was 3.7%.
In addition, intra-regional trade in goods doubled in the same period. Mexico, the poorest country in the region according to the World Bank, has benefited significantly from NAFTA, as it has entered into a process of economic convergence with the United States, with a substantial increase in trade (Mexico exports more than all South American countries together) foreign direct investment and growth. Real wages have recovered rapidly from the 2005 crisis, and poverty rates have declined significantly.
Answer: Mining and quarrying can be very destructive to the environment. They have a direct impact on the countryside by leaving pits and heaps of waste material. The extraction processes can also contaminate air and water with sulfur dioxide and other pollutants, putting wildlife and local populations at risk.
