As trade links with the former Soviet world collapsed, most of these giant firms collapsed. Starting almost from an economic “point zero,” Latvian entrepreneurs have built a new and modern economy, based on new and efficient technologies.
拉脱维亚的例子最为尖锐。脱离苏联独立以后，共产主义时期的巨型工业实体只留下了一些残余。随着与前苏联的贸易联系崩溃，这些大公司也大多垮台了。拉脱维亚的企业家们几乎从经济“零点”起步，以高效的新技术为基础，建立起新的现代化经济。因此，拉脱维亚的人均温室气体排放量为欧盟最低。