1.Reliance On Fossil Fuels Flashcards
List four uses of fossil fuels in modern day life
Power/electricity Transport fuel Plastics Pharmaceuticals Fibres
Fossil fuel consumption is increasing worldwide.
State two different manufacturing processes that rely on fossil fuels for their raw materials.
plastics, pharmaceuticals, fibres.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has concluded that the combustion of fossil fuels, and subsequent increase in global carbon emissions, is linked to global warming and climate change.
Describe three different pieces of scientific evidence that link the combustion of fossil fuels to global warming and climate change.
- Levels of carbon dioxide have increased markedly.
- There are fewer cold days, nights and frost events.
- Hot days, nights and heat waves are more common.
- There is an increase in ocean temperature.
- There are increases in drought and heavy precipitation events.
- There is an increase in hurricane activity.
Outline one advantage and one disadvantage of carbon trading as a viable option for reducing global carbon emissions.
Advantages
Carbon trading should result in less carbon entering the air so
reducing the greenhouse effect.
• Carbon trading should provide a government control of the carbon
emitted by its industries.
• Organisations which have earned unused credits can sell them.
Disadvantages
• The market can be open to fraud and manipulation.
• Some businesses could be unwilling to get involved in the trade, as
they do not want to incur costs that will reduce profit margins.
• Credit limits available in a country may be too high to produce a
significant decrease in harmful emissions.
• The measurement of carbon emissions is very difficult.
Explain with the aid of an example the following terms
Fossil fuel
Renewable energy source
Fossil fuel is a fuel consisting of the remains of organisms preserved in rocks in the earths crust with high carbon and hydrogen content
Or
Fuel which is used to generate electricity by combustion
Renewable energy source is a form of energy derived from nature sources that don’t use up natural resources to harm the environment
Or
Use of a wind turbine to produce electricity
Explain why global action on conservation of fossil fuels and climate change is needed.
Conservation is triggered by realisation that the world’s non renewable resources are diminishing and that countries are using fossil fuels at a faster rate especially in emerging economies e.g. China, India [1]. Climate change has been linked to increasing use of fossil fuels [1]. Global action is needed because the impact of excessive resource use affects the whole world
State two pieces of evidence presented by the global scientific community linking the combustion of fossil fuels with global warming and climate change?
Weather patterns-floods, increased storms, famines Sea temperature rises Ecology changes Polar ice caps melting Rise in sea levels
Carbon trading has been put forward as a method of monitoring and reducing global carbon emissions. Describe two issues surrounding the use of carbon trading.
.Complexity of the Market
. Difficulties surrounding governance of the market. Carbon markets are open to fraud and manipulation
. Economic cost of trading carbon credits
. Difficulties in setting the size of credits/credit time for countries
. Difficulties surrounding measurement of emissions
In 2015 delegates from more than 190 countries gathered in Paris to agree
a new global pact on climate change aimed at altering greenhouse gas
emissions. Many countries ratified the Paris agreement in 2016.
(a) Explain why countries will have to reduce their use of coal-fired
electricity generators in order to alter their greenhouse gas emissions.
Burning coal to produce electricity releases carbon dioxide gas which
is a greenhouse gas [1]. It is implicated in causing global warming and
climate change. To reduce greenhouse gas emissions, countries will
have to burn less fossil fuel.
Describe two ways in which the global use of fossil fuels impacts on
the environment.
Any two points from the following:
• Habitat degradation [1] caused by e.g. rising sea levels, desertification
and polar icecaps melting. Plants and animals cannot adapt to the new
environment and do not survive in it. [1]
• Impact on biodiversity; [1] loss of species results in less food for other
species so there is a knock-on effect on biodiversity. [1]
• Air quality reduction; [1] combustion of fossil fuels produces sulfur
dioxide and nitrogen oxides which form acid rain. Combustion also
produces soot particulates which cause breathing difficulties. [1]
• Land and water contamination; [1] disturbing the geology of a region to
extract fossil fuels leads to water becoming contaminated with e.g.
toxic metals. This water is not safe to drink. Land contamination can
come from the process of extraction and also disposal of the waste from
fossil fuels after combustion. [1]
Carbon trading is a policy used to alter greenhouse gas emissions.
(i) Explain what is meant by carbon trading and outline three aspects of how it works in practice.
A carbon trade is an exchange of carbon credits between
countries. [1]
• Countries are assigned maximum carbon emission levels. [1]
• If a country exceeds its maximum level it is penalised. [1]
• Countries that have higher carbon emissions can buy the right to release more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere from countries that have lower carbon emissions.
State one reason why carbon trading policy may not alter
greenhouse gas emissions.
Any one from: The market is open to fraud. [1] Businesses may not participate. [1] Credit limits may be too high. [1] It is difficult to measure emissions. [1]
