Carbo cycle and Energy insecurity case studies Flashcards
Impact on energy insecurity (2)
Yamal-Europe Gas Pipeline starts in Russia and passes through Belarus and Poland to Germany
Russia is the largest natural gas supplier to Europe
Gazprom runs along Baltic Sea bed, during winter storms 2013- UK left with 6 hours of gas due to pipelines damaged
Piracy on Ships- Strait of Malacca, ships seized for hostage payments
Biofuels in Brazil
Biggest producer of ethanol from sugar cane for petrol
930k barrels a day, 1.34m people employed, $50b a year, 16% Brazil’s energy
-ves- deforestation as sugar canes grow best in unforested areas
social unrest as sugar canes take over land- not enough crop growth, migration to cities
Canadian Tar Sands (3)
70% Canadian oil is transported to USA- meeting 16% North America’s oil needs by 2030
Produces 40% canada’s outputs
biggest reserves in Venezuela and Canada
USA’s Fracking (2)
USA is the leading producer and exporter of Shale Gas
In 2015, shale gas provided 25% of the USA’s gas supply
Brazil’s deep water oil
Huge oil deposits were discovered off the coast of Brazil in 2006
Energy mix in UK (8)
1970 91% of energy came from oil and coal
North Sea gas meant that by 1980 22% UK’s energy gas
Nuclear power increased during the 1990s
decline in reserves of oil and gas= UK is reliant on imported fossil fuels
All coal-fired power stations closed, last in sept 2024
Production of oil and gas declining since 2000
Increasing significance of renewables- 50% electricity production in 2025
USA vs France energy use comparison
USA (2nd) vs France (10th)- world’s top ten largest energy consumers
Total energy consumption- France is 243 mtoe, USA at 2,224 mtoe
The USA has a significantly higher population of 334 million, 65.6 million living in France
The size of the USA= country experiencing extremes of heat and cold= lots of energy (for heating and lighting)
Energy mix-USA 10% renewable energy and 8% nuclear
France has 10% renewables and 41% nuclear
Amazonian Droughts (4)
Since 1990, a more extreme cycle of drought and flood in Amazonia linked to shifts in ITCZ
Decreased rainfall downwind of deforested areas- São Paulo suffering a water crisis
The Amazon rainforest now being hugely impacted by droughts in 2005 and 2010
17% world’s terrestrial vegetation carbon is held in Amazon Basin
Arctic- future uncertainty (5)
temperatures risen 2x the global average
loss of sea ice; the North-west Passage is now open to summer navigation
Permafrost melting
carbon uptake by terrestrial plants is increasing- lengthening growing season
Albedo effect- a loss of albedo- ice that once covered surface gives way to tundra
Sunlight that was previously reflected back into space by white surface is increasingly absorbed by the darkening land surface- encouraging further climate warming.
