Carbon Flashcards
USA vs France in energy consumption
USA has higher consumption levels
USA has areas which experience extreme heat and cold which requires energy
USA is energy secure as has a wide mix of sources and is self-sufficient
USA - 82% fossil fuels
France - 25% fossil fuels
France relies heavily on nuclear power (70%)
1/2 of France’s primary energy is imported
Russian gas to Europe
Second largest producer of gas
Pipelines cross Ukraine were shut down in the war due to conflict
UK imports 30 million cubic metres of gas a year from Russia
Amazon’s changing climate
Acts as a global regulator
Pumps 30 billion tonnes of water into the atmosphere daily
Holds 17% of terrestrial carbon store
Forest die back
Droughts have degraded much of the rainforest
Canadian tar sands
Produce 40% of Canada’s oil
More expensive to extract than conventional oil
Causes deforestation and loss of habitats
Improved Canada’s energy security
Water intensive process
Environmental concerns of shale gas
Contamination of groundwater
Airborne pollutants
Earthquakes/tremors
Brazilian deep water oil
Discovery of huge deposits off the Brazilian coast
Pollution of coastal waters
Risky drilling far offshore - little access due to rough seas
Drilling 2,000m below the surface of the sea
UK’s energy mix
Shift away from coal
80% oil and natural gas
Demand for conventional fossil fuels is expected to fall by 50% by 2035
China’s energy mix
Still relies heavily on coal and oil
Coal is 60% of China’s energy consumption
Aims for net zero emissions by 2060
Biofuels in Brazil
Took action to diversify energy sources in order to increase energy security
Worlds largest producer of sugar cane
Large scale clearance of tropical rainforests
Deforestation in Madagascar
Expanding population and debt repayments mean the gov encouraged farmers to clear land and grow more cash crops
Lost 2/3 of tropical forest
Arctic
Arctic amplification - warming 2x as fast as global average
Albedo affect - as it melts, reflects less sunlight
Melting permafrost - releases CO2 and CH4
Shrubs and trees begin to establish
Hornsea Project 1
190m high wind turbines off the cost of Yorkshire
Creates 2000 jobs
Hinkley Point C
£18 billion project
Nuclear energy
Provide energy for 60 years
25,000 jobs
OPEC
Organisation for Petroleum Exporting countries
13 member countries
Can control supply and can inflate prices
80% of the world’s known oil reserves
Paris Agreement 2015
195 countries ratified the agreement
Limit temperature rise to 2 degrees above pre-industrial levels
