carbon case studies

Question 1

what does the USA energy mix look like compared to France

Answer 1

USA-
- MORE ENERGY SECURE - as only imports 15% of its primary energy ( not over reliant)
- ranked second in world for energy consuming countries (does have higher population though)
- over three quarters from fossil fuels
- 10% renewables
- 8% nuclear energy

FRANCE-
- 50% dependent of imported supplies - all natural gas and oil imported as well as uranium for the large nuclear power plants
- 10th in terms of energy consumption
- half of energy comes from fossil fuels
- 40% from nuclear energy

Question 2

what does OPEC stand for an what is it

Answer 2

organisation for petroleum exporting countries
- an NGO enabling cooperation of leading oil producing countries in order to collectiely influence the global market and maximise profits
- 13 member countries that own around two thirds of the worlds oil reserves - Majority LIC’s

Question 3

what are the key member of the OPEC

Answer 3

Saudi Arabia, Iran, Venezuela , Iraq

Question 4

how does OPEC operate

Answer 4

• controls supply of oil to the world market
• therefore influences prices
• if OPEC wants for more money it will decrease supply so it is outweighed by demand and consumers will pay more, generating more profit - slows down constant use of oil , means reserves depleted more slowly - sustainable ?

Question 5

what are some other roles of OPEC

Answer 5

• protects interests of member countries
• limit price fluctuations
• ensure efficient economic and regular supply of oil to consumers

Question 6

what happens to OPECs influence when other countries develop

Answer 6

slightly less influence when non OPEC countries develop as they can use other means of energy

Question 7

Why is Russia important for energy

Answer 7

Russia is the worlds largest producer of gas - supplies a quarter of Europes gas
- 80% of gas transits through Ukraine via 4 major pipelines

Question 8

what is the relationship between Russia and Ukraine

Answer 8

• Ukraine sits between russia and Eu , both geographically and metaphorically
• Russia has become concerned in recent years at the prospect of Ukraine joining the EU and/or NATO- strained political relations between Russia and Western Europe, so Russia would not want Ukraine for formally join a European alliance
• Eastern Ukraine feels more connected to Russia whilst the West is traditionally in support of national identity connected to Ukraine itself
• in 2014 russia invaded the Crimea region of Ukraine and annexed it, declaring it part of russia - although not internationally recognised, and led to sanctions being applied by both the EU and the US

Question 9

How can geopolitical conflict between Ukraine and Russia affect energy security / energy pathways

Answer 9

• Ukraine is in a position to make life difficult for the Russian gas industry , potentially banning flows through the country
• 2009 - pay disputes between Gazprom (russia owned gas company) and Naftogaz (Ukrainian state owned gas company) led Gazprom cutting off all supplies to Europe travelling through Ukraine
• 2014- Russia cut of Ukraines gas after complaining the country had failed to pay off debts to Gazprom
• Russia has tried to bypass Ukraine for gas supplies e.g, via 2 northern pipelines , however the two countries are inextricably linked
• The EU would therefore be wise not to increase reliance on Russian gas due to the significance of the geopolitical situation

Question 10

What are the Canadian tar sands

Answer 10

• some of worlds largest tar sands deposits are found in canada
• today tar sands account for 40% of canadas oil output
• a mixture of sand, water, clay and a type of oil called bitumen.

Question 11

what are the pros of the Canadian tar sands

Answer 11

• provides Canada with relatively secure source of energy, spurring massive economic growth
• produces large profits and provides thousands of jobs

Question 12

what are the cons of the Canadian tar sands

Answer 12

• extraction methods in Alberta are among the most carbon intensive
• destroying breeding grounds and reduction of biodiversity
• industrialisation of vast areas of indigenous territories, forests and wetlands
• reserves are limited, over-dependence becoming issue
• High social and health costs including high levels of cancer and autoimmune diseases , large number of cases of substance abuse , gambling etc
• boom and bust of oil economy makes it unreliable

Question 13

How much gas does US shale gas provide and what is the reason for increased gas production

Answer 13

• provided 25% of USA gas supply in 2015
  -driving factor behind increased production is the growing use of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) , to release oil and gas from underground formations that were otherwise too difficult to drill

Question 14

what are the pros of US shale gas

Answer 14

• Fracking considered the engine in the Us energy revolution , changing energy from scarcity to abundance
• important shale fields found in states of NY , texas and pennsylvania

Question 15

what are the cons of US shale gas

Answer 15

• environmental concerns
• contamination of groundwater with carcinogenic chemicals
• fracking is known to produce airborne pollutants like methane , benzene and sulfur dioxide
• reports of small tremors associated with fracking - limited success in Europe/UK

Question 16

what is Brazilian deepwater oil

Answer 16

-in 2006 tens of billions oil barrels worth of oil fields were discovered far off the coasts of Rio
- this was taken by the energy company Petrobas who aimed to increase production to 4.1 million barrels of oil a day by 2015

Question 17

what are the pros of brazilian deepwater oil

Answer 17

• huge for brazilain economy ( LIC/NEE heavily reliant on agricultural industry currently) , should stimulate economy and create more jobs
• 9th in oil production worldwide today

Question 18

what are the cons of Brazilian deepwater oil

Answer 18

• Petrobas is mired in debt and scandal - viability of oil and selling price under scrutiny
• Bitter disputes within government over sharing of profits and royalties
• concerns over amounts of toxic, flammable and explosive gases could lead to accident similar to deepwater horizon rig in gulf of mexico (big explosion and fire)

Question 19

How is the UK energy mix changing

Answer 19

• undergoing transformation from a large scale fossil fuel dominated energy mix to intermittent renewable generation
• has been shift away from coal but still high level of reliance on oil and natural gas

Question 20

what changes to energy consumption are affecting the UK energy mix

Answer 20

• population today consumes less energy than in 1970 despite population growth of around 6.5 million
• rise of less energy intensive service sector at the expense of industry ( decline in manufacturing due to global shift) has played a key role
• Households now use 12% less energy , industry uses 60% less
• However , this is offset by increase of vehicles on the road and increase in the number of flights

Question 21

what will the UK energy mix likely look like in the future

Answer 21

• likely that UK will be using same amount of energy in 2030 as it does now
• much of petroleum used for transport, most of natural gas used to generate electricity - and this is unlikely to change in the near future
• Late 2020s- likely that new generation of nuclear power stations finish construction and are therefore used for larger proportion of generation
• by 2030 - renewables are expected to be by far the biggest source of energy used in electricity generation , making up about 40% of the overall mix

Question 22

Why did Brazil invest in biofuels

Answer 22

• took action in 1970 to diversify energy sources to combat concerns about energy security
• led to investment in alternative energy sources - initially in HEP and more recently biofuels

Question 23

what are biofuels

Answer 23

• organic matter used as a fuel , especially in power stations for the generation of electricity

Question 24

what is Brazils energy generation from biofuels like today

Answer 24

• 46% of their energy comes from renewable sources
• 90% of passenger vehicles contain flex fuel engines that work using any combination of petrol and sugar cane ethanol
• worlds largest producer of sugar cane
• leading exporter of sugar and ethanol

Question 25

what are the benefits of using biofuels in brazil

Answer 25

• significant reduction in the countrys carbon dioxide emissions
• opportunities for expansions of biofuel industry into global trade
• has created employments in brazil
• improved brazilian energy security by contributing to reduced dependence on externally sourced energy

Question 26

what are the drawbacks of using biofuels in Brazil

Answer 26

• Displacement of other types of agriculture - in particular cattle pasture - creates a need for replacement pastures , which are then deforested in large scale clearance schemes
• deforestation cancels out the reduction in CO2 emissions related to increasing use of ethanol
• monocultures reduces biodiversity

Question 27

Why is the Arctic important in reducing climate change

Answer 27

acts as an early warning system for the rest of the planet , acting as a barometer of the environmental impacts resulting from fossil fuel climate forcing

Question 28

how has climate change affected the Arctic so far

Answer 28

• in past few decades arctic temps have risen twice as fast as global averages - 3-4 degrees in Alaska ans north west Canada

Question 29

why is the arctic so prevalent in the carbon cycle

Answer 29

• arctic is a very important carbon sink , which stores far more carbon than any other region - 5 to 14% of total oceanic stores

Question 30

what are the implications from global warming for the Arctic carbon cycle in the short term

Answer 30

• increase in co2 uptake predicted , but only due to loss of sea ice allowing limited net increase via more phytoplankton in Arctic surface waters
• carbon uptake from terrestrial plants increases due to longer growing seasons , and the slow northward migration of boreal forests

Question 31

what are the implications from global warming for the Arctic carbon cycle in the long term

Answer 31

• net outward flux of carbon expected due to rivers bringing carbon from thawing permafrost stores , and loss of methane hydrate from destabilised sea floor deposits
• increased co2 emissions from tundra soils

Question 32

what are the implications of global warming on the Arctic water cycle

Answer 32

• warm water flowing into the arctic from the pacific and the atlantic leads to shrinkage of sea ice
• melting sea ice leads to run off of fresh cold water which will alter marine ecosystems and the food chains dependent on saline waters , by 2100 this may affect areas outside the arctic ocean
• more cold water funnelled into the oceanic conveyor belt impacting on thermohaline circulation
• rising local temperatures - more moisture , evaporation and therefore changing pattersn of precipitation
• melting sea ice reduces the reflectivity of a surface (albedo) allowing more heat absorption and causing more melting (positive feedback loop)

Question 33

what is the main impact of global warming on both the carbon and water cycles

Answer 33

irreversible feedback for both cycles (sea ice loss)

Question 34

what is the importance of the Amazon rainforest

Answer 34

• global and regional regulator ( stabilises the climate )
• pumps 20 billion metric tonnes of water into the atmosphere daily
• uniform humidity lowers the atmospheric pressure allowing moisture from the atlantic ocean to reach further inland areas without forest cover
• rain bearing winds can transport this moisture south

Question 35

how has changing climate in the Amazon created extreme floods and drought cycles

Answer 35

• cycles have become more extreme (extreme swings between droughts and floods) leading to a point of no return where climate change becomes irreversible
• wetter rainy seasons linked to changes in the ITCZ (human induced due to rising ocean temps, leading to changing onset and duration of floods and droughts)
• rainfall decreases downward of deforested areas due to altered moisture exchange

Question 36

what are the impacts of drought in the amazon

Answer 36

• regional water cycle altered
• water crisis
• degrading areas of the rainforest when drought occurs, land already under stress from deforestation - declining functions and services for ecosystems
• may lose their role as a robust sink of carbon, leading to a significant positive climate feedback and exacerbating warming trends