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Carbon Case Studies Flashcards

1
Q

What is France’s population?

A

65.2 million

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2
Q

What is France’s energy consumption mix?

A

Fossil fuels- 50%
Renewables- less than 10%
Nuclear energy- 41%

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3
Q

What is the USA’s population?

A

331.2 million

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4
Q

How much more energy does the USA use compared to France?

A

Consumes 10x as much energy as France

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5
Q

What is the USA’s energy mix?

A

Carbon fuels- 82%
Renewables- 11%
Nuclear energy- 8%

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6
Q

What is one reason the USA consumes a lot more energy than France? (Other than population)

A

Country experiences extremes of cold and heat, contradicting these temperatures requires large inputs of energy into heating, lighting and air conditioning.

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7
Q

How much energy does France import?

A

46% of supplies
- This reflects the fact that all of its natural gases and oils are imported.

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8
Q

How much of the USA’s energy is imported?

A

Only 15% of its primary energy
- makes the USA more energy secure

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9
Q

When did the Tar sands in Canada start being exploited on a commercial scale?

A

1967

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10
Q

How much of Canada’s oil output do the car sands produce?

A

40%

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11
Q

What are the social positives of the Canadian Tar sands?

A
  • New jobs (in an area where employment is limited)
  • Offers energy security for Canada and the USA
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12
Q

What are the social negatives of the Canadian Tar sands?

A
  • Atmospheric toxins and increased incidence rates of rare cancers and auto-immune diseases
  • Disruption to traditional ways of life
  • Thousands of extra workers have created a housing crisis
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13
Q

What are the economic positives of Canadian Tar sands?

A
  • By 2030 it could meet 16% of North America’s oil needs
  • Provides an alternative source of oil
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14
Q

What are the economic negatives of the Canadian Tar sands?

A
  • Far more expensive to extract than convectional oil
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15
Q

What are the environmental positives of the Canadian Tar sands?

A
  • Environmental protection means that mining companies are required to reclaim land distributed by extraction.
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16
Q

What are the environmental negatives of the Canadian Tar sands?

A
  • Very energy intensive
  • Takes 2-5 barrels of water to produce one barrel of oil
  • Adds to greenhouse gas emissions
  • Clearance of large areas of taiga
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17
Q

What is the Canadian Tar sands an example of?

A

Unconventional fossil fuels

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18
Q

How much of the USA’s gas supply did the US Shale gas provide in 2000, and in 2015?

A

2000- Provided 1% of the USA’s gas supply
2015- Provided nearly 25% of the USA’s gas supply

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19
Q

What is the increased production in US shale gas due to?

A

Due to growing use of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) to release oil and gas from underground formations that otherwise are too difficult to drill.

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20
Q

Where have the most important shale gas fields been found?

A

New York, Pennsylvania, Texas and West Virginia

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21
Q

What are the environmental concerns of US shale gas?

A
  • Possible contamination of groundwater by chemicals in the pumping fluid and surface subsidence.
  • Fracking is known to produce airborne pollutants such as methane, benzene and sulphur dioxide.
  • Reports of ‘fraccidents’, such as mysterious animal deaths and industrial explosions.
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22
Q

What is the USA shale gas an example of?

A

Unconventional fossil fuels

23
Q

What was found in 2006 and where?

A

Huge oil deposits far off the Brazilian coast- hailed as one of the biggest ever oiled finds.

24
Q

When did the Brazilian deep water oil come on stream?

25
What was Petrobras (the state oil companies) aim for the Brazilian deep water oil?
To raise production to 500,000 barrels of oil a day, by 2020
26
What are the impacts of the Brazilian deep water oil?
- Pollution of the coastal waters - Concerns about the nature of drilling so far offshore. Rigs are beyond helicopter range, and ship access is hazardous due to the prevailing rough seas. - Oil and gas reservoirs contain huge amounts of toxic, flammable and explosive gases- many observers wonder what will happen if there is an accident, like the Deepwater Horizon rig in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010.
27
What is Brazilian deep water oil an example of?
Unconventional fossil fuels
28
What has the UK moved away from using for energy?
The use of direct coal
29
What is the UK still very reliant upon for energy?
Oil and gas- 80% of the UK’s primary energy
30
How does the UK consume less energy today, than we did in 1970?
This is despite a population increase of 6.5 million! Because: - More efficient at producing and using energy - The rise of a less energy intensive service sector
31
How much less energy do households and industries use? (In the UK compared to 1970)
Households use 12% less Industries use 60% less
32
What has the energy savings in the UK been offset by?
Increased number of vehicles on the road and flights
33
What is the UK energy mix an example of?
Various energy sources
34
When did Brazil take action and to do what? (Biofuels in Brazil)
Took action in 1970s to diversify energy sources to combat concerns about its energy security.
35
What did Brazil do? (Biofuels in Brazil)
- Initially invested in hydroelectricity - More recently invested in biofuels
36
What have been the positive impacts for Brazil? (Biofuels in Brazil)
4% of its energy comes from renewable sources 90% of new vehicles sold in Brazil contain flex-flux engines Led to significant reduction in the countries CO2 emissions
37
What is a flex-fuel engine? (Biofuels in Brazil)
An engine that works using a combination of petrol and sugar cane ethanol
38
What are the impacts of Biofuels in Brazil?
- World’s largest producer of sugar cane, and leading exporter of sugar cane and ethanol - This has displaced other types of agriculture, which resulted in large scales deforestation for new areas of land for displaced agriculture. - Deforestation cancels out reduction in CO2 emissions related to the increased use of ethanol
39
What is Biofuels in Brazil an example of?
Impact of climate change on carbon stores
40
What is the Amazon’s job?
Acts as a global regulator, pumping 20 billion metric tonnes of water into the atmosphere daily, which is 3 billion more than the Amazon river discharges into the ocean.
41
What has happen to the Amazon since 1990?
A more extreme cycle of drought and flood has developed, with wetter rainy seasons, liked to shifts in the ITCZ.
42
What has the change in the Amazonia caused to happen?
- Rainfall has appreciably decreased downwind of deforested areas - With São Paulo suffering a water crisis - Serve droughts in 2005, 2010 and 2016 have increased stress already high due to decades of deforestation
43
What does a drier Amazon lead to?
Leads to the forest becoming a newer carbon emitter rather than, at present, a major global store.
44
What year was the Kyoto protocol?
1977
45
What is the Kyoto protocol?
The major international effort to encourage both long-term and short-term climate change mitigation.
46
What was the aim of the Kyoto protocol?
To cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 5% on 1990 levels by 2012.
47
Successes of the Kyoto protocol?
- Started a global approach to tackling anthropogenic climate change. Beginning of the regular UN conferences on climate change ( COP). - Paved the way for new rules on low carbon legalisation, such as the UK’s 2008 Climate Change Act.
48
Did Kyoto meet its aim?
By 2012, emissions were 22.6% lower than the 1990 levels, well beyond the 5% goal. However, 2015 showed a 65% increase above the 1990 levels mainly driven by Indian and China.
49
Failures of the Kyoto protocol?
- Slow ratification. The UK was one of the first but others struggled (Russia) or withdrew (USA, Canada and Japan), fearing economic impacts. - Emission reductions may be because Of other factors, such as cheaper gas replacing coal and a global shift of manufacturing from MEDCs to the ‘global south’.
50
How many countries signed the Paris 2015 agreement?
195 countries
51
What did the Paris agreement set out to do?
- Limit the global average temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels - Strengthen adaptation and resilience in dealing with the impacts of climate change - Support developing countries in reducing emissions and adaptation
52
What is happening in the Artic?
In the last few decades the Artic temperatures have been increasing twice as fast as global averages.
53
What are the impacts of the changes in the Arctic?
- Reduction in sea ice, permafrost and ice sheets. - Increased base flow of rivers, increased evaporation and atmospheric water vapour. - Treeline advancing polewards due to permafrost reduction- positive feedback cycle
54
What are the feedback cycles in the Artic, and how could they change?
Albedo change- Ice reflects more sunlight than water-When water melts, less sunlight is reflected, more is absorbed by the oceans, the ocean warms up and more ice melts again. Permafrost- frozen soil- melts, releases carbon dioxide trapped in it, increases greenhouse effect and global warming, more permafrost melts again.

Geography (16 decks)

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