carbon cycle and energy security enq 3 Flashcards
define mitigation in terms of carbon
attempting to stop or reduce greenhouse gas emissions requiring action to be taken now or very soon
define adaptation in terms of carbon
attempting to live with the issues associated with the impacts on the carbon cycle. This is a long term strategy and it assumes that impacts will be gradual and therefore there will be time to adapt
three examples of mitigation
stop using fossil fuels and use nuclear
carbon capture and storage
energy efficient infrastructure e.g. light bulbs
carbon taxation
Paris 2015 agreement
three examples of adaption
migration
seawalls
land use planning
change of planting of crops
what are the 5 forms of radical energy
hydrogen fuel cells
electric vehicles
ccs
nuclear fusion
nano technology
explain hydrogen fuel cells and pros and cons
- could replace gas and petrol if harnessed
- its only by product is water
- much more efficient than petrol and diesel
however
- process requires large amounts of energy
- an energy carrier not a primary source - can be dangerous/ explosive
example of hydrogen fuel cells
Toyota released a model with a range of 270 miles which started selling in 2015
explain electric vehicles pros and cons
- shorter distance
- infrastructure is needed to develop charging points
- uses Rare Earth Essentials - lithium batteries
- releases fossil fuels in construction
example of electric vehicles
Tesla 300,000 orders of electric vehicles
explain CCS
- capturing and burying co2 to avoid it entering atmosphere
- needs to be liquefied and transported once caught and buried in geological formations or deep underground saline aquifers
three examples of CCS
- orca project Iceland - Direct Air Capture
- 1996 schliepner project storing carbon 3 metres below sea level in north sea
- small scale northern Germany - 12MW plant
IPCC comment on ccs NEGATIVE
- it could extend the usage of fossil fuels as people will think they can limitlessly store it
- concerned with leakage into water sources and the impact this could have on human health
nucelar fusion pros and cons
- clean no GHGs or radioactivity
- long way from reality
- china and Germany committed huge amount of money to research
example and explanation of a micro hep scheme
churchbeck coniston provides 300kw energy for 120 homes
1/26 micro hep schemes in lakes
these schemes can work anywhere where there is a head of water
IMPORTANT what 8 ways can energy pathways be disrupted PPPPTTND
- natural disasters
- price and payment disputes
- piracy
- terrorism/ conflict closing choke points
- political discord between supplier and consumer
- diversion of supply
- technical interruption to production
- producer supply runs out
what three unstable countries are close to some energy chokepoints
iran
yemen
somalia
why are chokepoints important
they are narrow channels along widely used global sea routes and are a critical part of global energy security due to high volumes of oil traded through the straits
what percentage of gas reserves does Russia and Middle East hold
russia - 25%
Middle East - 40%
what are the four main energy chokepoints
- strait of hormuz
- strait of Malacca
- Suez Canal, SUMED pipeline
- bab el mandeb
straits of hormuz
20 million barrels per day
narrowest point 21 miles wide
us navy patrols area of strategic importance
iran has threatened to disrupt oil traffic through the strait
strait of Malacca
16 million barrels per day
links the Indian and pacific oceans main route for oil from Middle East to reach Asian markets
1.7 miles wide - natural bottleneck with potential for collisions and oil spills
Suez Canal and sumed pipeline
9% worlds daily seaborne oil
main route from Middle East to Europe
was blocked for almost a week in 2021 due to grounded ship = global energy impacts
bab el mandeb
links meditarrean and Indian Ocean
most oil that must pass through sumed/ Suez Canal must past through here first = multiple;e obstacles
close proximity to unstable state of Yemen
why are these 4 chokepoints so signficant
as an outrage at any of the se locations has the potential to force steep oil price increase with the effects magnified by the size and duration of the energy outage
what are the 6 things energy disruption could lead to
- soaring energy costs and rising energy poverty
- pressure on politicians to act
- civil disruption
- rising costs for industry, job losses and recession
- diplomatic conflict
- unsounded decisions leading to rapid development of alternative sources
where are the three main energy hotspots for conflict and why
- the artic - Canada, Russia, usa and eu are beginning to exploit the artic for oil and gas without clear territorial markings
- Middle East vs usa - Syrian tension building
- Ukraine v russia - war, Gazprom issue
what are the human threats to both carbon and hydrological cycles
- development = increased demand for resources and food
- land use changes
- planet is beyond its capacity to satisfy the human demand for services
why is it difficult to calculate the human threat to carbon and water cycle
- we get more affluent
- demand more
- technology reduces this demand
- consumer behaviour can significantly differ between countries
when is earth overshoot day predicted and what is it
- June 2030 if we continue business as usual
- if we reduce by carbon emissions by 30% = September 2030
it is the day we go into overdraft of the worlds resources
case study droughts in Amazonia
- 2005 mega drought followed by another 5 years later
- 96% global deforestation occurs in tropical regions
- 70 million hectare of mature forest in Amazonia was damaged
what are the four main threats to forests with examples
- the expansion of agricultural land e.g. Brazil
- infrastructure development e.g. Mozambique
- mining and fires e.g. california
- illegal logging - Amazonia
how much logging occurs in the subtropics driven by the conversion of primary forested land into agricultural land and plantations
70-80%
what are 3 reasons why damage to the environment increases as countries develop
- resource exploitaiotn
- technologies that cause pollution
- weak governance
what does the environmental Kuznets curve highlight
that as per capita per income increases environment worsens however after the turning point and as per capita increases the environment improves with introduction of resource mangagement below the ecological threshold
how much forest cover did the uk used to have compared to now
used to be 72% now 13%
example of afforestation
since 1981 in Chinese law every school student above 11 had to paint at least one tree a year
what are the 6 main impacts of deforestation
- water cycle
- soil erosion
- photosynthesis
- carbon cycle
- humans
- ecosystems
case study - changes in the artic water cycle ipcc
- the artic will be the largest global temperature increase
- permafrost will thaw and will increase river discharge - significant impact as 14% of all co2 is stored in permafrost
- the artic sea will be ice free by 2037
forest loss ratio of planting and loss
2.5:1 - being lost quicker than being planted
impact of forest fires in Amazonia social impacts
2005 Amazonia drought saw hospitalisations increase up to 180% due to respiratory problems and 2015 drought saw 260% rise in under 5’s
importance and complexity of feedback mechanisms
- human population growth, lands and energy use add greater complexity
- if emissions suddenly stopped some would take centuries for the earth to be rebalanced
- 20% OF CO2 WOULD REMAIN FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS
what were the 7 things the ippc identified would cause a tipping point ADDALC
- Atlantic thermohaline circulation collapse
- dieback of tropical rainforest
- dieback of boreal forests
- artic ocean ice free in summer
- long term droughts
- collapse of monsoon climate circulation
what are 5 mitigation strategies that can rebalance the carbon cycle
- carbon taxation
- renewable switching
- energy efficiency in supply
- afforestation
- CCS
what could carbon taxation include domestically
congestion tolls
vehicle tax
less tax on energy efficient cars
tax fuel
example of afforestation
3500ha of trees have been planted on degraded on grassland improving soil structure and taking pressure of the atmospheric store
this alone will remove 170,000 tonnes of co2 per year
what three countries produce almost no renewable energy
Kuwait, saudi arabia, uae
