Carbon Cycle Case Studies Flashcards
Russia- Energy Pathways
Russia gas to Europe
-Russia is world second biggest producer of gas
-most of its gas exports to Europe via 4 pipelines- 3 of which go across Ukraine
-since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014 international sanctions have been in place
Pipelines are controversial as they:
-increase dependence on Russian supplies
-threaten the national security of Baltic countries
-affect supplies to Ukraine
-overlook Russian policy to destabilise Europe
US Shale gas- Unconventional fossil fuels
-in 2015 shale gas provided 25% of US gas supply compared to 1% in 2000
-increase energy security
-environmental concerns= contamination of groundwater by chemicals in pumping fluid
-fracking produces air borne pollutants such as methane and sulphur dioxide
-waste water from fracking sites contaminating rivers
-can cause minor earthquakes
Brazil deep water oil- Unconventional fossil fuels
-drilling started in 2006
-first oil extracted in 2010
-costs were initially high= special fleet of ships were needed for different tasks and was technologically difficult
Impacts:
-diversify Brazils energy mix
-provide better energy security in electricity
-create jobs
-provide economic growth from exports
-attract investment from foreign oil TNCs
-production was estimated at 2.4million barrels a day in 2016
Concerns:
-Petrobras company debt and political corruption
-environmental degradation in Guanabara Bay and local fishing, oil spills and worker safety
Biofuels in Brazil- Alternate energy
-worlds largest producer of ethanol from sugar cane
-most cars and light vehicles in Brazil run on ethanol mixed with petrol
-1.34million direct jobs
-waste from processing sugarcane is used to generate electricity
-9million vehicles run on hydrous ethanol
-sugar cane provides much more energy than is input and reduces greenhouse gases by 90%
Amazonia droughts- Environmental Health
Satellite info shows 2.3million km3 loss of world’s forests
Droughts are expected to become more frequent due to climate change
-severe droughts in 2005, 2010 and 2016
-2005 droughts damaged 30% of the forest
-moisture levels and biomass was reduced
-by 2010 many areas were still vulnerable= 50% of forest affected
Impact
-less C02 was absorbed and trees were weakened by reduced photosynthesis
-wildfires and greater decomposition of dead biomass increased C02 emissions (estimated 13billion tonnes)
-trees provide a sort of food, fuel and income
-provide genetic material important for crop and animal improvement
Artic- Climate change
-will have the greatest increase in temperature of any global location (especially in winter)
Impacts:
-could be ice free by 2037
-reduce amount and duration of snow cover each year + melt ice and permafrost
-melting will increase river discharges earlier in spring=river-ice floods
-artic sea will decline in extent= habitat changes for polar bears and seals
-people in artic may experience more building collapses as permafrost thaws, more flooding and increase wildlife stress may lead to food insecurity
-as Artic disappears likely to e an increase in exploration for oil and natural gas
Different attitudes
Attitudes in different countries, peoples and organisations means that actions to adapt or mitigate climate change vary from place to place
-Mexico= 15 adaptation project working with the World Bank, universities and UNDP= working on putting policies into action but only meeting part of the country’s needs
-Indonesia= 22 adaptation strategies such as ‘Asian Climate Change Resilience Network’ =strong commitment to mitigation but more is needed to address human helath and adpations within forestry
Mangroves- Deforestation
-mangroves grow in saline or brakish water
-mainly occur between 25degrees north to 25degrees south
-sequester 1.5metric tonnes of carbon per hectare per year
-if 2% are lost=carbon release will be 50 times the natural sequestration rate
-thousands of acres being cleared for shrimp farms
-climate change posses a threat to mangroves
Ocean acidification- Climate Change
-oceans have absorbed about 30% of all anthropogenic emissions
-ocean acidity has increased by 26% since 19th century-especially in North Atlantic
-coral reefs buffer shorelines
-provide tourism opportunities
-calcium carbonate may destroy the calcium carbonate that makes up the base of a reef, breaking it up and reducing the rate of reef building
-biodiversity would then be lost due to disruption of food chains
- higher acidity may affect the ability for marine organisms to build shells and skeletons.
Hydrogen fuel cells- Radical technologies
-Toyota developed a car with a fuel cell sack and range of 270miles= went on sale in California 2015
-hydrogen is not found in pure form so has to e separated from other compounds such as water, biomass, ethanol or natural gas= the processes to separate it require large amounts of energy= may emit large quantities of greenhouse gases
Electric cars-Radical Technologies
-3,919 public charging locations in the UK to serve over 60,000 registered electric vehicles
-London had 19.7% of charging points
US- Shale Gas
Canada’s tar sands
State Owned Energy Companies- Energy Players
Coal India Ltd:
-world’s largest coal producer
-80 mining areas
-responsible for 5.9% of world coal production and 80% of India’s
-from 2002 to 2014 productivity increased from 270 to 495 million tonnes
Gazprom:
-created in 1989 out under state control in 2000
-one of the largest producers of natural gas in the world
-Russian company
-Europe is an important customer
-Germany especially= imported 40billion m3 in 2013
-political conflict and terrorism in Ukraine and Turkey has made the pathways vulnerable
-in 2014 Gazprom’s profits declined= party as a result of Eu and US sanctions in protest of Russia military movement in Ukraine
OPEC- Energy Players
-set up in 1960
-12 member countries= Saudi Arabia the most important player
-aims to stabilise global oil prices and reduce environmental damage
-has the power to significantly affect oil prices by increasing or decreasing production
-does this by increasing supplies from some members when supplies when supplies are disrupted from others
-controls over 40% of world oil supply
-oil price has fluctuated a great deal= suggests OPEC doesn’t have complete control world market of oil particularly during recessions
