Energy 3.3B

Question 1

Why would some say nuclear power is environmentally friendly?

Answer 1

Nuclear power produces no emissions (SO2, CO2)

Question 2

Why would others say nuclear power isn’t environmentally friendly?

Answer 2

Argue that due to waste and life cycle emissions it can be harmful to the enivronment

Question 3

What is the social reaction to nuclear power?

Answer 3

Socially nuclear is opposed by some on safety grounds e.g. Fukushima, Chernobyl

Question 4

What is the economic factor of nuclear power?

Answer 4

It is costly to build and to deal with waste and decommissioning

Question 5

Why is coal seen as a ‘dirty’ fuel?

Answer 5

It is seen as a ‘dirty’ fuel as it is generally not very energy efficient per unit of CO2 produced, and it emits gases that can cause acid rain

Question 6

What is a benefit of using coal?

Answer 6

It is a cheap fuel due to its abundance

Question 7

What are the social issues with wind power?

Answer 7

NIMBYISM (not in my backyard), people don’t want to have wind turbines near them and therefore there is a lot of opposition towards them onshore

Question 8

What are the benefits of biofuels?

Answer 8

Biofuels are in theory green and carbon neutral. They are also cheap and can compete with oil

Question 9

What is the IEA’s prediction on oil production?

Answer 9

Oil production will have to increase by about 1.4 million barrels a day to meet growing demand

Question 10

What is the cost of ‘business as usual’?

Answer 10

Business as usual comes with a cost - burning fossil fuels is almost certainly driving climate change. in non-OECD countries CO2 emissions are expected to rise at an average annual rate of 1.9%

Question 11

What did the Stern review estimate about business as usual’s effect on global GDP?

Answer 11

The Stern review estimated that under the ‘business as usual’ model, climate change would cost the world 5-20% of global GDP

Question 12

In the near future, what is the expected annual global economic loss as a results of natural disasters?

Answer 12

$150 billion

Question 13

If temperatures rose as much as 5 degrees what % of global output would be lost?

Answer 13

If temperatures rise as much as 5 degrees, 10% of global output could be lost, with the poorest countries losing more than 10% because they lack the income to pay for coping strategies

Question 14

What is business as usual?

Answer 14

Business as usual is not changing anything, and we keep doing what we’re doing, i.e. we would keep on relying heavily on fossil fuels - oil

Question 15

By 2030 what is the projected CO2 emissions associated with energy use?

Answer 15

57% increase in CO2 emissions

Question 16

2030 projected natural gas usage?

Answer 16

Consumption of natural gas will double by 2030

Question 17

Impact of business as usual on India and China?

Answer 17

As demand from India and China grows, the amount of oil they import by 2030 will be more than the combined imports of USA and Japan today

Question 18

Impact of business as usual on energy supplies?

Answer 18

Supplies of easily accessible oil and natural gas will no longer keep up with demand after 2015, i.e. now, so to close the gap the world will have no choice but to use energy more efficiently and also increase the use of other sources of energy

Question 19

Alternative to business as usual?

Answer 19

Other renewable forms of energy such as solar, HEP, biofuels, tidal, wind and nuclear

Question 20

What is the expected output from nuclear power stations by 2030?

Answer 20

520 gigawatts/year