Energy Security 3 Flashcards
Give 5 causes of growing competition between countries for energy supplies
- Population growth
- Increasing energy demand, social development + rising incomes
- Increased globalisation increases demand for transport movement of goods which relies on energy
- Declining reserves of fossil fuels
- Imbalance between patterns of energy supply and consumption
Energy demand to grow by…% by 2040
30%
Give 5 consequences of growing competition between countries for energy supplies
Environmental implications - increased CO2 in short term
Greater investment in domestic and alternative energy supplies (US shale oil allows them to become self-sufficient)
Geopolitical tensions/conflicts over supplies (Russia pipeline)
Improvements in energy transfers
New resource frontiers explored
7 of the world’s ten largest TNC’s are in the………sector
Energy
TNC’s are key players in the process of exploration, production and……….of energy supplies
Trade
Why are governments of lower income countries becoming less reliant on TNC investment
Seek a greater share of revenues form domestic reserves and are extending the role of state-owned companies
When was the Deepwater Horizon explosion
2010 in the Gulf of Mexico
5 month spill
Give the 5 activities BP does in order of manufacture
Exploration (finding oil + gas)
Developing and extracting oil + gas
Transporting and trading (pipelines/tankers)
Manufacturing and processing
Marketing fuels/products
Define vertical integration
Where one company owns/controls multiple stages in the production and distribution chain
Which processes fall under upstream
Exploration
Developing/extracting
Which processes fall under downstream
Transporting/trading
Manufacturing/processing
Marketing
How much of Louisiana’s shoreline was affected
510km
Give 4 areas of the environment Deepwater oil spill impacted
Barrier islands
Continental shelf + shallow waters
Open ocean
Deepwater
How did the oil spill impact Barrier islands (3)
Put a whole generation of brown pelicans at risk as spill occurred during mating season
5 of the world’s seven species of turtle live in the Gulf of Mexico and their eggs may suffer from chemical exposure - decreasing survival rates
Decrease in sunlight exposure to coral reefs - less photosynthesis - less oxygenated water
How did the oil spill impact Continental shelf and shallow waters (4)
Underwater oil plumes can affect coral reefs + sea grass beds which are home to a range of invertebrates
Shark eggs and young sharks (sand tiger shark) which spawn and use the sea’s grass beds as nurseries are at risk
Brown shrimps are especially vunerable to contamination due to their thin shells and exposed legs/eyes
Blue crabs - oil can coat their gills and cause respiratory problems
How did the oil spill impact the open ocean (3)
Jellyfish have no means of avoiding the oil as they drift in ocean currents. If they become covered, species that feed on them (turtles + sperm whales) will angst the oil
Blue fish tuna have declined to less than 20% their original 1970 population
Blocks light in the twighlight zone, preventing photosynthesis - less plankton - impacting whale sharks
How did the oil spill generally affect the Ocean
Over 400 animal species in the Gulf of Mexico were threatened by the spill
Area affected by the spill includes 1,200 fish species, 200 birds, 4 sea turtles and 30 marine mamals
By November 2010, 6,800 dead animals had been reported
Oil can harm fish directly + microbes used to consume the oil result in depleted oxygen levels - marine cosytem could take decades to recover
Despite the Deepwater spill being the largest in history, how was the impact mitigated slightly and less than other spills
Warmer water (increased bacterial activity)
Oil leaked deep underwater, rather than directly onshore
