Energy, Water and the Environment Flashcards
Why are we now using more renewable and nuclear energy?
Concern for environment, prices of fossil fuels and they’re finite, improvement of renewable tech, stability of nuclear development
What are advantages and disadvantages of coal?
Ad: Tech to generate electricity exists, energy from it can be increased or decreased to demand
Dis: Finite, harder to extract, danger of mining, greenhouse gases, expensive to transport
What are advantages and disadvantages of oil?
Ad: Tech to generate electricity exists and to extract better, energy from it can be increased or decreased to demand
Dis: Finite, located in unstable countries, pollution when spilt, expensive to refine, price, greenhouse gases
What are advantages and disadvantages of gas?
Ad: Tech to generate electricity exists, energy from it can be increased or decreased to demand, produces less greenhouse gas when burnt, compressible
Dis: Finite, located in unstable countries, leaks and explosions
What are advantages and disadvantages of solar energy?
Ad: Infinite, generate elec and heat water, clean, can be on anyone’s house
Dis: Expensive, absence of sun, night, store surplus energy is hard, demand of it
What are advantages and disadvantages of wind energy?
Ad: Clean, infinite, local scale, can be far away
Dis: Visual and noise pollution, unreliability of wind, expensive, hard to store surplus energy
What are advantages and disadvantages of tidal energy?
Ad: infinite, ideal for islands, clean
Dis: Block shipping routes, interfere with animals, expensive, damaged by storms
What are advantages and disadvantages of wave energy?
Ad: Clean, infinite, ideal for islands
Dis: Block shipping routes, strength of waves varies, damaged by storms
What are advantages and disadvantages of HEP?
Ad: Clean, infinite, dam can prevent flooding, store of water
Dis: Limited number of suitible rivers, resettlement, flood large areas, aquatic animals
What are advantages and disadvantages of biofuel energy?
Ad: Renewable, cheap
Dis: Releases greenhouse gases, deforestation needed, if crops used -> Inflation of the price
What are advantages and disadvantages of geothermal energy?
Ad: Infinite, clean, generate electricity, not dependent of weather
Dis: Not every country has potential, expensive, drilling potentially harmful,
What are advantages of nuclear energy?
Plentiful supply of uranium, low amount of greenhouse gases released, reduces dependency of other natural resources, safely stored underground
What are disadvantages of nuclear energy?
Blow up, could be terrorist targets, nuclear weapons, waste expensive to transport, cancer, half life of uranium, mining for it is dangerous and polluting
What are disadvantages of using fuelwood for energy?
Deforestation, biodiversity loss, desertification, soil erosion, animals in woods, fire
What is increasing the demand for water?
More people, houses, agriculture, industry and energy production
Why is there a falling supply of water?
Climate change, pollution and sewage, mismanagement
What problems are caused by water shortages and pollution?
Drought, crop failure, livestock deaths, famine, conflict over water, disease, eutrophication,
What are some solutions to water shortages and pollution?
Irrigation projects, dams, water metering, wells, sewage treatment, conservation and education
What are some ways the UK are trying to save water?
Water meters, reducing leakage, reservoirs, sewage treatment
What are some problems caused by global warming?
Rising sea levels, flooding, desertification, loss of industry, flash floods, tropical storms, famines
What are solutions to global warming?
Renewable energy, hybrid cars, recycling, reforestaion, carbon sequestration
What are some adaptions to global warming?
More sea defences, improved meteorology, disease treatment, resettlement
What are some advantages of global warming?
Improved arctic navigation, access to new resources, increased agricultural land, reduce in cold deaths, more freshwater, reduced central heating use
