EQ2 Unconventional Fossil Fuels - CARBON

Question 1

Unconventional fossil fuels

Answer 1

• money/ expensive
• exploration
• transportation
• higher risk

Question 2

3 examples of unconventional fossil fuels are

Answer 2

1. Tar sands
2. Deep water oil
3. Shale gas ( fracking)

Question 3

What are Tar sands ?

Answer 3

• Tar sands are reservoirs of bitumen which is a heavy crude oil
• found in Alberta ( Canada)- wilderness, surrounding tiger forest + indigenous ppl who rely on environment, as much oil as Saudi underneath
• Found in Orinoco ( Venezuela ) heavy oil belt

Global demands increases due to
- industrialisation
- consumer fuel
- aviation ( aircraft )

Question 4

What are the benefits of Tar sands

Answer 4

• helped redistribute populations
• wider economic benefits in the economy
• £138,000 workers relying on tar sands for employment in 2022
• Alberta had 1.7 trillion barrels of bitumen oil
• more tar sands oil reserves than conventional oil
  Energy security for Canada and vezueda
• Alberta - 3rd larges oil deposit in the world after Venezuela

Question 5

What are the costs of Tar sands

Answer 5

• very damaging
• mostly bitumen - sticky
• defrorestation occurs to access tar sands to seperate tree but biodiversity is lower, they then eject steam to separate tree, it is a very energy intensive process
• leaves contaminated ponds/ indigenous ppls plan
• the pollutions from mining activities harms the wildlife and primary food source such as reindeer and fish
• cost of extraction now outweighs the profit made per barrel
• reliance on tar sands delay the inevitable

Question 6

LIst facts of the Tar sands CASE STUDY

Answer 6

• Athabasca oil sands located in Canada
• 19% of US supply of Canada imports
• 250,000 barrels of crude oil produced on a daily basis
• 200,00 tonnes of water used daily to treat bitumen
• deforestation
• only 20% of Alberta’s oil sands are recoverable
• oil leaks led to to death of 500 ducks and fish ducks and mutation of fish species which affect indigenous source of food

Question 7

What is fracking

Answer 7

• pump water into rocks to cause it to fracture and release gas
• cause tremors
• contaminated water
• potential of methane leaking

Question 8

What is the benefits of fracking FIX

Answer 8

• creates jobs
• ## reduce reliance on gas imports from countries such as russia

Question 9

What is the cost of fracking

Answer 9

• France banned fracking
• US used between 1.5 - 9.7 million gallons o water per well
• poorly mantained or regulate fracking sites could lead to contaminated water supplies
• releases methane/ potant
• increase seismic activity
• carbon intensive
• Fossil fuel

Question 10

What is the Fracking CASE STDUY FIX

Answer 10

• frack off pressure group
• fracking on national parks and scenery, such as the Avon- ….. habitats which is rich in ecology
• 1300 trillion cubic feet of gas in northern England
• liz truss lifted suspension of drilling

Question 11

What is deep water drilling

Answer 11

• onshore / offshore/ deep water
• weather conditions affect accessibility
• expensive
• Deep wellbore ( like pipe)
• deeper is greater than 300m
• due to demand in oil

Question 12

What are costs of deep water oil

Answer 12

• Explosions
• environmental damage in unavoidable
• expensive than onshore
• quite harmful
• setting up causes biosphere damage
• toxic chemicals released into water
• seismic waves trigggered by drilling
• wildlife may die

Question 13

What are the benefits of deep water drilling

Answer 13

• provide enrgy secure and inspect for countries
• improvements and advancement in technology means that drilling now involves less risk
• high paying, skilled jobs are created

Question 14

What is the deep water drilling CASE STUDY

Answer 14

• Deep water horizon
• in the Gulf of Mexico
• cap which went into the ground
• millions of gallons of water leaked
• lost 5 millions barrels of oil
• leaking in April 2010 and continued till September
• 100,000 turtles killed
• they made mistakes as they wanted to complete drilling quicker