EQ2: What are the consequences for people and the environment of our increasing demand for energy? Flashcards
What are the four key aspects of energy security?
- Availability
- Accessibility
- Affordability
- Reliability
Why is the importance of energy security vital to the functioning of a country?
It:
- Powers most forms of transport
- Lights settlements
- Is used by some types of commercial agriculture
- Warms or cools homes and powers domestic appliances
- Is vital to modern communications
- Drives most forms of manufacturing
What are the main primary energy sources used to generate electricity?
- Non-renewable fossil fuels, such as coal, oil and natural gas
- Recyclable fuels, such as nuclear energy, general waste and biomass
- Renewable energies, such as water, wind, solar, geothermal and tidal
How is the consumption of energy measured?
- In per capita terms
2. Energy intensity
What are the eight factors affecting per capita energy consumption?
- Physical availability
- Cost
- Standard of living
- Environmental priorities
- Climate
- Public perceptions
- Economic development
- Technology
Why is the USA less dependent on nuclear energy than France?
The USA is much more self-sufficient.
Why is OPEC such a powerful player in the global energy business?
OPEC has twelve member countries which between them own around two-thirds of the world’s oil reserves. Because of this, it is in a position to control the amount of oil and gas entering the global market, as well as the prices of both commodities.
What has OPEC been accused of?
Holding back production in order to drive up oil and gas prices
How can mismatches between the distributions of production and consumption of fossil fuel supply be resolved?
Energy pathways
Why can energy pathways be prone to disruption?
Conventional fossil fuels have to be moved over long distances from sources to markets. For example, Russian gas to Europe, illustrates the risks of transboundary energy pathways.
Why might the Ukraine be in a position of strength?
It could increase its charges for allowing Russian gas to pass through it. It could even stop the gas flows altogether.
Why is the output from the UK’s gas fields in the North Sea declining?
Strained political relations between Russia and Western Europe
Where does the UK obtain most of its gas from?
Qatar
What are the four types of unconventional fuels?
Tar sands, oil shale, shale gas and deepwater oil
Describe the nature of tar sands.
A mixture of clay, sand, water and bitumen (a heavy, viscous oil)
How can tar sands be extracted?
Tar sands have to be mined and then injected with steam to make the tar less viscous so that it can be pumped out
Describe the nature of oil shale.
Oil-bearing rocks that are permeable enough to allow the oil to be pumped out directly
How is oil shale extracted?
Either mined, or shale is ignited so that the light oil fractions can be pumped out
Describe the nature of shale gas.
Natural gas that is trapped in fine-grained sedimentary rocks
How is shale gas extracted?
Fracking: pumping in water and chemicals forces out the gas
Describe the nature of deepwater oil.
Oil and gas is found well offshore at considerable oceanic depths
How is deepwater oil extracted?
Drilling takes place from ocean rigs (Gulf of Mexico and off Brazil)
Why does the exploitation of these unconventional sources have a downside?
- They are all fossil fuels
- Extraction is costly
- They all threaten environmental damage
What will some governments see domestic sources of these fuels as offering?
A higher level of energy security
What must the global drive to reduce carbon dioxide emissions involve?
Decoupling economic growth from dependence on fossil fuels - widening the energy mix
What are the main sources of renewable energy today?
Hydro, wind, solar (mainly via photovoltaic cells) geothermal and tidal
Why does the contribution made by sources of renewable energy to national energy budgets vary from country to country?
Not all countries have coasts, strongly flowing rivers or climates with either long sunshine hours or persistently strong winds. Others factors reinforcing this include:
- The relative costs of using non-renewable and renewable energy sources.
- The harnessing of renewables is not without environmental costs.
- NIBMYISM
What are the downsides of using nuclear energy?
- Risks to do with safety (accidents) and security (terrorism)
- The disposal of radio-active waste with an incredibly long decay life
- The technology involved is complex and therefore its use is only an option for developed countries
- Although the operational costs are low, the costs of constructing and decommissioning power statins are high
In the UK, what has the gap in the energy mix been largely filled by?
An increased use of gas
What are the names of the biofuel crops that are most widely grown?
Wheat, corn, grasses, soybeans and sugar cane
In the UK, what are the names of the two main biofuel crops?
Oilseed rape and sugar beet
What are biofuel crops converted into?
Ethanol or biodiesel
What are the downsides of using biofuels?
Each hectare of farmland used to grow energy crops means a hectare less for growing much-needed food in an increasingly hungry world. Added to this, there is still some uncertainty over how carbon-neutral biofuel crops really are.
Since the 1970s, what steps has Brazil taken?
Since the 1970s, Brazil has taken steps to diversify its energy mix and improve its energy security.
What percentage of Brazil’s energy comes from renewable energy sources?
Less than 5%
What are large areas of central southern Brazil now set aside for?
The cultivation of sugarcane and the subsequent production of ethanol
