ESS Topic 7

Question 1

factors determining energy choices

Answer 1

availability of supply
technological developments
politics
economics
cultural attitudes
sustainability
environmental considerations

Question 2

energy consumption

Answer 2

hydrogen economy
nuclear fusion
non renewable sources

Question 3

difficulties in choosing renewable sources

Answer 3

TNCs (transitional corporations are committed to carbon economy - hard for change
cheaper to produce electricity from fossil fuels
most countries are locked into the resource they use
renewable sources are location dependant

Question 4

weather

Answer 4

daily result of changes of temperature, pressure and precipitation in our atmosphere
varies from place to place
can fluctuate wildly - doesn’t indicate averages are changing

Question 5

climate

Answer 5

average weather pattern over many years for a location on earth
shows long term trends and changes

Question 6

comparison between weather and climate

Answer 6

difference - timescale on which measured
similarity both affected by circulatory systems
- clouds
-forest fires
- volcanic eruptions
- human activities

Question 7

factors influencing climate change

Answer 7

fluctuations in solar insolation affecting temperature
changing proportions of gases in atmosphere released by organisms

Question 8

Enhanced greenhouse effect

Answer 8

increased emissions of GHGs causing an enhanced greenhouse effect causing global warming and climate change

Question 9

Global warming potential

Answer 9

relative measure of how much heat a known mass of GHG traps over a number of years compared to the same mass of carbon dioxide

Question 10

water vapour as GHG

Answer 10

often not included in data
has largest effect in trapping heat energy - most potent GHG
usually not listed because concentration varies constantly condensed to water snow and ice - stops being GHG

Question 11

how does climate change

Answer 11

changed temperatures or rainfall patterns
more severe storms
sheet thinning & thickening
sea level rises

Question 12

5 distinct ways of climate change

Answer 12

direct relationship - follows linearly
buffering action - doesn’t follow linearly
accelerate - responds slowly at first then accelerates
reach a tipping point - climate makes no response but reaches a threshold that changes rapidly
stuck at new equilibrium

Question 13

impacts of climate change

Answer 13

oceans and sea levels
polar ice caps
glaciers
weather patterns
food production
biodiversity and ecosystems
water supplies
human health
national economies

Question 14

impact of ocean and sea levels

Answer 14

water expands as heats up - causing sea levels to rise
if sea levels increase - low lying states could lose land area or disappear completely
oceans absorb CO2 - as they warm they absorb less effectively (affects marine organisms)

Question 15

polar ice caps impact

Answer 15

melting land ice - sea levels
floating ice caps wont cause displacement -glaciers will
melting could open trade routes - travel easier
allow for more exploitation of undersea minerals and fossil fuels
release of methane trapped at bottom of ocean - trigger rapid increase in temperature

Question 16

glaciers impact

Answer 16

continue to decrease in size or melt
loss of glacier ice leads to flooding and landslides
may provide fresh water for people

Question 17

weather patterns impact

Answer 17

weather becomes more violent and sporadic - more energy
global precipitation may increase = more soil erosion and lack of water means more irrigation and salinisation

Question 18

food production impact

Answer 18

crop pests spread to higher latitudes
sea temperatures can kill plankton - key to marine food webs
heatwaves and drought kill livestock

Question 19

biodiversity and ecosystems impact

Answer 19

melting of tundra permafrost releases methane trapped in frozen soils
animals can move to cooler locations but plants can’t
polar species could become extinct
droughts and wildfires could wipe out habitats and species

Question 20

water supplies impact

Answer 20

increased evaporation rates - some rivers and lakes might dry up - populations have to move

Question 21

human health impact

Answer 21

heatwaves kill people
insects spreading diseases increase as cold kills them off
algal blooms may be more common in warmer seas - can kill humans
could also reduce people dying of cold and reduce heating bills

Question 22

national economies impact

Answer 22

some would suffer (water supplies decrease with drought) others gain - exploit mineral reserves

Question 23

negative feedback loops of climate change

Answer 23

increased evaporation in tropical latitudes = increased snowfall on polar ice caps = reduced mean global temperatures

Question 24

positive feedback loops of climate change

Answer 24

increased thawing of permafrost = increase in methane levels = increased mean global temperature

Question 25

3 categories of precautionary strategies to tackle climate change

Answer 25

international commitments
national actions
personal lifestyle changes

Question 26

mitigation climate change strategies

Answer 26

stabilise or reduce GHG emission
- reduction of energy consumption
- reduction of emissions of nitrogen oxides and methane from agriculture
- use of alternatives to fossil fuels

remove carbon dioxide from atmosphere

geo-engineering

Question 27

how to reduce energy consumption

Answer 27

-reduce energy waste by being energy efficient
-reduce overall demand for energy and electricity by being efficient and using less
-adopt carbon taxes and remove fossil fuel subsidy
-set national limits on GHG production and a carbon credit system
-personal carbon credits which can be traded and encourage people to reduce carbon footprints
-change priorities in government and educate to change social attitudes

Question 28

reduction of emissions of nitrous oxides and methane from agriculture

Answer 28

reduce methane production
capture more methane produced from landfill sites
sustainable agriculture

Question 29

use alternatives to fossil fuels

Answer 29

replace high GHG emissions energy sources with low GHG emissions ones

Question 30

remove carbon dioxide from atmosphere

Answer 30

-increase photosynthesis by reforesting and restoring grasslands
-carbon capture and storage - before release into atmosphere
-use more biomass as source of fuel

Question 31

geo-engineering

Answer 31

large scale intervention projects - so far only hypothetical and have ethical questions

Question 32

geo-engineering examples

Answer 32

scatter irons, nitrates or phosphates on oceans to increase algal blooms
release sulphur dioxide from airplanes
send mirrors into space between earth and sun to deflect solar radiation
build with light coloured roofs to increase albedo and reflect more sunlight

Question 33

adaptation strategies

Answer 33

aim to reduce vulnerability of natural and human systems against actual or expected climate change effect

Question 34

adaptive capacity

Answer 34

the technological and economic resources available and will of a country, industry, company or individual essential for successful implementation of effective adaptation strategies

Question 35

examples of adaptation strategies

Answer 35

change land use through planning legislation
build to resist flooding
change agricultural production
manage weather
migrate to other areas
vaccinate against waterbourne diseases
manage water supplies