Final Exam Prep (Class 23-31)

Question 1

avg annual energy

Answer 1

late-Palaeolithic foragers = 5 GJ/person, 2019: 80 GJ/cap

Question 2

Pre paris baseline, STEPS, APS, NZE

Answer 2

Pre-paris baseline = where we’re headed b4 the paris agreement, STEPS = predictions w/ gov policies that already exist, APS = aspirational targets announced by gov, NZE = necessary to achieve 1.5 degree stabilization + access to sustainable energy universally  TLDR: decarbonization (decline in fossil fuel usage) is necessary

Question 3

% of energy production in fossil fuels

Answer 3

80% of all energy production is still from fossil fuels  2/3 of increased energy demand is met by fossil fuels

Question 4

BC Energy production

Answer 4

electricity in BC: 80% Peace + Columbia, 4% Van island, 10% coast region

Question 5

BC Hydro

Answer 5

BC Hydro: crown corp  mix between gov org and business (owned by gov)  built after private corps failed to build large dams in 1960s

Question 6

environmental justice + example

Answer 6

social movement/concept concerned w/ distribution of environmental benefits and burdens + access to resources, decision making processes and policy outcomes for diff social groups

> enviro justice example: e.g. wealthy areas – more green spaces + better nutrition options, poorer areas = pollution + hazardous waste + worse nutrition options

Question 7

sacrifice zones

Answer 7

places/people whose wellbeing are permanently impaired as a result of extractive/polluting activities + profit accrues elsewhere for others  part of larger pattern of extractivism

Question 8

energy sacrifice zones

Answer 8

areas that bear disproportionate burdens of energy development in terms of health + enviro impacts to serve larger demands for energy (sacrifice few for more)

Question 9

green energy sacrifice zones

Answer 9

same as energy sacrifice zones but for more environmentally friendly energy

Question 10

view on dams + why they came back

Answer 10

process points, cornerstones for development after WWII

 thought to be a sunset sector but was brought back due to climate change

Question 11

Tsay Keh Dene territory and negotiations on Bennett Dam

Answer 11

: unceded, ongoing negotiations  Bennett dam was viewed as centerpiece and necessary for industrial development of the province as well as green energy  Premier at the time had a vision for the kind of people he saw that would be supported by the dam, modernist visions flattened/simplified the place and people that lived there into megawatt hours and flows of energy, capital and power

Question 12

What does NorthEastern BC tell us

Answer 12

LNG req. renewable energy for its operations, so old and new energy are layering on one another, not replacing

Question 13

idea of “resources”

Answer 13

idea of resources is a colonial construction that creates colonialscapes that displace indigenous ways of life

> > history of Canada is that Indigenous have always stood in the between resources and profit

> > idea of resources made it so indigenous were essentially living on the best lands, waters and sources of mineral wealth

Question 14

What does the idea of resources tell us about Indigenous energy transition vs global north and privileged energy transition

Answer 14

> > energy transitions are restrained (for indigenous) or made possible (for global North) through past relations forged through colonialism, which is still ongoing (environmental racism, uneven benefits/costs, etc.)

Question 15

Navajo nation example

Answer 15

Navajo nation: excavation + blasting + smoke have ruined/killed vegetation in the area  everyone was able to gain jobs but they develop health problems  were forced to buy the mine after the company who owned it wanted to shut it down b/c their livelihoods were tied to it  Black mesa = opened for mining but required so much water for the coal slurry that the river dried up

Question 16

environmental racism

Answer 16

practices/policies/laws through which the environmental burdens and benefits are unequally distributed  disproportionate effects on racialized and indigenous peoples

Question 17

green colonialism

Answer 17

if renewable projects remain in the same structural ways of thinking as fossil fuels, it stands to continue the imperial and racialized problems that come with fossil fuels  similar inequalities created by fossil fuels will be recreated with green energies

Question 18

Salar de Uyuni salt flats

Answer 18

worlds largest deposit of lithium, mayor believes it will everyone will benefit – local economy gets share of profits + say in development of projects = very little local opposition, the opposition came from other areas of Bolivia where people thought it was a bad idea  widespread demonstrations against it
»local doubts: germans don’t have the tech or finances for 70 yr contract, involving foreign companies is political, requires lots of water

Question 19

Atacama Desert (Chile)

Answer 19

found in brine just below Andes region, surface water scarce but the brine is pumped and dried to slag
»local residents oppose this operation b/c depleting local reservoirs + rivers running low, some completely dry due to climate change but mostly mining = locals can’t grow crops, threatens ecosystems (flamingos), land belongs to indigenous, SQM (company) not taking locals concerns seriously

Question 20

Lithium mining in argentina

Answer 20

lithium mining contaminates the water, the mining poses threat to the tourism in the area  Clemente Flores: water supply concerns, building of new facilities already, locals ignored, ruination of local ecosystem

Question 21

extraction

Answer 21

removal of matter from nature and transformation into things useful to humans (not inherently damaging, but often is)

> > w/o extractivism: locally controlled, conditions are balanced, smaller scale development, benefits flow more equally
not inherently against extraction, but want to change the terms upon which extraction takes place
deeply tied up in geopolitics  gove shapes markets of supply and demand

Question 22

extractivism

Answer 22

mode of accumulation based on hyper-extraction with lopsided benefits/costs  benefits accumulate far from sites of production where the costs are burdened on few

Question 23

green extractivism

Answer 23

similar patterns of lopsided cost/benefit but for “green” or transition project (dams, solar, etc.)

Question 24

racialized

Answer 24

> racialized: reflects that races are socially constructed hierarchies, not essential to skin colour

> > hierarchies are distinctions that are not made but socially constructed as part of power relations

Question 25

structural racism

Answer 25

normalization and legitimization of an array of dynamics that routine advantage whites whilst produce adverse and chronic effects for people of colour (and other marginalized groups)

Question 26

reasons for declining PT in America

Answer 26

> > reasons: neglected in favour if private automobiles  geographies are not designed for non-automotive means due to policies promoting private automobiles, ride-hailing services get a lot of the blame, but realistically they only flourish because of the decades of planning that have idealized private transportation and with them they bring an elite taxi
service that has successfully evaded regulations, suppressed wages to record low, and put all costs on the drivers
»ride-share apps: no guarantee they will stick around  only care about profit, not the service
>act as justifications towards more privatized transportation spending whilst worsening ridership leads to even more cuts (stemming from lack of gov failure to fund and prioritize PT in a way that fulfills the 7 rider demands)
» takes you: where, when, good time use, good money use, respects the person thru good safety, comfort and amenities, trustable, freedom of choice to change plans

Question 27

Problem with current gov funded transit

Answer 27

gov funded transit problems: large projects are preferred due to the size and distance they cover without considering the quality of service or actual functionality  ironic b/c improvements to PT can be simple & affordable

Question 28

critical minerals

Answer 28

critical minerals: important for some economic/military application and subject to supply disruptions or concentrations (e.g. only comes from a few places, places are politically risky, concentration  certain actors gain more power)
»terminology reflects power relations and reproduces/reflects hegemonic viewpoints

Question 29

offshoring

Answer 29

transfer of manufacturing and jobs overseas to save costs

Question 30

onshoring

Answer 30

gov bringing extraction/manufacturing back inside borders (due to critical minerals)

Question 31

friendshoring

Answer 31

using policies to encourage companies to source materials/manufacturing from countries viewed as allies

Question 32

Reasons for increased onshoring/friendshoring

Answer 32

> reasons for increased onshoring/friendshoring:  prevent less likeminded countries from leveraging foothold in critical markets + insulate supply chain from external disruptions or economic coercion (e.g. US EV subsidies 40% mat from US/friends)

Question 33

Worst way to organize an energy transition

Answer 33

worst way to organize an energy transition: change as little as possible (fuel source change from fossil to electric)  slowest (decarbonizing sector by sector slow), most resource intensive (everyone needs an EV car), negative ecological impacts (where to get the critical minerals)

Question 34

Why NA transit sucks (Kirsten Pulles)

Answer 34

built for cars, infrequent visits, privatization of transport

Question 35

What are the ideas that Kirsten is trying to bring about?

Answer 35

transit advocacy  free fares and more awareness, cultural shift from transit as business to service

Question 36

Benefits of PV

Answer 36

displace dirtiest forms of energy production, cleaner air, more climate friendly, can be produced close to communities w/o harming them

Question 37

sources of PV waste

Answer 37

mechanical issues/breakage (low %), discards from manufacturing

Question 38

issue with location of PVs

Answer 38

rural areas w/ largest farms have disposal challenges due to remoteness and lack of infrastructure

PVs req inputs subject to price volatility, most of PV glass cannot be recycled due to impurities

Question 39

Why we need to recycle PVs

Answer 39

why we need to recycle: ensure rare materials are recovered for reuse

Question 40

Concerns about PVs

Answer 40

> concerns about PV end-life: may end up in global e-waste trade (e-waste exports)  contain toxic chemicals which could classify it as universal waste (req. state developed mgmt programs)  strong + enforced enviro health and worker protections for recycling to minimize toxic exposure + human rights violations

Question 41

EPR + EPR in Canada for PVs

Answer 41

EPR: extended producer responsibility  “polluter pays” framework to ensure the products are safely disposed or recycled = collection scheme to ensure money available for collect and recycle  ideally binding
»public policy initative = producer responsible for entire lifecycle, producer responsibility for production, distribution and disposal  e.g. PV cycle in EU
>PV & EPR in Canada: no dedicated PV recycling facility or incentives for sustainable production  PV waste not part of any Canadian EPR programs  only option = export outside