Fossil fuels - 19th and 20th centuries Flashcards
How much of the world’s primary energy was created by fossil fuels in 2015, and how does this compare to 1990
2015: 86%
1990: 90%
Between what period did America’s GDP double
1880-1900
Give 3 peculiarities that shaped countries industrialisation patterns
French emphasis on water power, America’s and Russia’s longlasting reliance on wood, and Japan’s tradition of meticulous craftsmanship
What was total fossil fuel consumption in 1950, and what was it in 2000
1950: 2 billion tons
2000: 8 billion tons
When was the age of coal
1800-1914
When was the age of oil and gas
1880-present
When was the first Earth Day held, and how many participated
22 April 1970
estimated 20 million
In 2000 how many Americans were a member of an environmental organisation?
14 million
When did Nixon sign the National Environmental Policy Act and what did it do
1 January 1970
Required federal agencies to conduct environmental impact assessments before embarking on development projects
Name 3 anti-smoke organisations in America
Anti-Smoke League in Baltimore (1905), Smoke Abatement League in Cincinnati (1906), Society for the Prevention of Smoke in Chicago (1892)
What was the argument for smoke
Smoke = prosperity
What was the Great Smog of London
Coal led to a smog killing 4,000 people in the fog of December 4- 10, 1952.
What was the result of the Great Smog
Clean Air Act of 1956, which sharply regulated domestic coal smoke. This helped London switch to gas and electric heat
How did soot inhalation in Glasgow change between 1950 and 1990
In 1950, Glaswegians inhaled 2 pounds of soot each year, by 1990 Glasgow had reduced smoke, soot, and sulfur dioxide pollution by 70 to 95 percent
When was oil widely adopted in place of coal and why
1910 but especially after 1950- mainly due to price reasons due to US and Middle Eastern oil + infrastructure improvements
How did the USSR and China affect fossil fuel use
Both were major polluters who focused on heavy industry with little to no consideration of the environment. Encapsulated by Mao’s Mao’s “Man must conquer Nature” slogan
Why did people care more about the environment in the late 1900’s
Shift to 5 day a week working meant people wanted to enjoy their leisure time, often in nature which led to increased awareness of conservation
How did the proportion of Germans who took vacation trips of a week or more rise between 1957 and 1972
1957: 36%
1972: 53%
How much of the world’s energy is provided by nuclear energy
10%
How much of France’s energy is nuclear
70%
What were the primary drivers of anti-smoke campiagns
Cleanliness and property interests (not health)
How much did the total number of cars in the United States increase between 1916 and 1939
1916: 1.5 million
1939: 31 million
When was the Federal Highway Act and what did it do
1956
Authorised federal funding to build 66,000km intercity road network
How much did intercity travel in the US increase between 1949 and 1969
771.5 billion passenger-kilometers in 1949 to 1.8 trillion in 1969
What were the indirect impacts of automobile growth
Significant impact in countries outside of US and western Europe due to the need for materials e.g. rubber
Suburbanisation in the US
Huge increase in emissions
How does oil compare to coal
Per kilogram, oil contains twice as much energy as coal and is much easier to transport, store, and process
In 2000 what was the world’s energy mix
liquid fuels (mainly oil) generated approximately 39 percent of the world’s energy, compared with 22 percent for coal and 22 percent for natural gas; the three fossil fuels together produced over 80 percent of the world’s energy
When was the Saudi Gwhar oil field discovered
1948
What was the 1970s oil crisis
Oil prices jumped from $2.59 a barrel in January 1973 to $11.65 a barrel in January 1974 (up to 35$ a barrel in 1980)
What is the outlook on oil running out
Unlikely, new technologies and discoveries allow continued extraction of oil albeit at an often greatly increased cost with worse efficiency
E.g.Alberta tar sands produce 5-15% more c02 than conventional oil drilling
How have carbon emissions risen in 1900-2000-2011
0.6 billion tons a year in 1900 (of which almost none was from petroleum) to 7.2 billion tons in 2000 and to 9 billion tons in 2011 (around 40 percent from petroleum)
How have technological advances helped the automobile industry reduce emissions
Have they actually reduced emissions
Technical advances reduced the amount of pollutants that each car produced by 60 to 80 percent between the 1960s and the 1990s
Positive benefits of pollution control have been far less than had been hoped, because they were almost cancelled out by the ever-increasing number of vehicles
How large was the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill
Lasted for eighty-eight days and spewed 4.9 million barrels
What % of electricity production is currently renewable
26%
