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ESS not by james > mocks cramming - topic 7 > Flashcards

mocks cramming - topic 7 Flashcards

1
Q

Energy security

A

ability to secure affordable, reliable, efficient energy for needs of a country

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2
Q

Coal +/-

A

pos
+ Cheap to burn
+ plentiful supply

neg
- co2 (non-renewable)
-smog + lung disease

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3
Q

Oil +/-

A

pos
+ high heat of combustion
+ once found = cheap

neg
- oil spill danger
- co2 emitted when burned

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4
Q

natural gas +/-

A

pos
+ cheap
+ cleaner than oil/coal

neg
- Leaks are dangerous
- still not very clean

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5
Q

nuclear fission +/-

A

pos
+ no co2
+ Small mass of radioactive material
produced a lot

neg
- high extraction costs
- reactors are expensive
- really bad if wrong.

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6
Q

hydroelectric +/-

A

pos
+ good safety record
+ creates water reserves

neg
- dams (ecological impacts)
- costly to build + run

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7
Q

biomass +/-

A

pos
+ cheap + readily available
+ if crops replanted: sustainable

neg
- if not replanted: unsustainable
- burned = GHG

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8
Q

solar photovoltaic +/-

A

pos
- can be distributed (green jobs)
- Safe to use
- infinite

neg
- costly maintenance
- needs sunshine

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9
Q

solar photovoltaic - what is it

A

the conversion of light into electricity using photovoltaic cells (solar cells)

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10
Q

wood +/-

A

pos
+ cheap/readily available
+ trees replaced = sustainable

neg
- low heat of combustion
- high transportation costs

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11
Q

concentrated solar +/-

A

pos
+ renewable
+ cost same as fossil stations

neg
- new so still improving

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12
Q

what is concentrated solar

A

using mirrors or lenses to concentrate a large area of sunlight into a receiver. Electricity is generated when the concentrated light is converted to heat

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13
Q

solar passive +/-

A

pos
+ Minimal cost if properly designed

neg
- Needs good architects

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14
Q

passive solar - what is it

A

the use of the sun’s energy for the heating and cooling of living spaces by exposure to the sun.

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15
Q

wind +/-

A

pos
+ Green jobs

neg
- Noise pollution

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16
Q

wave +/-

A

pos
+ Island countries
+ Small operations

neg
- Storms damage them
- Construction is costly

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17
Q

tidal +/-

A

pos
+Ideal for island countries
+Prevent flooding

neg
-Construction is costly
-Impact on wildlife

18
Q

geothermal +/-

A

pos
+ Infinite supply
+ Used successfully in NZ

neg
- expensive to set up
- only volcanic activity areas

19
Q

Ozone in troposphere vs in stratosphere

A

troposphere: GHG
stratosphere: acts as a coolant

20
Q

Climate change adaptation strategies

A

Change land use through planning legislation
- Build to resist flooding
- Change agricultural production (rainwater harvesting, growing diff crops, drought tolerant
crops)
- Managing the weather (planting trees)
- Migrating to other areas
- Managing water supplies (desalination, increasing reservoirs)
- Vaccination against water borne diseases

21
Q

energy efficiency

A

the goal to reduce the amount of energy required to provide products and services

21
Q

climate vs weather

A

Climate: describes how the atmosphere behaves over relatively long periods of time,

Weather: describe the condition in the atmosphere over a short period of time.

22
Q

effects of higher levels of GHGs (basically what is climate change)

A
  • an increase in the mean global temperature
  • increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events
  • the potential for long term changes in climate and weather patters
  • rise in sea level.
23
Q

Human contributions to higher levels of GHGs

A
  • Burning of fossil fuel which release carbon dioxide
  • Deforestation affects earth’s ability to absorb carbon dioxide
  • Agriculture increase the methane level
  • Use of fertilizers lead to higher nitrous oxide
24
Q

natural greenhouse effect vs enhanced greenhouse effect

A

natural: more heat escapes into space
enhanced: more GHGs, less heat escapes into space

25
Q

what do GHGs do

A

absorb infrared radiation, causing global temperatures to be higher than they would otherwise be.

25
Q

potential impacts of climate change (6)

A
  • changes in water availability
  • distribution of biomes and crop growing areas
  • loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services
  • coastal inundation
  • ocean acidification
  • damage to human health
26
Q

positive feedback mechanism associated w climate change

A
  • melting of polar ice lowers albedo
27
Q

Negative feedback mechanism associated w climate change

A
  • increase in carbon dioxide in atmosphere leads to increased plant growth
28
Q

arguments that climate change is natural

A
  • Greenhouse gases can be produce by natural: volcanic activity; release of methane by animals and peat bogs; sunspot activity
  • Earth’s tilt and variation in orbit around the sun leads to seasonal and regional changes in temperatures
  • Ocean currents can lead to warming or cooling
  • Global dimming: the cooling effects of air pollution
29
Q

global dimming

A
  • decline in the amount of sunlight reaching the Earth’s surface.
  • caused by atmospheric particulate matter
30
Q

problems with accuracy of climate model predictions

A
  • Use of incomplete data sets.
  • Use of data measured using different protocols and equipment.
  • Yet unknown tipping points.
  • Difficulty in predicting human behaviour and associated GHG emissions.
  • Differences in interpretation of information from models leading to differing predictions
31
Q

what is climate change mitigation

A
  • basically reducing climate change
  • either by reducing sources of GHGs, or enhancing the “sinks” that accumulate and store them (eg. oceans, forests and soil).
32
Q

what is climate change adaptation

A
  • adapting to life in a changing climate
  • The goal is to reduce our vulnerability to the harmful effects of climate change
33
Q

some mitgation strategies to reduce energy consumption

A
  • Carbon taxes - require emitters to pay a free for every ton of greenhouse gases emitted
  • Carbon trading - countries or companies emitting above the target level can buy carbon storage credits from clean developments or reforesting degraded land in other countries
  • Lifestyle changes - individual actions to reduce climate change (eg choices of transport, energy use and consumer goods and services)
  • fuel efficiency standards for cars/trucks/appliances
34
Q

methods - reduction of emissions of nitrogen oxides and methane from agriculture

A
  • reduce chemical fertilizer use
  • reduce intensive livestock farming
35
Q

carbon capture and storage (CCS)

A

a process by which carbon dioxide from industrial installations is separated before it is released into the atmosphere, then transported to a long-term storage location.

36
Q

example of carbon capture and storage

A
  • CO2 is captured from an LNG facility on an island in the Barents Sea.
  • The captured CO2 is stored in an **offshore subsurface reservoir. **
  • >4 million tons of carbon dioxide have been stored.
37
Q

The estimate for climate lag, the time between the cause (increased greenhouse gas emissions) and the effect (increased temperatures)

A

40 years

38
Q

climate adaptation strategies

A
  • Building design - improved air conditioning and circulation in building in the temperate zone
  • Emerging diseases - monitoring and control of spreading tropical diseases
  • Coastal management - improved sea defenses or managed retreat from low lying coastal areas

ESS not by james (10 decks)

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