Resource security revision session Flashcards
What is a reserve?
The part of the resource that is available/viable to extract under existing economic, political and technological conditions.
What is a resource?
Any aspect of the natural environment that can be used to meet human needs - useful (material source of wealth) or necessary.
What is an environmental impact assessment?
Anticipate the likely impacts of a resource extraction on the environment and humans and then modify the project to minimise the negative impacts.
What are the aims of EIA?
assess impacts of/quantifies changing land use on environment;
environmental/economic factors equally important;
enables decision makers with full knowledge of environmental consequences;
suggest modifications/alternatives.
What are the six main stages of an EIA?
1) Outline development
2) Describe existing environment
3) Assess likely impacts- use Leopold Matrix
4) Propose modifications to reduce impacts
5) Publish environmental statement - communicate to planning authority/public
6) Decision made; decide conditions under which the plan can go ahead.
7) Monitoring developments impacts
What is a resource peak?
Point of maximum production rate of a resource before production declines.
Dynamic - changes with economic and technological developments and exploration discovering new reserves.
Often point when resource is cheaper > as supplies decline sellers can increase prices/extraction becomes more expensive as most accessible parts of the resource exhausted.
First used 1950s - Hubbert (bell-shaped curve) for conventional oil; peak oil.
What is a resource frontier?
A place with abundant natural resources exploited for the first time.
Often previously unexplored as geographically remote (Artic) or difficult to access (deep sea mining).
Therefore often natural environments with little human development - source of conflict.
Increasing demand is increasing the economic viability of many resource frontiers.
How does geology affect water supply?
Impermeable rock required for surface water supplies
Permeable rock e.g. Sandstone > formation of aquifers
Some rock types contain salt/minerals that dissolve into water making it unsuitable without treatment
BUT groundwater storage due to geology generally means that water quality is more assured > as filtered when percolating
How does climate affect water supply?
Intense low pressure systems in tropical areas result in large amounts of overland flow rather than infiltration (prolonged rainfall influence)
Requirement of high rainfall and low evaporation - dry climates e.g. SE England average rainfall below 700mm and ⅔ lost to evaporation
Variability of rainfall
How does the drainage system affect water supply?
Large drainage systems can collect greater levels of overland flow/infiltration > increasing river discharge and water supply
How do human factors affect water supply?
Increasing demand > depletion beyond recharge rates > particularly depletion of groundwater supplies e.g. Mexico City where groundwater supplies 73% of water but is being depleted faster than recharged.
Impact on water quality - farming (runoff of pesticides and fertilisers > eutrophication/algal blooms) or industrial runoff
How does geology affect energy supply?
Oil
Oil: Reservoirs found where an impermeable cap rock overlies a permeable reservoir rock to allow build up of oil/natural gas
Formation> hydrocarbons of organic origin on sea bed > sedimentation > kerogen > 110C + forms oil/gas
Accessibility of reserve > large shallow reserves are more accessible and economically viable vs unconventional resources
How does geology affect energy supply?
Coal
Anaerobic decomposition in swamp conditions of organic material > coalification
Quality of coal depends on carbon content: Anthracite 86-98% > Lignite 65-70%
How does climate affect energy supply?
Impact of climate on renewables: Solar sufficient sunlight
Wind: wind speed between 10-80 mph.
HEP: sufficient flow; topography (height/long/narrow/steep sided valley)
Affects the economic availability of resources > e.g. if found under permafrost in Arctic Circle = less accessible reducing economic viability vs warmer climate of Middle East
What human factors affect energy supply?
Technological advances are allowing for increasing economic viability of previously inaccessible resources
Unstable governments > discourage investment from TNCs/reduce ability to drill for oil (Venezuela)
Economic scarcity: difficulty affording significant investment in renewables or unconventional oil
Where is Grasberg mine located?
embagapura, province of Papua, Indonesia.
Near headwaters of Aghawagon-Otomono-Ajkwa river system.
What are the environmental impacts of mine construction/ore extraction?
Land Use
Flooding
Acid rock drainage
pollution
What are the environmental impacts of land Use at Grasberg mine?
approx 1 mile wide > loss of biodiversity
What are the environmental impacts of Flooding at Grasberg mine?
High discharge of tailings into the Ajkwa river > reduce capacity > increasing flood risk.
Waste rock dump in Lake Wanagan > poor stability of dumps can cause fatal landslides
What are the environmental impacts of acid rock drainage at Grasberg mine?
copper deposits contain metal sulphides which when crushed and exposed to air became unstable and form strong acids (PH3) and copper leaching
> kills surround vegetation and enters groundwater supplies > implications for local people and marine fauna.
What are the environmental impacts of pollution at Grasberg mine?
Tailings (sludge left following ore extraction from rock) dumped into the Ajkwa River (approx 700, 000 tonnes per day
Tailings contaminate surrounding land
Bioaccumulation of heavy metals (including copper) as plants grown in tailings store them in tissues affecting food chain.
What are the mine’s distribution networks?
Three pipelines transport slurry containing copper-gold concentrate to Amampare a port town in Papua, Indonesia where it is filtered and shipped to smelters (approx. 63 miles).
Some road networks for distribution of solid material
What are the environmental impacts of the mine’s distribution networks?
Construction of infrastructure - habitat destruction and road construction encourages further deforestation
Transportation of slurry requires concentrate ore to be mixed with water > creation of waste water
Vehicles used for transportation > enhanced greenhouse effect/acid rain
What can be done to reduce the environmental impact of activities?
Restoration plans reduce impact of land take/habitat loss e.g. The Island Copper Mine
Holding lagoons help remove suspended solids before water enters rivers
Drainage using pipes at base of spoil heaps to reduce waterlogging/landslide risks
Where is Prudhoe bay located?
Northern Alaska, coast of Arctic Ocean
What are the environmental impacts of oil production in Prudhoe bay?
Fragile tundra habitats destroyed
Noise pollution from offshore drilling disturbs marine species
Groundwater use -> removing water from lakes casuing them to freeze over in the winter > kills marine life
What are the environmental impacts of oil distribution networks in Prudhoe bay?
Leaking pipe lines -> 2001 270000 litres leaked
Oil spills from ships Exxon Valdez over 50 million
Road transport
- standing water attracts mosquitoes
- dust blown up from roads damages surrounding vegetation
Where is the South-North Water Transfer located?
3 routes diverting water from the Yangtze to the yellow river basin.
What are the environmental impacts of the water supply scheme South-North?
1
Height of Danjiangkou dam raised by 15 meters to increase water storage
- land flooded -> destruction of habitats
Decreased velocity of river downstream,-> increased algal blooms which prevent light from penetrating the surface > river plants die> oxygen shortages in water
Decreased flow downstream on Yangtze due to diversion
- reduced fresh water flow -> intrusion
- Reduction in sediment downstream is accelerating coastal erosion along the Changing River
What are environmental impacts of the water supply scheme South-North
2
Water is transfers through industrial regions> pollution from factories along eastern Route
Will reduce over-abstraction of groundwater in north
Droughts in south- means no water to send to north
Potential for landslides and slope failure induced by the construction of dams for the western route in the Qinghai-Tibet plateau
What is OPEC?
Organisation of Petroleum Exporting countries
13 members which produce 40% of world’s crude oil but control approx 72% of its reserves.
How had OPEC impacted on global energy supply?
1973 oil shock - in response to US support for Isreal during the Yom Kippur war OPEC stopped oil suplly to countries supporting Israel.
Prices rose from $25.97 per barrel to $46.65 (1974)
Give 2 reasons why the effectiveness of OPEC is limited?
members external geopolitics aren’t always united
non OPEC counties have strong impact on the market
Growing development of resources outside of OPEC.
Fall In price due to unconventional sources.
How has the pipeline between Russia and Ukraine affected the politics of the EU?
reliance on Russian gas - ability to influence European politics.
eg. Russian gas monopoly halting supplies to Ukrain and Europe as a whole to encourage political changes
But some power to Ukraine as controls amount of gas that reaches the rest of Europe.
increasing dependence on renewables may reduce dependence on Russian gas
Give three technological development which will help improve sustainability of water supply.
Sand Dams:
Constructed on seasonal rivers to trap water making it available all year round - simple, low cost, low maintenance tech
Electrodialysis:
a less energy intensive method of desalination
Saltwater greenhouse technology:
similar to above: low cost: low energy use: small scale: suitable for use in remote locations
How will economic developments affect water supply and demand:
increasing development and standard of living > increased consumption per person> demand increases
Increased development > more able to afford water efficient tech and infrastructure
Increase in water trade > water shipping, water trade and water diversion
How will environmental changes affect water supply and demand:
Climate change> management strategies need to account for this
need for further integrated catchment management to consider all parts of river catchment
increased water consumption by humans will impact aquatic ecosystem
Give three technological advances which will increase energy supply.
Improvements to renewables
Development of secondary and tertiary oil extraction methods
Development of Ocean thermal energy conversion
Give three economic changes expected to affect energy supplies.
Energy demand to move away from OPEC counties
Energy TNCs have growing importance fro exploration, production and distribution of energy
growing trade of natural gas - LNG and pipelines - Western Europe increasing reliant on Russian suppliers
How might environmental futures impact on energy supply?
Increasing environmental awareness many put put pressure on governments and TnCs to develop and use more environmental friendly energy sources
increasing international agreements to limit fossil fuels usage eg. Paris agreement
Increasing use of measures such as carbon capture and sequestration
How might geopolitics impact on future energy supply?
Increasing influence of TNCs fro the development of resources as monopolies skills
increasing source of conflict
increasing instability and conflict in areas with conventional supplies
increasing political pressure to develop resources in areas of environmental interest
How might technological advances affect mineral ore supplies?
Increasing deep sea exploration
increasing tech advances to improve exploration methods
increasing extraction methods for low grade ores
