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🌄 > Topic 9 > Flashcards

Topic 9 Flashcards

1
Q

What are the 3 categories of energy resources

A
  • renewable - tidal, wind, solar, HEP
  • non - renewable - fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas) through fracking
  • recyclable - nuclear energy, biofuels
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2
Q

What are the positives of wind energy?

A
  • clean so no pollution
  • large offshore wind farms create a lot
  • onshore wind is cheapest energy sources for consumers
  • can still plant things underneath
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3
Q

What are the negatives of wind energy?

A
  • noisy and spoils view
  • offshore wind farms are built away from source so expensive transmission lines
  • turbines blades kill 4 birds/ yr
  • take up a lot of space
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4
Q

What are the positives of solar energy?

A
  • creates many jobs
  • requires little maintenance
  • no noise created
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5
Q

What are the negatives of solar energy?

A
  • solar farms take up land that could be used for growing crops and use surface water to clean panels which can lead to arid areas having water shortages (disrupts ecosystem)
  • manufacturing can be harmful to the environment as panels are made of silicon and other toxic materials (mercury/lead)
  • desert habitats are easily damaged during farm construction
  • heat from mirrors in solar farms can kill wildlife( birds)
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6
Q

What are the advantages of HEP?

A
  • reliable and consistent source of energy
  • power plants production can be easily altered with changing consumption patterns
  • construction mans dams and reservoirs are built and can help with conserving water supplies
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7
Q

What are the negatives of HEP?

A
  • expensive to build and can spoil view of natural landscape
  • displacement of farmland and villages makes room
  • causes change in river flow and impacts wildlife
  • build up of sediment can block sunlight so plants die in rivers
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8
Q

What are the advantages of hydrogen?

A
  • clean and produces no greenhouse gases/ air pollution
  • made from water so doesn’t rely on fuel reserves
  • very efficient
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9
Q

Why are the negatives of hydrogen?

A
  • energy is needed to release the H2 gas so fossil fuels are used
  • difficult to store H2 safely under pressure
  • new technology so may be expensive
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10
Q

What are the positives of biofuels?

A
  • less CO2 emissions are produced and toxins compared with fossil fuels
  • growing demand could make it a cheaper option that fossil fuels
  • carbon neutral and can be manufactured from crop waste, manure and other by products (uses things that would otherwise be wasted)
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11
Q

What are the negatives of biofuels?

A
  • needs lost of water that is needed to grow crops and for homes
  • increases competition for land and for food crops
  • demand for biofuels and shortage of land is causing more deforestation in some countries
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12
Q

What are some of the reasons that energy resonate distributed unevenly?

A
  • geology
  • climate
  • accessibility
  • technology
  • landscape
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13
Q

How does geology affect energy distribution?

A
  • fossil fuels are found in sediment rocks are the main source of energy
  • impermeable rocks have trapped oil and gas in permeable rocks below (countries on plate boundaries may have access to geothermal energy)
  • Middle East has most oil/ gas reserves
  • USA, Russia and China have most coal
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14
Q

How does climate affect energy distribution?

A
  • solar power needs lots of light (Spain can use it more than UK)
  • needs suitable rainfall and relief to install HEP
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15
Q

How does accessibility affect energy distribution?

A
  • permafrost = hard to get fossil fuels or may be I; protected areas (Antarctica)
  • may be in remote areas so expensive to exploit
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16
Q

How does technology affect energy distribution?

A
  • technology is unavailable/ too expensive

- developed countries can exploit more renewable energy (solar/wind) but developing have to rely on fossil fuels

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17
Q

How does landscape affect energy distribution?

A
  • wind turbine are most efficient in areas with a steady and reliable source of wind
  • HEP needs lots of water and steep- sided valleys to use as reservoirs
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18
Q

How does economic development effect global consumption of energy?

A
  • developed countries (USA,Norway and Aus) use more per person as can afford it
  • have access to electricity, heating and energy-extensive devices like cars
  • economic dev. In emerging countries (China) = less per person as can’t afford it
  • less energy available so lifestyle is less dependent on high energy consumption
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19
Q

How does traditional fuel sources effect global consumption of energy?

A
  • rural areas in developing counties use traditional use traditional biomass for domestic/ main energ use
  • South Africa = no direct electricity in many rural areas and urban supply is inconsistent
  • Africa is rich but over 700m people cook over fires
20
Q

How does economic sectors effect global consumption of energy?

A
  • energy use changes with economy and tech
  • manufacturing industry use lots of energy
  • dev countries have primary sector (agriculture) = very little energy use
21
Q

What Impact does mining have on the environment?

A
  • surface mining strips away large areas of soil, rock and vegetation (perm, scars landscape, habitats destroyed (loss of biodiversity)
  • clearing forests so less trees to take up water from soil causing soil erosion
  • carbon dioxide and methane into atm = air pollution and acid rain
22
Q

What Impact does drilling have on the environment?

A
  • land stripped to make way for roads/access to sites
  • oil spills at sea = damage to env. - reduces ability to move for animals (feathers/fur)
  • CH4 into atm
23
Q

Why do nuclear leaks happen?

A
  • happen with nuclear power and acid rain from emissions from power stations and vehicles
24
Q

What affects oil production?

A
  • infrastructure (right equip. And Tech)
  • shrinking reserves (less in North)
  • domestic demand (Saudi Arabia relies on own supply to meet demands)
  • GDP per capita (more energy consumed due to more energy extensive goods, more population, boom in industry, expansion in cities)
25
Q

What affects oil prices?

A
  • conflict = can disrupt oil production and less supply means more price
  • diplomatic relations = more price due to tension between companies
  • recessions = Great Depression - less demand do less price
  • economic booMs - more consumption so more price (and same with wars)
26
Q

What is conventional oil and gas reserves?

A
  • ecologically sensitive areas are being exploited for reserves (artic circles and Amazon rainforest)
27
Q

Economic benefits of exploiting oil and gas reserves:

A
  • reduce money for importing things (Peru and Amazon)
  • countries can make money from exporting energy
  • investment and jobs (Alaska = $4.5m invested and employed 1700 ppl)
28
Q

Costs to the environment of exploiting gas and oil reserves:

A
  • land has to be cleared to make way for pipelines and roads (disrupts fragile ecosystem and loss of biodiversity)
  • exploring offshore oil = marine life as noise and vibrations can confused them (can’t communicate and find food)
  • pollutes air, soil and water by opening up isolated area
29
Q

What are unconventional gas and oil reserves (shale gas and tar sands)

A
  • exploited with more expensive methods so takes longer (hydraulic fracking and needs specialist technology)
30
Q

What are the effects of extracting shale gas?

A

Liquid is pumped into shale rock at high pressure causing rocks to crack and releasing gas which is connections it comes out of the well

  • Chemicals used can pollute the ground and drinking water
  • The land has to be cleared to go to drilling pads for fracking which destroys habitats and disrupts ecosystems
31
Q

What are the effects of extracting tar sands?

A

Tar sands has bitumen which can be refined make oil and extracted by mining and surface my name is used to collect it and chemicals plus water separate bitumen from sands

  • Uses lots of space which devastates habitats and reduces biodiversity as animals have less space to live and find food
  • It creates lots of liquid wasteful of harmful chemicals which can pollute water supplies if not managed properly
32
Q

How can energy be used sustainability

A
  • energy conservation
  • energy efficiency
  • home and transport
33
Q

How can energy be conserved in the home?

A
  • insulation (walls, floors)
  • modern boilers (new boilers are more efficient that old ones so use less energy in homes)
  • solar panels (produce low carbon energy overall)
34
Q

How can energy be conserved using transport?

A
  • hybrid cars, vans and trains combine diesel and electrical power to increase efficiency
  • regenerative braking (store energy lost under braking)
  • engine manufacturers make more cost efficient engines
  • improving public transport and encouraging walking/ cycling and less demand for energy used for transport
35
Q

What are the advantages of reducing use of fossil fuels?

A
  • less carbon footprint
  • diversifying the energy mix (less reliance so more countries are less affected by shortages)
  • improving energy security = means having a reliable, uninterrupted and affordable supply of energy available and therefore energy is still available when fossil fuels runs out
36
Q

What are the two views of energy futures?

A
  • business as usual = don’t increase use of renewable energy
  • move to sustainability = reduce the amount of fossil fuels we use
37
Q

What are the attitudes of consumers towards energy futures?

A
  • want to secure supplies that are not disrupted in the future
  • when fossil fuels run out, energy security will decrease
  • want cheap power
  • many favour business as usual as it gives a cheap, secure energy supply but as fuel runs out (beginning to move towards sustainability)
38
Q

What are the attitudes of TNCs towards energy futures?

A
  • many are involved in refining and extracting fossil fuels and invest a lot of money into the energy sector
  • controlling it gives TNCs wealth and many may lose money
  • sustainable energy needs more investment that fossil fuels so TNCs have higher costs and lower gains (prefer business as usual)
  • TNCs not involved may prefer business as usual as energy is more expensive otherwise
39
Q

What are the attitudes of governments towards energy futures?

A
  • want to secure further energy supplies which are cheap and reliable way of supplying short term energy
  • in developed counties gov is in under pressure from consumers to use sustainable energy
  • fossil fuels helped emerging countries develop so not sure if renewable energy will
40
Q

What are the attitudes of climate scientists towards energy futures?

A
  • they study how human activities are effecting it (IPCC’s climate change scenarios predict a temp change of up to 4C by 2100 under business as usual)
  • want to reduce reliance of fossil fuels to lessen the consequences of climate change (sea levels and more temp)
41
Q

What are the attitudes of environmental groups towards energy futures?

A
  • e.g. green peace
  • want to stop reliance on fossil fuels for energy as extraction sand use damages the environment
  • reduce fossil fuel use and switch to renewable energy source in the line with move to sustainably scenario
42
Q

How are attitudes changing?

A
  • rising affluence = more money so more people can make a choice ab energy use and more money to invest in renewable and transport
  • education = better understanding of consequences and learn to reduce carbon footprint
  • environmental concerns = more ppl worried ab permanent damage to environment (developed = invest in research) but developing = economic development > environmental concern
43
Q

What is carbon footprint?

A
  • measure of greenhouse gases generated by organisation and individual over its lifetime
  • calculated by food, home, lifestyle and travel
44
Q

What is ecological footprint?

A
  • how much land is needed to support an individual’s lifestyle
45
Q

What has the UK done to reduce affects of climate change?

A
  • set carbon budgets to limit amount of greenhouse gases UK can emit
  • uses smart meters and energy efficient measures for business, industry and individual
  • investment in low carbon energy technologies and boosted share of renewables by 2050 (80% less than 1990)
  • public reporting of carbon emissions to allow people to assess their impact on climate change
  • gov in some developing/ emerging have hard choice (need cheap energy for economic growth AND to tackle climate change)

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