Unit 2: Alternative Energy and Refugees Flashcards
What were the main elements of Syria’s refugee crisis?
- Protests against the Ba’arth party led to conflict within the region
- approx. 1 million refugees total
- Largest amount fled to Jordan, 420 000 people
- Neighbouring countries are supportive, but contain few job opportunities
- Refugees sneak out at night in groups of 50 - 100
- Method of leaving: on foot or boat
What were the main elements of North Korea’s refugee crisis?
- Refugees fleeing from a communist dictatorship
- Citizens are conscripted into the state army (4th largest in the world), those who refuse are enemies of the state, thus becoming refugees
- Refugees escape to China, Russia, South Korea
- Travel done mostly on foot/by boat, however boats are intensely monitored
- China doesn’t welcome refugees, most countries except S.K. and the US are hostile
What were the main elements of Haiti’s refugee crisis?
Devastating earthquake (mag. 7/10) left 3.5 million people displaced
- 600 000 people left the country
- Dominican Rep. a temporary refuge, due to hospitals over capacity
- US, Canada, and Brazil offering good treatment + medical relief
- Cholera outbreak in 2010, refugees carried to outside countries
- Haiti has a small airport
- Brazil allowed 2000 refugees, Mexico 15,000
- Permanent refugees stay mostly in the US and Canada
What were the main elements of Mali’s refugee crisis?
- Conflict from rebels seeking independence from Northern Mali
- Refugees escape to Mauritania, Niger, and Burkina Faso
- 260,000 fled to South Mali , 75,000 to Mauritania, 50,000 to Niger
- Majority flee on foot, as Mali is landlocked
- Most neighbouring countries are unaccepting b/c of lack of food, jobs
What were the main elements of Sierra Leone’s refugee crisis?
- Civil war led to an outbreak of violence in 1991
- Refugees fled to Guinea and Gambia, typically by buses (often intercepted by rebels)
- Upon arrival, refugees are usually mistreated, beaten, raped b/c Guinea wants to establish control over them
- Faced with high unemployment, poverty, homelessness
- Guinea took in 360k, Gambia 15k, Liberia 120k
What were the main elements of Myanmar’s (Burma’s) refugee crisis?
- Tribes launched a rebellion in 1948 against each other and the state (Ne Win general rose to power) in order to gain independence
- 85k registered refugees taken in by Thailand, 16K unregistered
- Resettlement is usually short-term
- Reports of genocide, inadequate food and water
What were the main elements of Columbia’s refugee crisis?
- Civil conflict from 1964
- Conflict between guerilla groups
- Some leave to Venezuela, yet harassment is reported and there are fears of deportation
- 1200 fled to Panama, 3000 to Venezuela, 12,000 to Costa Rica
- 250K in the US, 56K in Ecuador, 60K to various countries
- Mainly leave by boat, car, or on foot
What were the main elements of Somalia’s refugee crisis?
- Somalia experiencing drought, low food/water availability, political conflict
- Refugees flee to Kenya, Ethiopia, Yemen, etc.
- Leave by car, boat, or on foot
- Refugee camps overcrowded, lacking in food and water supplies
- US and UK viable options for resettlement
- Kenya 520K, Yemen 206K, Ethiopia 187K
What are some positive aspects of Solar Energy?
- Sustainable; sunlight won’t burn out
- No pollution, waste, etc.
- Little maintenance required, doesn’t take up a lot of space
What are some negative aspects of Solar Energy?
- Without sunlight, no solar power absorbed
- Expensive and slow
- Sunlight is dimmed/obstructed in polluted areas
What are some positive aspects of Geothermal Energy?
- Emission free (no CO2)
- Reuses water; no fuel requirement
- Unlimited supply
- Underground, doesn’t use land space
What are some negative aspects of Geothermal Energy?
- High start-up costs
- May cause earthquakes
- Made for small communities
What are some positive aspects of Hydrogen Energy?
- Abundant and emission free
- Can be produced domestically
What are some negative aspects of Hydrogen Energy?
- Hydrogen doesn’t exist by itself; H + O molecules must be separated by fossil fuels
- Requires 2x the energy to produce than it expends
- Lots of space required for storage
What are some positive aspects of Oceanic Power?
- Renewable and emission-free
- Earth is 71% water
- 80% efficiency (beating out solar AND wind)
- Oceans do not become depleted
Protects land from high storm tides
What are some negative aspects of Oceanic Power?
- High start-up and maintenance costs
- Can interrupt animal (fish) migration, cause animal deaths
- Noisy
- Salt water corrodes pipes, giving way to leakouts
What are some positive aspects of Hydro Energy?
- Emission free
- Provides virtually free electricity after start-up costs are paid off
What are some negative aspects of Hydro Energy?
- Large reservoirs needed
- Risk of reservoirs breaking due to rain
- Difficult to find suitable place for reservoirs + turbines
- May cause earthquakes
What are some negative aspects of Hydro Energy?
- Large reservoirs needed
- Risk of reservoirs breaking due to rain
- Difficult to find suitable place for reservoirs + turbines
- May cause earthquakes
What are some positive aspects of Nuclear Energy?
- Already developed + in effect
- Cleaner than most
- Easy to make, little energy required
- Receives many safety checks
What are some negative aspects of Nuclear Power?
- Expensive
- Takes up a lot of space
- Radioactive
- Prone to terrorist attacks
- Heavily reliant on absence of human error
- Uranium is a finite resource and poses health risks to workers
What are some positive aspects of Wind Energy?
- Wind is free
- Inexpensive to run
- 1 wind turbine can power 400 homes
- Reduces greenhouse gases
- Can be placed on land or offshore
What are some negative aspects of Wind Energy?
- Wind is inconsistent
- Typically only produces energy when wind is 10mph - 50mph
- Expensive to start up
- Short life span
- Kills flying birds
- Can be loud
What are some examples of “cheap, abundant energy” according to the DVD “Blind Spot: the danger of our dependence on Oil”?
Coal, oil, fossil fuel.
Explain the term “peak oil”.
The world’s maximum rate of oil production before it begins declining.
Why does an energy crisis become a food crisis subsequently?
Food requires energy to be produced, so as the price of energy goes up, so does the price of food.
Which energy source is considered the “essence of the industrial revolution”?
Fossil fuels.
What is the difference between a finite and a renewable resource?
Finite resources run out.
A decrease in oil production and an increase in population will lead to a ____ in oil prices.
Increase.
Describe ethanol.
Ethanol is a renewable energy source deriving from resources such as corn, sugar cane, and so forth.
What is the QUICKEST but LEAST REALISTIC solution to control oil production?
Shoot up oil prices.
