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ESS > Unit 7 > Flashcards

Unit 7 Flashcards

1
Q

fossil fuels

A

contribute to the majority of human energy supply and these vary widely in the impacts of their production and their emissions and their use is expected to increase to meet global energy demand

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2
Q

what are some sources of energy with lower carbon dioxide emissions than fossil fuels ?

A

renewable energy
nuclear power

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3
Q

renewable energy

A

solar, biomass, hydropower, wind, wave , tidal and geothermal

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4
Q

nuclear power

A

is a low-carbon low emission non-renewable resource but is controversial due to radioactive waste and potential scale of any accident

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5
Q

what does energy security depend on?

A

on adequate, reliable and affordable supply of energy that provides a degree of independence. an inequitable availability and uneven distributions of energy sources may lead to conflict.

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6
Q

what may energy choices adopted by a society be influenced by?

A

by availability, sustainability, scientific and technological developments, cultural attitudes and political, economic and environmental factors. these in turn affect energy security and independence.

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7
Q

what can limit growth in energy demand and contribute to energy security?

A

improvements in energy efficiencies and energy conservation

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8
Q

energy security

A

the ability to secure affordable, reliable and sufficient energy supplies for the needs of a particular country

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9
Q

example of energy security choices

A

after break up of USSR, Russia exported gas to Ukraine at below market prices. some 80% of Russian gas flows through Ukraine to EU destinations. In 2006, Russia cut off gas supplies to Ukraine as they had not paid off their debts and were using gas intended for the rest of the EU. the dispute continued until 2010 when an agreement was signed.

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10
Q

what are fossil fuels?

A
  • stored energy
  • non renewable sources of enrgy that are compressed, decomposed, remains of organic life from millions of years ago.
  • now humans extract and burn them to release that energy
  • combustion of fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide that was locked up by photosynthesis when they were formed
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11
Q

estimation of when fossil fuels will run out

A

coal : 230 years
gas : 170 years
oil : 100 years

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12
Q

proportions of oil reserves

A

two thirds middle east
most of the rest in russia, and more is being found in the US

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13
Q

why is investment in research on making renewable energy sources more efficient smaller compared to research finding more oil or gas?

A

–> TNCs and heavy industry are committed to the carbon economy - all machines are made to run on fossil fuels and the scale of change is hard to imagine
–> it is cheaper to produce electricity from fossil fuel burning than from most renewable resources at the moment (ignoring the environmental cost)
- countries are locked into the resource that they currently use - by trade agreements or convenience
–> all renewable sources are location dependant: - wave or tidal power are not possible for land locked countries
- solar energy requires a sunny climate for maximum efficiency
- wind power has a range of wind speeds within which it can operate effectively

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14
Q

proportion of greenhouse effect that carbon dioxide is responsible for

A

two thirds

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15
Q

countries producing the most carbon emissions

A

US and China

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16
Q

climate

A

describes how the atmosphere behaves over relatively long periods of time

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17
Q

weather

A

describes the conditions in the atmosphere over a short period of time

18
Q

what are the climate and weather affected by

A

ocean and atmospheric circulatory systems

19
Q

human activities are increasing levels of greenhouse gasses (co2, methane) in the atmosphere, which leads to:

A
  • an increase in the mean global temperature
  • increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events
  • the potential for long-term change in climate and weather patterns
  • rise in sea level
20
Q

the potential impacts of climate change may vary from one location to another and may be perceived as either adverse of beneficial. what may these impacts include?

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
21
Q

factors influencing climate change

A
  • fluctuations in solar insolation affecting temperature
  • changing proportion of gasses in the atmosphere released by organisms
22
Q

alongside ocean and atmospheric circulatory systems, the weather and climate are also affected by:

A
  • clouds (may trap heat underneath or reflect sunlight away)
  • forest fires (release carbon dioxide)
  • volcanic eruptions (release huge quantities of ash which by circulating in the atmosphere cool the Earth)
  • human activities (we burn fossil fuels and keep livestock, both of which release GHG’s)
23
Q

alongside ocean and atmospheric circulatory systems, the weather and climate are also affected by:

A
  • clouds (may trap heat underneath or reflect sunlight away)
  • forest fires (release carbon dioxide)
  • volcanic eruptions (release huge quantities of ash which by circulating in the atmosphere cool the Earth)
  • human activities (we burn fossil fuels and keep livestock, both of which release GHG’s)
24
Q

anthropogenic activities

A

activities of humans

25
Q

impact of climate change on oceans and sea levels

A
  • sea levels are rising as water expands as it heats up and ice melting on land slips into the sea water increasing it’s volume
  • an increase between 1.5 and 4.5°C could mean a sea level rise of between 15-95 cm
  • this could end up affecting up to 40 nations : low-lying states would lose area such as Bangladesh, Maldives and the Netherland whereas nations such as Tuvalu could disappear completely
  • oceans absorbing carbon dioxide makes them acidic and affects marine ecosystems
26
Q

impact of climate change on polar ice caps

A

melting of land ice in Antartica and Greenland will cause sea levels to rise as it flows into the oceans

27
Q

impact of climate change on glaciers

A
  • decrease in size, some melting completely
  • loss of glacier ice leads to flooding and landslides
  • glacier summer melt provides a fresh water source to ppl living below, although is causing significant drought problems in Tanzania where the Kilimanjaro glacier has lost over 80% of its volume
28
Q

impact of climate change on weather patterns

A

more that means more energy in the climate so weather will be more violent and sporadic with bigger storms and more severe droughts
global precipitation may be increase by up to 15%, causing more soil erosion and lack of water will cause more irrigation and consequent salinisation

29
Q

impact of climate change on food production

A
  • warmer temperatures should increase the rate of biochemical reactions so photosynthesis should increase
  • respiration should increase too so there may be no increase in NPP
  • heatwaves and drought kill livestock
  • a small increase in temperature can kill plankton, the basis of many marine food webs
30
Q

impact of climate change on biodiversity and ecosystems

A
  • melting of the tundra permafrost would also release methane which is trapped in the frozen soils
  • animals will migrate and in some cases go extinct due to the destruction of their natural habitat
31
Q

impact of climate change on water supplies

A
  • increase in evaporation rates may cause some rivers and lakes to dry up
  • without a water supply, populations will have to migrate
32
Q

impact of climate change on human health

A
  • heatwaves killed many ppl in 2006
  • insect disease vectors will spread more easily as less cold winters means they will not be killed off
  • malaria, yellow fever and dengue fever could spread to higher latitudes
33
Q

impact of climate change on human migration

A
  • if ppl cannot grow food or source water, they will migrate to places where they can
  • global migration of millions of environmental refugees
  • estimation of 150 million refugees from climate change by 2050
34
Q

impact of climate change on national economies

A
  • some would suffer if water supplies decrease or drought occurs, while others would gain as it would be easier to exploit mineral resources that would have been frozen in the permafrost or under ice sheets
35
Q

mitigation

A

involves reduction and/or stabilisation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and their removal from the atmosphere

36
Q

mitigation strategies to reduce GHGs in general should include

A
  • reduction of energy consumption
  • reduction of emissions of oxides of nitrogen and methane from agriculture
  • use of alternatives to fossil fuels
  • ## geo engineering
37
Q

mitigation strategies for carbon dioxide removal include

A
  • protecting and enhancing carbon sinks through land management
  • using biomass as fuel source
  • using carbon capture and storage (CCS)
  • enhancing carbo dioxide absorption by the oceans through either fertilisation of oceans with N/P/Fe to encourage the biological pump , or increasing upwellings to release nutrients to the surface
38
Q

adaptation strategies can be used to reduce adverse effects and maximise any positive effects; give examples of adaptations

A

flood defences, vaccination programmes, desalinisation plants and planting of crops in previously unsuitable climates

39
Q

adaptive capacity

A

adaptive capacity varies from place to place and can be dependant on on financial and technological resources. MEDCs can also provide technological and economical support to LEDCs

40
Q

different organizations adressing mitigation and adaptation strategies for climate change

A

IPCC, NaPa, UNFCCC etc

ESS (8 decks)

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