Chapter1 LO 1-6 Flashcards
(19 cards)
CCEA PPQ
Define fossil fuel
Fuel consisting of the remains of organisms preserved in rocks in the earths crust with high carbon and hydrogen content
CCEA PPQ
Define renewable energy
Form of energy derived from natural sources that do not use up natural resources to harm the environment
Formation of coal and 2 problems with the combustion of coal.
Formation
Dead remains of plants fall and accumulate on the ground. Weight compresses the remains and over hundreds of millions this is further compressed and temperatures increase. Eventually these remains turn into coal to be used by humans
2 problems with combustion
Air and water pollution
Formation of natural gas and crude oil and 2 problems associated with these fossil fuels
Formation
Dead remains of sea organisms settle on the bottom of the ocean. Other remains and sediment gather on top causing increasing pressure. Over hundreds of millions of years pressures and temperatures are sufficient to cause crude oil to be formed. Natural gas is trapped at the top of these crude oil fields
2 problems with natural gas and crude oil
Unsustainable and release harmful gases when burnt and used
State the three fossil fuels used on earth
Coal
Crude oil
Natural gas
What percentage of the worlds energy demands relied on fossil fuels in 1960 vs in 2015
In 1960 around 94% of the worlds energy supply relied on fossil fuels
This dropped to around 80% by 2015
List the four uses of fossil fuels in modern day life
Plastics
Pharmaceutics
Transport
Fibres
Why is global action required to tackle fossil fuel depletion
All countries use fossil fuels. Therefore every country needs to implement change especially major users.
Why do we need to conserve fossil fuels
We need to conserve fossil fuels as they take hundreds of millions of years to form and when we run out there can be no more made.
How many years of each fossil fuel do we have left
Coal - 114
Natural gas - 52.8 (around 50 for exam)
Crude oil - 50.7 (around 50 for exam)
Why may the years remaining of crude oil and natural gas be inaccurate and what role does technology play
Because all crude oil fields which have been found have been counted. However we do not have the technology to access the oil so may never be able to use that oil which would shorten the lifespan of the fossil fuel
How does the price of crude oil affect the lifespan of crude oil
If the prices of crude oil are high people will try to make new technologies to detect and collect more which ill increase the lifespan however if prices of crude oil are low people will have less of an incentive to make new technologies to collect crude oil as they will not make as much of a profit
Name the global scientific panel that publishes data that proves humans are causing climate change and state its abbreviation
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
IPCC
State 7 pieces of evidence that climate change is caused by humans
- Sea temperatures have risen
- Polar ice caps are melting
- Rises in sea level (75% due to thermal expansion, 25% due to ice caps melting)
- Level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased significantly
- Increased hurricane activity
- Fewer cold days, nights and frost events
- Hot days, nights and heatwaves are more common
State an alternative word for human induced
Anthropogenic
What is carbon trading
A method which aims to reduce carbon emissions of a nation, by providing incentives for major polluting industries.
How does carbon trading work
A nation is provided with a certain number of carbon permits based on its national target levels set by the Kyoto Protocol. If you use more than your bar on permits allow you have to buy carbon permits from other countries. This means if you use less that the allocated amount of carbon you can make money by selling carbon permits to other countries however if you use more than the allocated amount of carbon you lose money as you have to buy carbon permits from other countries
Advantages of carbon trading
Environment - This scheme should help the environment as it will reduce the amount of carbon dioxide used
Control - It should give governments control over the level of carbon dioxide used
Financial incentive - Companies are provided with an incentive to reduce polluting processes as they can then generate revenue by selling excess permits
Flexibility - Allows companies to enter a period of transition that suits them and their unique needs
CCEA PPQ
Disadvantages of carbon trading
Complexity of the market - Markets are open to fraud and manipulation
Economy - Businesses may not be willing to get involved if it affects profitability
Size of permits - Countries negotiated these permits based of their stated levels of carbon emissions for 1990. They may have inflated these numbers to get a larger number of carbon permits
Measuring emissions - These measurements are often carried out via desktop assessments. As a result, their validity is questionable
