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GCU171 Thread of Energy > Final > Flashcards

Final Flashcards

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1
Q

What is “access to energy” considered in human rights discussions?

A

A basic human right, crucial for development, health, and well-being

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2
Q

What are acid streams?

A

Waterways contaminated by acidic runoff, often from mining.

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3
Q

What is acid precipitation?

A

Rain or snow that contains acidic components (like sulfuric or nitric acid), harming ecosystems.

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4
Q

How can the problem of power plant wastes be addressed?

A

Through waste management, emission controls, carbon capture, and renewable energy alternatives.

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5
Q

What is bio-amplification of hazards?

A

The increasing concentration of toxic substances in organisms higher up the food chain.

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6
Q

What is black lung disease?

A

A respiratory disease in coal miners caused by long-term inhalation of coal dust.

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7
Q

What is meant by “the business of energy”?

A

The commercial aspects, economics, and politics are involved in energy production and distribution.

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8
Q

What is a carbon footprint?

A

The total greenhouse gas emissions caused directly or indirectly by an individual or organization.

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9
Q

What is CCS (carbon capture and storage)?

A

A technology that captures CO2 emissions from sources like power plants and stores them underground.

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10
Q

What is the issue with carbon dioxide from developing countries?

A

Rising emissions due to industrialization, despite
a lower historical responsibility for climate change.

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11
Q

What were the impacts of the Chernobyl accident?

A

Massive radioactive release, health problems, environmental damage, and long-term displacement.

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12
Q

What is the difference between chronic and acute toxicity?

A

Chronic toxicity results from long-term exposure; acute toxicity from a single, high-level exposure.

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13
Q

What is climate change, and what are its causes, dangers, and solutions?

A

Long-term global temperature rise due to GHGs, causing sea level rise, extreme weather; solutions include renewables, carbon taxes.

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14
Q

What happened at coal ash disposal sites like Watts Bar?

A

Failures caused toxic spills into the environment.

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15
Q

What does “coming full circle” from solar and back to solar mean?

A

Humanity originally relied on solar energy (e.g., photosynthesis, biomass) and is now returning to it via solar power.

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16
Q

What hazards are associated with cookstoves?

A

Indoor air pollution, respiratory issues, and risks to personal security.

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17
Q

What was Deepwater Horizon?

A

A 2010 offshore drilling rig explosion causing a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

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18
Q

What is the doubling rate?

A

The time it takes for a quantity (e.g., population) to double in size at a constant growth rate.

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19
Q

Who are downwinders?

A

People living downwind of nuclear test sites, often exposed to radiation

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20
Q

What is EMF?

A

Electromagnetic field; debated health effects from long-term exposure.

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21
Q

What is “the energy business”?

A

The industry surrounding production, transmission, and sale of energy including fossil fuels and renewables.

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22
Q

What are energy capitals?

A

Cities or regions with significant influence in the global energy sector due to resources or industry presence.

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22
Q

What are the 7 stages of the energy fuel cycle?

A

Exploration, extraction, processing, transportation, conversion, distribution, and waste management.

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23
Q

What is energy justice?

A

The fair distribution of energy benefits and burdens ensures all communities have access to clean energy.

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24
What is the energy ladder?
A model describing household energy transitions from traditional fuels to modern energy sources as income rises.
25
What are the consequences of energy poverty?
Poor health, limited education, economic stagnation, and environmental degradation.
26
What is an externality?
A cost or benefit not reflected in the market price, such as pollution from energy production.
27
What is energy security?
Ensuring a stable and reliable energy supply, minimizing risks from geopolitical or technical disruptions.
27
What is exponential growth in relation to population?
A rapid increase where the population doubles at a consistent rate, stressing resources and infrastructure.
27
How is energy used in buildings?
For heating, cooling, lighting, appliances, and electronics, often making up a large share of energy use.
27
What is a fast breeder reactor?
A type of nuclear reactor that creates more fissile material than it consumes, improving fuel efficiency.
27
What is forced migration in the context of energy projects?
Displacement of people due to projects like hydro dams, coal mining, or nuclear accidents.
27
What is the difference between fuel poverty and energy poverty?
Fuel poverty refers to affordability in developed countries; energy poverty is lack of access in developing areas.
28
What are future directions for energy development?
Expansion of renewables, smart grids, storage technologies, and equitable access.
29
What are the health effects of using coal?
Respiratory diseases in workers and pollution-related health issues for consumers.
30
What are the health benefits of renewable energy?
Cleaner air, reduced respiratory illness, and fewer greenhouse gas emissions.
31
What is the Human Development Index (HDI)?
A measure of a country's development based on life expectancy, education, and income
32
How do we protect against ionizing radiation (alpha, beta, gamma)?
Shielding (e.g. lead), limiting exposure time, and maintaining distance.
33
What are impoundment risks, like at Buffalo Creek?
Risk of dam or containment failure causing flooding and toxic releases.
34
What are temporal and spatial inequities in energy availability?
Differences in access over time and across geographic locations, often disadvantaging marginalized communities.
35
What is the Land Art Generator Initiative (LAGI)?
A project combining art and renewable energy to create public installations that produce clean power.
36
Who were the liquidators in Chernobyl?
Workers and soldiers who cleaned up the site after the nuclear accident.
37
What challenges exist in marking nuclear waste sites for 10,000 years?
Ensuring future generations understand the dangers, despite language and cultural changes.
38
What is mountain top removal?
A coal mining method that removes entire mountain tops, destroying ecosystems.
39
What has been the Navajo experience with energy development?
Exposure to uranium mining hazards and limited benefits from resource extraction.
40
What has been the Navajo experience with energy development?
Balancing the low emissions of nuclear power with its risks (accidents, waste, proliferation).
41
What are the pros and cons of nuclear power?
Pros: low emissions, high output; Cons: accidents, waste, cost.
42
What is nuclear proliferation?
The spread of nuclear weapons technology from civilian nuclear programs.
43
What is PM2.5?
Fine particulate matter less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, harmful to health.
44
What is pneumoconiosis?
Lung disease from inhaling dust, often in miners (e.g., black lung).
45
What are potassium iodide tablets used for?
To protect the thyroid from radioactive iodine in nuclear accidents
46
How does the population explosion affect resource demand?
It increases demand for energy, water, food, and infrastructure.
47
What is a quad in energy terms?
A quadrillion (10^15) British thermal units (BTUs), a large unit of energy.
48
What is radiation (ionizing and non-ionizing)?
Ionizing radiation can damage DNA (e.g., gamma rays); non-ionizing includes microwaves, not strong enough to ionize atoms.
49
How can renewable energy lessen injustice?
By providing clean, affordable energy to underserved communities.
50
What is the resource curse?
When resource-rich regions suffer from conflict, corruption, and underdevelopment (e.g., Nigeria, Navajo Nation).
51
What effect has the Russian invasion had on world energy trade?
Disrupted gas supplies, increased energy prices, and accelerated energy transitions in Europe.
52
What is the sarcophagus at Chernobyl vs. permanent isolation?
The sarcophagus is a temporary containment; permanent isolation aims for long-term waste storage
53
What is sequestration/storage in energy?
Capturing and storing CO2 emissions underground to mitigate climate change.
54
Why is solar energy dominant among renewables?
Abundance, declining costs, and wide applicability.
55
What toxic substances are found in coal?
Mercury, arsenic, lead, and other heavy metals.
56
What is the Tragedy of the Commons?
Overuse of shared resources due to individual self-interest (Garrett Hardin).
57
What were the effects of uranium mining on the Navajo?
Health issues and environmental injustice.
58
Why are warning markers for nuclear waste sites important?
To prevent future intrusion and exposure to hazardous materials.
59
What is the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP)?
A U.S. deep geological repository in New Mexico for disposing of transuranic radioactive waste.
60
Who is Garrett Hardin?
An ecologist best known for his essay “The Tragedy of the Commons,” highlighting the overuse of shared resources.
61
Who is James Hansen?
A climate scientist who raised early awareness about global warming and advocated for action on climate change.
62
Who is Amory Lovins?
An energy analyst and environmentalist known for promoting energy efficiency and renewable energy.
63
Who is Paolo Soleri?
An architect and philosopher who created Arcosanti, a prototype arcology integrating architecture and ecology.
64
Who is Mark Z. Jacobsen?
A professor advocating for 100% renewable energy solutions and policies.
65
Where is Belarus and what is its significance in the Russian invasion?
A neighboring country to Ukraine, used as a staging ground for Russia’s invasion.
66
What happened at Buffalo Creek, WV?
A coal slurry dam failure in 1972 caused a deadly flood and environmental disaster.
67
Where is Chernobyl nuclear power plant and why is it significant?
Where is the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, and why is it significant?
68
What is the significance of eastern Ecuador (Amazonia)?
What is the significance of eastern Ecuador (Amazonia)?
69
What is Finland's role in nuclear waste management?
What is Finland's role in nuclear waste management?
70
Where is Ft. McMurray and what is its energy significance?
Where is Ft McMurray and what is its energy significance?
71
What is the Fukushima nuclear power plant?
What is the Fukushima nuclear power plant?
72
What is the Hanford Reservation, WA?
What is the Hanford Reservation, WA?
73
What is Houston, TX known for in energy?
A major U.S. energy hub, especially for oil and gas
74
What is the Iguazu hydro project?
A large hydroelectric project in South America near the Iguazu Falls, impacting ecosystems and communities.
75
Why is Kyiv, Ukraine significant?
Capital of Ukraine, central to political and energy conflicts during the Russian invasion.
76
What is the Lake District and its energy relevance?
A region in the UK associated with early nuclear developments and environmental considerations.
77
What is the significance of the Narmada River in India?
The site of large dam projects causing forced migration and displacement.
78
What is the Nevada National Security Site (Nevada Test Site)?
A U.S. site for nuclear weapons testing, with lingering radiation impacts.
79
What is Nigeria’s relevance to energy?
A major oil producer facing issues like the resource curse, corruption, and environmental damage.
80
What is Port Harcourt, Nigeria, known for?
A city affected by oil industry pollution and energy-related conflicts.
81
What is Pripyat, Ukraine?
A town abandoned after the Chernobyl disaster.
82
What is Rocky Flats, Colorado?
A former U.S. nuclear weapons plant with contamination and cleanup controversies.
83
What is the connection between Sellafield and the Lake District?
Sellafield is a UK nuclear reprocessing facility near the Lake District, raising environmental concerns.
84
What is Slavutych, Ukraine?
A town built to house Chernobyl plant workers after the disaster.
85
What is St. George, Utah known for in energy history?
A “downwinder” town exposed to radiation from nuclear tests.
86
What is the Three Gorges Dam in China?
The world’s largest hydroelectric dam, with major social and ecological consequences.
87
What happened at Three Mile Island, Pennsylvania?
A partial nuclear meltdown in 1979, raising public concerns about nuclear safety.
88
What is Ukraine’s role in the global energy context?
Key in energy transit and affected by nuclear incidents and the Russian invasion.
89
What is the Willow project?
A controversial oil drilling project in Alaska, raising climate and indigenous rights concerns.
90
What is Windscale?
A UK nuclear facility site of a 1957 fire, one of the worst nuclear accidents in Britain.
91
What and where is WIPP?
The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico, a U.S. site for radioactive waste storage.
92
What is the Yangtze River’s significance?
Site of major hydro projects (like Three Gorges), with impacts on ecology and human populations.
93
What is Yucca Mountain?
A proposed nuclear waste repository in Nevada, halted due to political and environmental opposition

GCU171 Thread of Energy (1 decks)

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