Topic 9 Flashcards
Define renewable, recyclable and non-renewable energy:
Renewable - Flow resources that do not run out and can be restored.
Recyclable - A resource that can be reused (i.e waste products)
Non-renewable - Finite resources that will eventually run out
Give an example of a non-renewable, recyclable and renewable energy source:
Renewable - HEP, solar energy, wind energy
Recyclable - Nuclear energy, biofuels
Non renewable - Coal, natural gas, oil
Give two ways that mining can affect ecosystems:
- Surface mining destroys large areas of vegetation and soil to allow the miners to reach the minerals/ore, which lowers biodiversity and affects the water cycle of the area.
- Forests are cleared to make space for roads to allow access of machinery and export of minerals/ores from the area.
- Machinery used to excavate large areas run on fossil fuels and emit carbon dioxide, further contributing to the greenhouse effect and climate change.
What impact does onshore drilling have on the environment?
- Strips the land around of vegetation to allow space for machinery, lowering biodiversity and affecting the water cycle of the area.
- Oil spills can harm wildlife and plants, either killing them, reducing mobility or preventing them from reproducing and feeding.
- Extracting oil can cause methane to leak from underground, contributing to the greenhouse effect and therefore global warming.
Describe the environmental impacts of using renewable energies:
Give examples
- Some renewables cause sound and visual pollution, such as wind energy as they are considered an eyesore to the landscape and people nearby have to live with the noise they generate.
- Most renewables require lots of space to be cost effective and therefore habitats for local wildlife are built on.
- Renewables can kill wildlife by flooding (HEP), reflecting light (solar) and hitting birds (wind turbines)
Describe three factors that affect access to energy:
Climate - Areas with a warmer climate that receive more sunlight energy (nearer the equator) can harness solar power more effectively.
Landscape - Areas with consistent, steady winds (coast, high altitude) are suitable for wind turbines whereas rarely windy places would gain little from them.
Geology - Areas that used to be in warm areas or are still in warm areas can have fossil fuels buried in sedimentary rocks which formed millions of years ago. Countries on plate boundaries can also harness geothermal energy.
Give one way that development affects energy consumption:
Whilst a country has low levels of development, the demand for energy is low as it is a mainly agricultural society. However, as it develops and technology advances a better quality of life is expected, with more luxuries available and therefore demand for energy for phones, cars etc.
Give two reasons why oil consumption is increasing:
- More countries are developing and need oil to fuel there demand for energy (people are buying more energy intensive items such as cars) and industrial booming age (secondary sector is rapidly growing with the economy but needs power to keep up).
- Large developed countries have a higher standard of loving with more luxuries which use higher grades of technology that require more power as well as more buildings/homes to power
Describe three factors that affect oil production:
- The country needs to have the right equipment and technology to both extract and refine the crude oil.
- As reserves in certain areas shrink the production decreases.
- Some countries only produce oil to satisfy the energy demands of their country rather than to export and so they don’t produce as much as they could with the size of their reserves.
How do diplomatic relations affect the supply of oil?
In order for other countries to get hold of this oil they must trade with the handful of countries that have major reserves but if they are generally disliked by them then they may get higher prices or no trade at all. In turn, this affects the amount of oil this country will have to use, reducing its supply. Furthermore, war in oil producing countries causes undersupply and oil prices will rise, making trade more expensive and therefore reducing other countries supply (vice versa with oversupply).
What affect do recessions have on oil prices?
Recessions, like the global financial crisis of 2008, slow economy and industry and as economic and industrial activities slow down, the demand for oil decreases and so too does the price.
What is an oil reserve? What is the difference between a conventional and unconventional energy reserve?
- Oil reserve: the amount of recoverable oil with today’s technology.
- Conventional energy reserves are easily and cheaply extracted oil and gas whereas unconventional energy reserves are exploited using kore expensive methods and require specialist technology, meaning it takes longer.
Name two economic benefits and two environmental costs of exploiting conventional energy reserves in isolated areas:
- Can make money by reducing energy imports and exporting excess energy to other countries. Oil and gas companies can invest in the area, bringing well-paid jobs to the local people.
- Land may be cleared of trees to make way for pipelines and roads, disrupting fragile ecosystems and reducing biodiversity. Isolated areas can be polluted by the extraction/exportation and this can pollute the soil and water.
How does fracking affect the environment?
- Land must be cleared to build drilling pads for fracking, destroying animal habitats and disrupting ecosystems.
- Chemicals used in fracking liquid can pollute groundwater/drinking water, sometimes making it flammable.
Describe the environmental impacts of extracting energy from tar sands in ecologically sensitive areas:
- Lots of land is required, devastating habitats and reducing biodiversity because organisms have less living space and places to find food.
- Without proper management, the byproducts of processing tar sands can pollute water supplies as the liquid waste contains lots of harmful chemicals.
