Environmental management
Detail non-renewable sources of energy ✔️✔️-fossil fuels and nuclear fuel
-they're finite and could eventually become completely exhausted
-they dominate global energy
Detail renewable energy ✔️✔️-can be used over and over again
-they're mainly forces of nature that are sustainable and usually cause little or no environmental
pollution
-renewable energy includes hydro-electric, biomass, wind, solar, geothermal, tidal and wave power
Detail general energy sources ✔️✔️-at the core of the global economy
-energy is vital for economic growth and development
-however, emissions of greenhouse gases from energy use are the main contributors to human-induced
climate change
-energy production and consumption are major issues within and between countries
-many countries have to import a significant amount of the energy they use, which has made them more
concerned about energy security
-there are growing concerns in some parts of the world that the inequitable and uneven distributions of
energy sources may lead to conflict
-energy shortages are also another issue
Energy shortages details ✔️✔️-they have occurred in different parts of the world on a number of
occasions in the past
-such shortages can have major economic and social consequences, but it is not just potential shortages
of energy that is the concern; in poor countries, energy poverty has a major impact on people's lives and
it is a major obstacle of development
-the concept of fuel poverty is becoming a more and more important issue in many apparently affluent
countries
,What is the environmental challenge in relation to energy sources? ✔️✔️The environmental challenge
is to transform the global energy mix to achieve a better balance between renewable and non-
renewable energy used.
What are the key energy issues for individual countries? ✔️✔️The key energy issues for individual
countries are the three Ss: Sustainability, security and strategy
At a national scale, detail the huge variations in energy demand and supply ✔️✔️Demand is primarily
governor Ed by the size of the country's population and its level of economic development. The gap
between the worlds richest and poorest countries in terms of demand is huge. Growth in energy
demands is particularly rapid in middle-income countries (MICS) such as China and India. The demand of
a country can also vary significantly due to its energy policy, esp if it is focused on sustainability and
efficiency as opposed to concentrating solely on building more power stations and refining facilities.
High levels of pollution can be a strong stimulus for a country to develop a cleaner energy policy
State the physical reasons for global variations in energy supply ✔️✔️-deposits of fossil fuels are only
found in a limited number of locations
-large-scale HEP development requires high precipitation, major steep-sided valleys and impermeable
rock
-large power stations require flat land and geologically stable foundations
-solar power needs high average wind speeds throughout the year
-tidal power stations require a very large tidal range
-the availability of biomass varies widely according to climatic conditions
State the economic reasons for global variations in energy supply ✔️✔️-the most accessible, and
lowest-cost, deposits of fossil fuels are invariably developed first
-onshore deposits of oil and gas are usually cheaper to develop then offshore deposits
-potential HEP sites close to major transport routes and existing electricity transmission corridors are
more economical to build than those in very inaccessible locations
-in poor countries, FDI is often essential for the development of energy resources
-when energy prices rise significantly, companies increase spending on exploration and development
,State the political reasons for global variations in energy supply ✔️✔️-countries wanting to develop
nuclear electricity require permission from the international Atomic Energy Agency
-international agreements like Kyoto Protocol can have a considerable influence on the energy decisions
of individual countries
-potential HEP schemes on 'international ricers' may require the agreement of other countries that
share the river
-governments may insist on energy companies producing a certain proportion of their energy from
renewable sources
-legislations regarding emissions from power stations will favour the use of, for example, low-sulphur
coal, as opposed to coal with a high sulphur content
What is the key factor in supply of energy sources? ✔️✔️Energy resource endowment. Some
countries are relatively rich in domestic energy resources, while others are lacking in such resources and
heavily reliant on imports. However, resources by themselves do not constitute supply. Capital and
technology are required to exploit resources.
Why has the use of energy in all countries changed over time? ✔️✔️-technological development: for
example,: a) nuclear electricity has been available since 1954 b) oil and gas can now be extracted from
much deeper waters than in the past and c) renewable energy technology is advancing steadily
-increasing national wealth: as average income increase living standards improve, which involved the
increasing use of energy and the use of greater variety of energy sources
-changes in demand: at one time, all of Britain's trains were powered by coal and most people also used
coal for heating in their homes. Before natural gas was discovered in the North Sea, Britain's gas was
produced from coal
- changes in price: the relative prices of the different types of energy can influence demand. Electricity
production in the UK has been switching from coal to gas over the last 20 years, mainly due to power
stations being cheaper to run on natural gas
-environmental factors/ public opinion: public opinion can influence decisions made by the government.
People today are much better informed about the environmental impact of energy sources than they
were in the past
What are fossil fuels individual and relative contributions to the global energy situation? (BP statistical
review of world energy) ✔️✔️-oil: 33%
-coal: 30%
-natural gas: 24%
, In contrast, HEP accounted for 6.6% and nuclear energy 4.5%. The source used includes commercially
traded fuels only and excludes fuels like wood, peat, and animal waste, which (though important in
many countries) are unreliable documented in terms of production and consumption statistics,
How does the consumption of different types of fuel vary globally? ✔️✔️-oil: only in Asia Pacific is the
contribution of oil less than 30%, and it is the main source of energy in the four of the six regions (North
America, South & Central America, Europe & Eurasia, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific). In contrast, it
accounts for less than 5% of consumption in South and Central America and in the Middle East. The
Middle East was responsible for 50% of its global consumption
-coal: only in the Asia Pacific region is coal the main source of energy, it accounts for less than 5% of
consumption in South and Central America and in the Middle East. China accounts for 50.2% of global
coal consumption in 2012
-natural gas: main source of energy in Europe and Eurasia and its is a close second to oil in the Middle
East. It's lowest share of the energy mix is 11% in the Asia Pacific
-hydro-electricity: relative importance of thsi is greatest in south and Central America (25%). It's
contributions elsewhere vary from 6% in Africa to lass than 1% in the middle east
-nuclear energy: not presently available in the Middle East and it makes the smallest contribution of the
five traditional energy sources in Asia pacific, Africa and south and Central America. It is most important
in Europe, Eurasia and North America
-renewables: consumption of renewable energy other than HEP is rising rapidly, but from a very low
base. They make the largest relative contribution to energy consumption in Europe and Eurasia.
What are the general points that can be made in terms of usage by type of energy? ✔️✔️The most
developed countries tend to use a wide mix of energy sources, being able both to invest in domestic
energy potential and to buy energy from abroad.
-the high investment required for nuclear electricity means that only a limited number of countries
produce electricity this way. However many countries that could afford the investment choose not to
adopt this strategy
-richer nations have been able to invest more money in renewable energy sources
-in the poorest countries, fuelwood is an important source of energy, particularly where communities
have no access to electricity
How has global consumption of the five major traditional sources of energy changed between 1987 and
2012? ✔️✔️The consumption for oil has stayed relatively the same, only a rise of a few hundred
millions of tonnes. Natural gas is the same, as is nuclear energy. Hydro-electricity has increased by
