Mismatch Of Energy:
- Includes: Gas, oil and coal
- Mined from the ground known as ‘reserves’ e.g drilling. Known as a conventional oil i.e cheapest and easiest way to get more accessible fossil fuels reserves.
- Large reserves in Russia, USA, China and OPEC Countries (Iran)
- Japan and France have the least amount of FF
Reliance & Access:
- In 2015, the most energy production was that of FF like gas, oil and coal.
- Russia using natural gas, coal and petroleum
- Access to FF reserves is a coincidence of geological history and international boundaries
- Some countries have more FF sources than others. Other countries have none.
- Runs out over time as gas with the UK will become abundant due to the North Sea oil and gas
- Remaining will increase concentration in the Middle East over the next 30 years.
Energy Pathways:
- Any process or infrastructure which primary or secondary energy is transported across e.g pipes, national grid.
- Disruption due to: Depletion (most important, all will run out at some point), wars, natural disasters, price fluctuations, piracy, protests, pollical relations (second important, threat is high, hardly ever happens), LEDCs
- Russian Gas: Gazprom is the major key player. In 2008 they shut up supplies to Ukraine over pay disputes. Large economic damage and even a few deaths.
- Extreme weather disasters e.g pipe leaks leading to domestic pathways being disrupted.
- Transboundary pathways are needed, choke points are narrow or difficult sections of the pathway where disruption occurs. Pirates raising price.
- Russia holds 25% of the world’s gas. Middle East 40%. Narrow ocean choke-points affecting oil flow.
Risks To Disruption:
- There is a real risk if oil and gas are disrupted
- Soaring energy costs and rising energy poverty
- Pressure on politics to act, possibly rationing energy
- Civil disruption
- Rising cost for industry, job losses and recession
- Unsound decisions to rapidly develop alternative sources
- Diplomatic conflict.
Unconventional FF
Sources:
- Unconventional means newer and costly technology methods to access more complex reserves
- Unconventional resources includes: tar sands and oil shale
- Shale gas – gas trapped in shale rock that needs to be fracked (hydraulic fracturing of the rock)
- Deep water oil – oil reserves under the sea or ocean sediments which requires very long drilling rigs.
Positives:
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Negatives:
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Canadian Tar
Sands/Oil Shale (Oil)
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Increases energy security
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Sub-Arctic ecosystems
destroyed
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Lancashire Fracking
(gas)
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Creates 60,000 jobs in the
UK
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Groundwater pollution &
small earthquakes
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Reduce dependence on
Russian Gas
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Increase carbon dioxide
emissions
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Gulf of the Mexico &
Deepwater Drilling (oil)
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Reduce biofuel and loss of
Amazon
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Leaks into marine
ecosystems
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Billions into economy
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Lots of deforestation to
access the soil
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Example:
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Source:
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Technical Challenge:
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Environmental
Impacts:
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Canadian Tar Sands
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Sands under trees forests
that contain oil
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MODERATE
Opencast
surface mining to dig out the sands, then gas used to heat and
extract the oil.
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HIGH
Energy
intensive extraction and destruction of ecosystems e.g water
pollution
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Lancashire Fracking
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Shale rocks in Lancashire
underground in places like Blackpool that contain gas.
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MODERATE
Populated
areas and farmland affected, requires ‘enhanced extraction’ of
gas
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MODERATE
Potentially
gas could contaminate ground water and some fears over small
earthquakes.
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Gulf of Mexico &
Deepwater Drilling
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Oil in sediments under very
deep ocean water
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HIGH
Difficult
deep ocean conditions and access to oil
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MODERATE
Low
impact when working well but spill occur e.g BP oil spill
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