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Energy 1 (Impacts of energy insecurity (Economic and environmental costs…
Energy 1
Increasing energy consumption
Rising population
Over 70 per cent of the increased energy demand is from developing countries, led by China and India.
As countries develop, their populations will require more energy.
As wealth increases so does the demand for energy.
Advances in technology increase the availability of products which require energy.
As wealth is generated, populations desire more consumer goods.
Consumer goods consume energy in their manufacture as well as their usage.
Economic development
Energy consumption is highest at the moment in developed countries and countries with high populations.
This is due to a high concentration of industry, high levels of car ownership and high domestic usage from homes filled with appliances.
Global distribution of energy consumption and supply
Coal has decreased from 48% in 1970 to15% in 2014. Oil has also decreased, but gas has increased from 5% to 35%. Wind/hydro aand bioenergy have only increased from 2014.
Impacts of energy insecurity
Economic and environmental costs
in order to find new sources of energy it sometimes means that environmentally-sensitive areas (like National Parks) are utilised for energy supplies. Fragile ecosystems can be put at risk if the desire for energy is greater than the desire for environmental protection.
Food production
exploiting energy resources often uses valuable farmland. The growth of the biofuel market has also led to crops being grown as a fuel, rather than as food. This can cause food shortages and push food prices up as supply falls lower than demand.
Industrial output
manufacturing relies on energy. When energy is in short supply, it costs more to buy. This makes manufacturing more expensive. Countries that experience energy insecurity usually have a lower industrial output.
Conflict
gy insecurity can cause conflict when countries compete to obtain energy supplies.
Factors affecting energy supply
Cost of exploitation and production
wages count towards the overall cost of energy production. This has led to some resources being unprofitable, eg the UK has coal supplies, but it is too expensive to exploit them. When the global price of oil increases, drilling becomes profitable in many harder to reach locations
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Technology
improvements in technology can open up new opportunities for energy use. Fracking is the process of extracting shale gas. The USA now carries out fracking, which has increased their energy supplies. Wind turbines and solar panels are becoming more efficient and so these are being used in more countries.
Political factors
war can destroy energy resources or make them difficult to exploit. Corruption can mean that money is spent on things other than energy projects.
Physical factors
fossil fuels were formed millions of years ago. New supplies of fossil fuels are sometimes found, but only in places that have the right geology.
Distribution of energy around the world
The mixture of primary energy sources used is called the energy mix. The energy mix of the UK consists mostly of gas, coal and nuclear fuel. The last oil-fired power station in the UK closed in 2015.
