IB ESS Unit 7

Renewable energy sources

-       Geothermal energy

-       Wind power

-       Solar power

-       Hydrological power

-       (Nuclear)

Energy choice depends on:

-       Availability of supply – within national borders or imported

-       Technological development

-       Politics

-       Economics, cultural aptitudes

-       Sustainability

3 groups of natural capital

• Renewable resources – living resources that can replace themselves

• Non-renewable resources – resource that exist in finite amounts

• Replenishable resource – non-living resources that are continuously restored by natural processes, ex: river streams, ozone layer, soil, etc.

Energy Security + case study

Having access to adequate, reliable and affordable supply of energy that provides a degree of independence.

Energy security and conflict
On august 2, 1990, the republic of Iraq invaded the state of Kuwait, occupying them for 7 months, leading to US military intervention.
Iraq officially claimed Kuwait was stealing its oil via slant drilling, but its true motives were more complicated. During the invasion, Iraq owed Kuwait $14 billion that Kuwait had loaned them during the 1980–1988 Iran–Iraq War.
In addition, Iraq felt Kuwait was overproducing oil, lowering prices and hurting Iraqi oil profits in a time of financial stress.

Advantages and Disadvantages of fossil fuels

Advantages:

• Relatively cheap

• Infrastructure is set up for its use: road/rail links and connection to electricity grid

• Currently abundant in supply

• High energy content

Disadvantages:

• Finite resource, which is not sustainable

• Extraction can destroy habitats and reduce biodiversity in an area

• Transport of fossil fuels can produce emissions of carbon dioxide, NO_x and SO₂ and particulates

• Discharge of wastewater can result in thermal pollution in aquatic ecosystems.

Advantages and Disadvantages of nuclear power

Advantages:

• They don’t produce carbon dioxide emissions, reducing the impact of climate change

• Causes less deaths from labour. (e.g. coal mining accidents, premature deaths from urban pollution, etc.)

Disadvantages:

• Generation of nuclear waste — high radioactive levels that last thousands of years

• Risk of nuclear accidents. e.g. Chernobyl

• Radioactive material can be used to produce nuclear weapons

Climate, Climate Change & Global Warming

Climate → long-term trends in temperature, sunlight, wind and precipitation

Climate Change → due to average global temperature change, there are local/global changes in ocean currents, sea level, flooding and extreme weather events

Global warming → the increase in Earth’s average temperature

Human enhances green house effect

Greenhouse gases (GHGs) trap more long-wave radiation which increases average global temperature.

• more greenhouse gases

• less heat escapes into space

• more re-emitted heat enters the atmosphere

Greenhouse Gases & the types

Greenhouse Gases → Gases that can absorb and emit infrared radiation

Types:

• Carbon Dioxide → burning fossil fuels and plant matter, deforestation, volcanic eruptions, etc.

• Methane → decomposition/decay, livestock waste, decomposing waste in landfills

• Nitrous Oxide → fertiliser production, burning fossil fuels/wood, agricultural soil processes (de-/nitrification)

• Water Vapour → evaporation from the Earth’s natural water cycle

• CFCs and HCFCs → industrial processes and manufacturing

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

Established with 195 country memberships and thousands of scientists on voluntary basis. they provide updates on:

• past, current and projected levels of GHGs

• models of current and potential impacts

• strategies for mitigating and adapting

Impacts of global warming

• sea level rise → polar ice caps and glaciers are melting, causing flooding and landslides, also changes the availability of freshwater (contamination)

• local weather → more heat creates more energy, causing more violent storms. global precipitation is up 15%, causing soil erosion & degradation

• food production → productivity shifting away from the equator because it’s too hot. soil quality is worse in higher latitudes

• biodiversity & ecosystems → biomes are shifting and while animals can move quickly, plants can’t. change in overall NPP globally and lower biodiversity = more instability & lower system resilience

• human health → causes heatwaves and droughts. infected insects (malaria, yellow fever, etc.) moving further away from equator. global migration due to extreme weather (150 million in 2050)

• politics & economy → LEDCs impacted more than MEDCs, more dependence and unstable economy. changing tourism also impacts tourist economy

Potential benefits of Global Warming

• Certain countries receive less severe winters (Russia, Finland, Canada, etc.)

• More precipitation in some dry areas

• Less precipitation in some wet areas

• Increased food production in some areas

• Expanded population and range for some plant and animal species adapted to higher temperatures

Natural factors effecting temperature

• Ice albedo → ice, snow, sand reflect most incoming sunlight. Ice reflects 80% of insolation

• Ocean effects → oceans remove 29% of excess CO₂ emissions. Ocean currents can moderate global temperature

• Clouds & Water vapour content → warmer temp increases evaporation & cloud cover. clouds both trap and reflect heat

Climate mitigation vs adaptation

Climate mitigation → involves the reduction and/or stabilisation of GHG emissions and their removal from the atmosphere. the categories are:

• stabilise or reduce GHG emissions (carbon taxes, subsidies, carbon caps, national limits, etc.)

• remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere (increase photosynthesis, grow trees, reduce deforestation)

• geo-engineering (artificial clouds, release sulphur dioxide by plane to increase global dimming, mirrors in space)

Climate adaptation → the process of adjusting to the effects of climate change, both current and anticipated. Examples include:

• Flood defences (houses on stilts, storm water management, run-off catchment, etc.)

• Manage water supplies (sustainable irrigation, capture rainwater & runoff, seed clouds (taking water out), etc.)

• Human health preparation (vaccination programs, manage supplies resource quality, education and emergency preparedness)

Adaptive capacity & the Kyoto protocol

The ability or potential of a system to respond successfully to climate variability and change

Kyoto protocol (1997):

• signed by 160 nations to try decrease CO₂ levels to 5.2% below 1990 levels before 2012. US did not sign

• 2005 - Kyoto treaty goes into effect and signed by all major industrial countries except US

• commits industrialised countries/transitioning economies to reduce greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions in accordance with agreed individual targets.

• considered unsuccessful due to lack of participation, ineffective enforcements (weak penalties), economic concerns, etc.

Paris Agreement

Adopted in 2015 under the UNFCCC, is a global treaty aimed at limiting global warming to below 2°C, above pre-industrial levels.

Key Features:

• both developed and developing countries participate and set their own climate goals (updated every 5 years)

• countries must report emissions and progress, with regular global stock takes to assess collective progress.

• Developed countries pledge financial and technical support to help developing nations with mitigation and adaptation.

• The agreement is legally binding, but countries are not penalised for missing targets—reliance is on transparency and global peer pressure.