ENVS 1000 Lecture Notes - Lecture 14: Renewable Energy, Status Quo, Geopolitics

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blushwasp460

13 Dec 2016

School

CU-Boulder

Department

Environmental Studies

Course

ENVS 1000

Professor

J.White

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ENVS: Global Energy

Setting the stage

● People in developed countries use many times more energy per person than in

undeveloped countries

● Countries continue to develop

● Population continues to grow

● Energy needs continue to grow

● Fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas) provide 85% of our energy

Challenges with fossil fuels

● Air pollution:

○ Sulfur, nitrogen, metals

○ Coal is the biggest problem followed by oil and by natural gas

● Climate Change:

○ Combustion of fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide (greenhouse gas

○ Methane also tied somewhat to fossil fuels

● Uneven distribution of resources:

○ Fossil fuels are unequally distributed, leading to uneasy geopolitics

○ Most oil is in the Middle East, Russia has large supplies of natural gas

● Finite reserves:

○ There are limited reserves of all fossil fuels, and those limits are visible now with

lifetimes of oil and natural gas measured in decades

Basic Terms:

● Renewable energy sources:

○ Energy sources for which the demand rate (or use rate) is less than or equal to

the production rate

○ Examples:

■ Hydropower (water)

■ Windpower

■ Solar power

■ Geothermal

● Non-renewable energy sources:

○ Energy sources for which the demand rate (or use rate) is greater than the

production rate

○ Examples:

■ Oil

■ Natural gas

■ Coal

■ Nuclear

■ Fuelwood

Key Energy Points

● Energy cannot be created or destroyed, it can only be converted from one form to

another

● Whenever you convert energy from one form to another, you do so at less than 100%

efficiency

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Document Summary

People in developed countries use many times more energy per person than in. Fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas) provide 85% of our energy. Coal is the biggest problem followed by oil and by natural gas. Combustion of fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide (greenhouse gas. Methane also tied somewhat to fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are unequally distributed, leading to uneasy geopolitics. Most oil is in the middle east, russia has large supplies of natural gas. There are limited reserves of all fossil fuels, and those limits are visible now with lifetimes of oil and natural gas measured in decades. Energy sources for which the demand rate (or use rate) is less than or equal to the production rate. Energy sources for which the demand rate (or use rate) is greater than the production rate. Energy cannot be created or destroyed, it can only be converted from one form to another.

Related Questions

Energy Choices

Worldwide energy consumption varies dramatically, but the impacts are shared by all. The most commonly used fuel sources for energy around the world are the fossil fuels: coal, oil, and natural gas. Combustion of fossil fuels releases pollutants to the atmosphere, where the emissions from all countries combine to cause local, regional, and global issues. One of the primary pollutants of concern is carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas. Carbon dioxide emissions are responsible for climate change and governments around the world have taken steps to control pollution, but not all countries are successful in reducing carbon emissions.

While all countries produce pollution and emit greenhouse gasses, the emissions are greatly unequal across the globe. Consider what kinds of factors would determine how much energy is used by a country, a region, a household, or an individual. What factors would influence the fuel choices made by these people and institutions?

Conduct research to determine the common fuel sources, emissions, and total energy consumption by the United States and a developing country of your choice, such as China, India, or Brazil.

CIA. (2015). The world factbook. Retrieved fromhttps://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/

U.S. Energy Information Administration. (2015). International energy statistics. Retrieved fromhttp://www.eia.gov/cfapps/ipdbproject/IEDIndex3.cfm?tid=44&pid=44&aid=2

Â· What are the primary sources of emissions? What is the industrial or agricultural profile of the country?

Â· What are the similarities and differences in the fuel sources, emissions, and consumption between the two countries?

Â· What are the countriesâ levels of involvement in worldwide emissions regulations?

Â· Discuss solutions or regulations to energy use in high-demand countries. How can high-use and low-use countries work together to reduce overall emissions?

Â· In working together to make these reductions, how would you address possible cultural differences and diversity concepts that will emerge because of this partnership? Describe how low and high use countries can bridge cultural differences through strategic partnerships.

Â· Support your arguments with documented evidence from credible sources using APA formatting and an APA style reference page.

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ENVS 1000 Lecture Notes - Lecture 14: Renewable Energy, Status Quo, Geopolitics

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