Ess Topic 7 Notes

Environmental Systems and Societies
Revision Guide Notes

Topic 7 - Climate Change and Energy Production
7.1 Energy Sources and Security
Energy Sources
- Fossil Fuels make up the majority of our energy supply

- Their use is expected to increase to meet global energy demand
- Energy Resources:
- Biofuels
- Hydroelectric
- Solar, wind, geothermal
- Nuclear electric
- Shale/tar sands
- Crude oil
- Energy consumption traditionally higher in more economically developed countries
than less economically developed countries, as rich counties have more energy
sources and economies that are based on energy-intensive industries
- Poor countries industrialising = newly industrialising countries (NIC)
- India and China
- As NIC industralise, they are vastly using more energy than they did a few
decades ago
- Renewable = Natural resources that have a sustainable yield equal to or less than
their natural productivity (ie. timber)
- Non Renewable = Natural resources that cannot be replenished within a timescale of
the same order as that at which they are taken from the environment and used (ie.
fossil fuels)
- Fossil Fuels = non renewable resources including oil, coal, natural gas and shale gas
- It is not just non renewable forms of energy that contribute to global warming
- Renewable forms such as biomass (fuelwood and dung) release CO
- Many other forms including HEP, tidal and nuclear contribute to global
warming in the construction of dams, barrages and power stations.
- Nuclear power is an alternative to fossil fuels as it does not release carbon dioxide
but it is not a renewable form of energy = once uranium has been used, it cannot be
recycled or used again
Advantages and Disadvantages of Energy Sources
Some of these disadvantages can be managed:
- The introduction of precipitators and filters in smokestacks retains dust, sulphur
dioxide and nitrogen oxides (NOx) within the chimney
- Sulphur emissions have declined by up to 95% and NOx emissions by 60%
- A decline in fuelwood does not just mean pressure on time and labour. Trees are a
multipurpose resource. They:
- Are used to build houses
- Provide fencing
- Contribute to food supply
- Supply drugs and medicine
- Prevent wind and water erosion
- Act as a habitat for wild animals
Energy Security
Energy Security = having an adequate, reliable and affordable supply of energy
- Uninterrupted availability of energy sources at an affordable price that provides

countries with a degree of independence
Energy Choices
Energy Efficiency and Energy Conservation
Energy Efficiency = the attempts to improve products and services so that less energy is
required for them to function
- Fluorescent lights and LED lights to reduce the amount of energy needed to provide
light for an area
- Many modern appliances: fridges, freezers, and washing machines require much
less energy to function compared with older models
Energy Conservation = efforts to reduce energy consumption

- Someone who wears extra clothing or a blanket instead of turning the heating on
- Having homes with south-facing windows (in the northern hemisphere) allows greater
solar heating of rooms
- Double/triple glazing windows
- Cavity wall insulation, loft insulation
7.2 - Climate Change: Causes and Impacts
Climate and Weather
- Climate = the average and extreme of weather conditions over a period of not less
than 30 years
- Includes temperature, rainfall, humidity, cloud cover, windspeed, air pressure
- Weather = the state of the atmosphere at any given instant

- Short term
- Includes temperature, rainfall, humidity, cloud cover, windspeed, air pressure
Atmospheric and oceanic circulatory systems
- Weather and climate are affected by oceanic and atmospheric circulatory systems
- On a global scale, the oceanic conveyor belt transfers energy around and links the
world’s great oceans
- Waters that flow from the Equator are generally warm, whereas those that flow from
the high latitudes are cold
- Winds have a similar impact
- The prevailing wind refers to the most frequent wind that an area receives
- Winds from low latitudes tend to be warm and winds from high latitudes cold
- Winds that blow over oceans are moist whereas those that blow over land are
dry
- Some winds have a seasonal influence (ie. monsoon winds of Asia)
- Maritime = relating to areas that are close to the coast

- Continental = relating to areas that are distant from the coast
Greenhouse Gases and the Greenhouse Effect
- Greenhouse effect = normal and necessary condition for life on Earth

- Greenhouse gases allow incoming shortwave radiation to pass through the
atmosphere and heat up the Earth’s surface
- Trap a proportion of the outgoing long-wave radiation from the earth - hence, the
atmosphere is heated from below rather than from above
- In this way, greenhouse gases raise the Earth’s temperature by about 33
degrees celsius and make life on Earth possible
- Global warming = the enhanced greenhouse effect: the process in which human
activities have led to an increase in the amount of greenhouse gases in the
atmosphere, and an increased trapping of greenhouse gases, leading to an increase
in global temperatures (ie. global warming)
- Higher levels of carbon dioxide correlate with higher temperatures, and lower levels
of carbon dioxide correlate with lower temperatures.
- Greenhouse gases = atmospheric gases that absorb infrared radiation, causing world
temperatures to be warmer than they otherwise would be
- This process is known as ‘radiation trapping’
- Mainly caused by water and carbon dioxide
Human Activities and Greenhouse Gases
- Main greenhouse gases:

- Water vapour
- Carbon dioxide
- Methane
- CFCs
- Ozone and oxides of nitrogen
- Human activities = increasing levels of carbon dioxide, methane and CFCs in the
atmosphere, which may lead to global warming
- Global warming = an increase in the average temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere
The Impacts of Climate Change
Positive and Negative Feedbacks
Positive feedback mechanisms in global warming = increasing temperatures, melting

permafrost and the release of methane. As Methane is a greenhouse gas, it has the
potential to increase temperatures, thereby reinforcing the rise in temperature.
Negative feedback mechanism = Higher temperatures in tropical areas may lead to

increased precipitation in many parts of the world. Increased precipitation in polar areas
leads to increased snow cover. The surface of snow/ice is very reflective, and so the albedo
is increased. Increased reflectivity reduces the amount of solar radiation received and so
lowers temperatures.
Global Dimming
Global dimming = a reduction in global temperatures as a result of pollution
7.3 - Climate Change - Mitigation and Adaptation
Mitigation = attempts to reduce causes of climate change

Adaptation = attempts to manage the impacts of climate change
Mitigation Strategies
Adaptation Strategies
International Agreements

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Environmental Systems and Societies

Revision Guide Notes

7.1 Energy Sources and Security

- Fossil Fuels make up the majority of our energy supply

Energy Security = having an adequate, reliable and affordable supply of energy

- Uninterrupted availability of energy sources at an affordable price that provides

Energy Conservation = efforts to reduce energy consumption

7.2 - Climate Change: Causes and Impacts

Climate and Weather

- Weather = the state of the atmosphere at any given instant

Atmospheric and oceanic circulatory systems

- Maritime = relating to areas that are close to the coast

- Greenhouse effect = normal and necessary condition for life on Earth

Human Activities and Greenhouse Gases

- Main greenhouse gases:

Positive feedback mechanisms in global warming = increasing temperatures, melting

Negative feedback mechanism = Higher temperatures in tropical areas may lead to

Global dimming = a reduction in global temperatures as a result of pollution

7.3 - Climate Change - Mitigation and Adaptation

Mitigation = attempts to reduce causes of climate change

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