ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

Chapter 2:
Energy and the
environment

Unity High School: Humanities Department

Teacher: Mrs. Decent Hita
Fossil fuels

• Fossil fuels are fuels made from the remains of

plants and animals that have decomposed.
• Fossil fuels are very important as they were
the basis for industrial and economic growth
and they lead to the transport revolution.
There are three fossil fuels
1. Coal
2. Oil
3. Natural gas
Fossil fuels formation

Fossil fuels have two characteristics

in common in their formation.
1. They were formed from the
decomposition of the remains of
plants and animals.
2. It took millions of years for them to
accumulate and form huge deposits.
Formation of coal
• Coal is a black rock. It is useful because it
gives out heat when it burns.
• It formed in areas where there were dense
forests about 300 millions of year ago.
• As older trees and plants died, they
decomposed on the swampy forest floors.
• In time a layer of peat was formed.
• Rivers covered the peat with mud and sand.
• Mud and sand were compressed into
sedimentary rock and peat hardened to form
coal.
Formation of oil and natural gas
• Oil and natural gas were formed from the
decomposition of plants and dead creatures which
collected in layers on the sea bed.
• Each one rotted to form a tiny spot of oil.
• Their remains were covered by mud and sand.
• As the sand was compressed into sandstone the oil
and the natural gas separated and rose through the
sandstone to fill pores.
• The lighter gas rose to the top.
• Large oil deposits are found in anticlines oil traps.
[see page 30 for picture]
An anticline oil trap (Pg. 30)
Advantages to Using Fossil Fuels
• Very large amounts of electricity can be
generated in one place using coal, fairly
cheaply.
• Transporting oil and gas to the power stations
is easy.
• Gas-fired power stations are very efficient.

• A fossil-fuelled power
station can be built almost
anywhere.
Disadvantages of Fossil Fuels
• The main drawback of fossil fuels is pollution.
• Burning any fossil fuel produces carbon dioxide,
which contributes to global warming.
• Burning coal produces sulphur dioxide, a gas that
contributes to acid rain.
• With the United States importing 55% of its oil, oil
spills are a serious problem.
• Mining coal can be difficult and dangerous.
• Strip mining (open cast) destroys large areas of
the landscape.
 Factors influencing energy demand
• Study the table on page 18 of the Revision
Guide
• It shows factors influencing energy demand.
• Energy is used for domestic (14%), industrial (52%)
and transport (26%).
Energy demand
There are three reasons for increasing world
energy demand:
1. Growing world population increases domestic and
industrial demand.
2. Higher levels of economic development and
increased personal wealth (affluence).
3. Advances in transport technology (private cars,
trucks, aeroplanes)
• Countries in Asia that have experienced a rapid
economic development since the 1970s and are
consuming more and more energy.
Factors affecting variation in
energy demand
• Energy use per head is a reliable indicator of a country’s
level of development.
• More people in developed countries can afford cars and
electrical goods.
• In all developed countries demand for energy is higher.
• In Canada and the USA demand for energy is double that in
Europe.
• Countries in North America experience extremely cold
conditions and use more energy for heating.
• Oil- rich Gulf states such as the UAE and Qatar are among
the highest users of energy per head due to desert
conditions that require cooling and desalination plants for
water.
Methods of generating electricity

Wind Coal
power
Solar Oil
power
Wave Electricity Natur
power generation
al gas
Tidal Nuclea
power r power
Hydro-
electric
Biofue
power
Geothermal
power ls
Definition of energy terms
• Alternative energy source: energy
source to replace fossil fuel use. E.g.
nuclear power & renewable energy
• Renewable energy source: energy
resource that is replaced naturally, so it
never runs out e.g. solar energy.
• Sustainable energy source: Energy
source that can be used for a long time,
the environment or resource on which it
depends is not being used up.
Steps in power generation using
fossil fuels
1. Heat is used in power plants to make electricity.
2. Heat produced by the burning of coal, petroleum or
natural gas is used to boil water.
3. Water turns into steam.
4. The force of the steam turns the turbine blades.
5. The turbine is connected to a coil in the generator that
rotates to generate electricity.
6. The electricity is then sent through a transformer to
electricity cables, which take it to the consumers.
7. The steam is converted back to water in a cooling tower
before being reused in the power station.
Nuclear power using uranium
• In a nuclear power station, the heat energy is produced
by splitting the radioactive metal, uranium, into atoms
by impacting it with neutrons, which are absorbed by the
atoms.
• This is called nuclear fission.
• Splitting released more neutrons, which in turn split
more atoms and so a chain reaction is set up.
• Large amounts of heat released by nuclear fission heats
water passing through a reactor in a pipe, producing
steam.
• Steam drives the turbines which work the generators to
make electricity.
Advantages to Using Nuclear Power
1. Nuclear power costs about the same as coal,
so it's not expensive to make.
2. It does not produce smoke or carbon dioxide,
so it does not contribute to the greenhouse
effect.
3. It produces huge amounts of energy from small
amounts of fuel.
4. It produces small amounts of waste.
5. Nuclear power is reliable.
Disadvantages of Nuclear Power
• It is expensive to set up nuclear power plants.
• Although not much waste is produced, it is very, very
dangerous.
• Radioactive waste can harm and kill organisms.
• Humans exposed to radio active materials develop cancers
and leukemia.
• It must be sealed up and buried for many years to allow the
radioactivity to die away.
 Is it Renewable?
• Nuclear energy uses uranium is
NOT renewable.

• Once we've dug up all the Earth's

uranium and used it, there isn't any
more.
Advantages to Using Fossil Fuels
Revision guide pgs. 22 to 23
• The advantages and disadvantages can be divided into
environmental, economic and social.
• Read through the pages in the revision guide & make
your own notes.
• Very large amounts of electricity can be generated in
one place fairly cheaply.
• Transporting oil and gas to the power stations is easy.
• Gas-fired power stations are very efficient.
• A fossil-fuelled power station can be built almost
anywhere.
• Extraction of fuels provide employment for many
Disadvantages of Fossil Fuels
• Basically, the main drawback of fossil fuels is
pollution.
• Burning any fossil fuel produces carbon dioxide,
which contributes to global warming.
• Burning coal produces sulphur dioxide, a gas that
contributes to acid rain.
• Mining coal can be difficult and dangerous.
• Strip mining (open cast) destroys large areas of the
landscape.
• Fossil fuels are non-renewable and will run out
eventually
• Power plants take up large areas of land destroying
forests.
Renewable energy sources
used to generate electricity

1. Hydro- electric power

2. Geo-thermal power
3. Biofuels
SOURCES:
4. Wind power 1. Core textbook pages 34-47
2. Revision Guide pages 24 - 28
5. Solar power
6. Tidal power
7. Wave power
1. Hydro- electric power (HEP)
• Fast running water is used to drive the turbines that
work the generators and produce electricity.
• The greater the force of water the greater the
amount of electricity produced.
• Certain favourable conditions are essential
– Fast-flowing water (for example a waterfall).
– High rainfall (well distributed throughout the year).
– A natural store of water (a lake).
– A narrow deep valley suitable for building a dam.
Advantages and disadvantages
• Advantages:
– It is a cheap way of producing electricity.
– Water can be used downstream for other
purposes.
– It does not pollute the water.

• Disadvantages:
– Large dams are expensive to build.
– Forests and other natural vegetation is destroyed.
– Wildlife habitats are destroyed.
– High risks of flooding in surrounding areas.
– People are forced to move to new settlements.
2. Geo- thermal power

• Makes use of heat from underground to generate

electricity.
• In many volcanic places e.g. Iceland there are
many hot springs and steaming geysers on the
surface.
• Holes are dug deep into the ground to allow
steam to reach the surface.
• It is then taken through pipes to a power station.
• The steam turns the turbines which generate
electricity.
Geothermal energy
3. Bio fuels
• Biomass is the total mass of all organisms in a
given area.
• Biofuels are fuels derived from biomass/ organic
matter.
• Biofuels include wood, biogas and bio-ethanol.
• Organic matter includes plant/ crop remains or
animal waster.
• In rural areas in developing countries fuelwood is the
main sources of energy.
• Fuelwood is consumed at a rate faster than the growth
rate of trees in many parts of Africa.
 COPY
Biofuels THESE
NOTES

Biofuels use organic biomass in one of

three forms as the fuel.
1. Solid biofuels e.g. fuelwood.
2. Bioethanol is a liquid biofuel made from
crops like maize, sugar cane and oil seeds.
*Bioethanol is used directly for transport.
3. Biogas (methane) can be harvested from
organic rubbish in digesters and landfill sites
as well as from animal manure.
Total energy used in Nepal
Total energy used in Nepal
10%

oil, coal and

electricity

biomass
90%
Types of biomass used
90%

80% 78%

70%

60%

50% Series1

40%

30%

20%
12% 10%
10%

0%
fuelwood agricultural waste animal dung
Biofuels
Biogas plant
 4. Wind power
• The modern wind turbine stands over 30m
high.
• Blade are made out of fibreglass, 35m across.
• Where several turbines are placed together
they make a wind farm.
• Locations are chosen where strong winds are
more frequent such as hilltops or near the
coast.
• Wind power is used mostly in Denmark,
Germany, Spain and the UK.
Wind power plant
Advantages and disadvantages
of wind power
Advantages:
• It is renewable.
• It does not release harmful gases into the
atmosphere.

Disadvantages:
• Turbines kills birds that fly through them
• Wind farms require large pieces of land.
• It is only suitable in areas with strong winds
 5. Solar power
• Solar panels and photovoltaic cells (PVs)
absorb sunlight and generate heat.
• This heat can be used directly for heating
water or for making electricity.
• Solar power is suitable for areas that receive
a lot of sunshine e.g. in Africa.
Solar power
Advantages and disadvantages
of solar power
• Advantages
• It is a cheap way to get electricity as the sun is not bought
• It does not pollute the atmosphere
• It is an easy way to make electricity and can be used at a
small scale
• Excess power can be stored in battery for future use.

• Disadvantages of solar power

• It can only be used where there is a lot of sunshine
• It can only be used during the daytime so it is not a reliable
energy source.
• The solar panels are expensive for poor farmers to afford.
 6. Tidal power
• Everyday coastal areas experience two high tides and two
low tides.
• Sea water flowing in and out all the time can turn turbines to
make electricity.
• A dam must be built across an estuary with spaces in it.
• An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish
water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and
with a free connection to the open sea.
• The costs of building a dam are very high.
• The world’s 1st tidal power station was built across the Rance
estuary in northern France.
Tidal power plant
7. Wave power

• Wave power is electricity generated

by wave movement.
• It is a new source of energy still under
research in Europe.
• Wave water movement is used to turn
turbines.
• The turbines are connected to a
generator that makes electricity
Wave power plant
Advantages of renewable energy
sources
• They will always be available (renewable).
• They do not contribute to global warming.
• They are locally available so they can meet
small scale needs.
• Technologies are available to most
countries including developing countries.
• They are clean as they do not pollute air
and water.
Disadvantages of renewable energy

• High costs of research into new technologies.

• Large scale schemes are too expensive for poor
countries.
• Some have bad environmental effects like
flooding and destroying wildlife habitats.
• PVs used in solar panels use toxic substances
such as cadmium sulphide.
• They cannot be used during certain weather
conditions e.g. without sun or wind.
• Wind turbines are noisy and can spoil the scenic
beauty of an area.
OIL POLLUTION

Why is marine pollution a global

issue? [2]
• Marine pollution is a global concern
because ocean waters flow into each other.
Ocean currents may carry pollutants from
one ocean to another.
• Efforts to solve this problem should involve
all countries that have seas and oceans.
Sources of marine oil pollution (pg. 61)

1. Land; transport and heavy machinery

and industry contribute 50% to marine
pollution.
2. Shipping; oil tankers and shipping
discharges contribute 33%
3. Offshore oil industries contribute
27% from drilling, well leaks and
transport spills.
Pollution can occur at various stages
during oil mining operations;
– Leaks can occur during drilling for oil.
– During transportation tanker accidents
can occur,
– Pipeline leaks and sabotage due to
war and hostility can occur.
– Leaks into coastal waters and
explosions may occur during oil
refining.
Effects of oil spills on marine
and coastal ecosystems
• Birds are poisoned; their feathers are coated with
oil and they cannot insulate their body so they die
from hypothermia in cold waters.
• Marine life is destroyed throughout the affected
area. Oil smothers small mammals reducing their
insulation properties.
• Coral reefs are affected by oil spills, it kills and
impedes reproduction and growth of corals.
• Tourist beaches are ruined as strong unpleasant
smells linger for a long time.
• Fishing is wiped out by an oil spill.
Managing oil spills: before the
oil spill
Preventing oil spills.
• Marine pollution is a global problem.
• International agreements and laws that seeks to
reduce marine pollution are essential.
• The IMO (International Maritime Organization) is a UN
agency.
• The MARPOL (International Convection for the Prevention
of Pollution from Ships was signed in 1978) made it a law
for tankers to have double hulls. See picture on page
64.
• Education is another strategy as it makes people
aware of the problem and the solutions needed to
reduce it.
Steps in dealing with oil spills
(pg.65)
These are steps of what is done after the oil spill has
occurred.
1. Using booms to immediately limit damage by confining
the oil slick.
2. Dispense large slicks using detergent sprays to break
down the oil.
3. Remove the remaining oil by skimmers from the oceans
and safely disposing of it.
• Sometimes the oil is burned in the ocean when all
strategies have failed.
• Biodegrading enzymes are in the early stages of
research.
• See picture on page 65.
Case study: Oil pollution in the Niger
region of Nigeria pages 66 to 67

• Read about the oil pollution in the Niger

region and answer questions 1 & 2 on the
activity questions on page 67.