energy resources

Answer: Global energy consumption is uneven because: wealth determines how much energy a country can afford (the USA uses 77,000 kWh/person/year vs Nigeria's 150 kWh); climate affects heating and cooling needs; industrial structure matters (manufacturing economies use more energy than service-based ones); population size and growth affect total demand; and government policy (subsidies increase consumption, taxes reduce it). Access to energy is also unequal - 770 million people worldwide still lack electricity.

Answer: Global energy consumption is uneven because: wealth determines how much energy a country can afford (the USA uses 77,000 kWh/person/year vs Nigeria's 150 kWh); climate affects heating and cooling needs; industrial structure matters (manufacturing economies use more energy than service-based ones); population size and growth affect total demand; and government policy (subsidies increase consumption, taxes reduce it). Access to energy is also unequal - 770 million people worldwide still lack electricity.

Answer: Coal advantages: abundant, cheap, reliable, and can be stored for later use. Coal disadvantages: highest CO₂ emissions of any fuel, causes air pollution (SO₂, particulates), mining damages landscapes, and it is being phased out in many countries. Wind advantages: renewable, zero CO₂ in operation, UK has excellent wind resources, costs have fallen 70% since 2010. Wind disadvantages: intermittent (only generates when wind blows), visual and noise impact, requires backup or storage, and offshore wind is expensive to install.

Answer: Energy security means having reliable and affordable access to energy supplies. It is a concern because many countries depend on imported fossil fuels, making them vulnerable to supply disruptions and price shocks. The 2022 Russia-Ukraine war caused European gas prices to rise over 400%. Countries like the UK (a net energy importer since 2004) face risks when international supply chains are disrupted. Improving energy security through domestic renewables and reducing import dependence is a key policy goal.

Answer: Strategy 1: Decarbonisation - shifting from fossil fuels to renewables and nuclear. The UK has increased renewable electricity from under 5% in 2010 to over 40% in 2023. Strategy 2: Electrification - replacing petrol/diesel vehicles with electric ones and gas heating with heat pumps. The UK will ban new petrol/diesel car sales by 2035. Strategy 3: Energy storage - developing batteries, pumped hydro, and hydrogen to store renewable energy for when generation is low, addressing the intermittency problem.

Answer: While renewable energy can provide most of our electricity by 2050 (the UK already generates over 40% from renewables), completely replacing all fossil fuels is challenging. Some sectors (aviation, shipping, heavy industry) are hard to electrify. Intermittency requires massive storage and backup capacity. Developing countries still need to expand energy access, which may require some fossil fuels in the short term. Nuclear provides reliable low-carbon baseload but has waste concerns. A realistic scenario combines renewables, nuclear, storage, and some fossil fuels with carbon capture, rather than 100% renewables.

Answer: Economic impacts: The transition creates jobs in renewables (250,000+ in the UK) but loses fossil fuel jobs; upfront costs are high (Hinkley Point C: £32 billion) but running costs of renewables are low; energy prices are volatile during transition (2022 crisis); fuel poverty affects 6.7 million UK households. Environmental impacts: CO₂ emissions are falling as coal is replaced; air quality is improving; but mining for battery materials (lithium, cobalt) creates new environmental problems; large wind and solar farms alter landscapes; and the transition does not yet address aviation and shipping emissions. Overall, the transition is necessary for climate targets but creates economic challenges that need careful management.