Impacts of energy insecurity

• Energy Insecurity


  Not having access to reliable and affordable energy sources
• Energy insecurity


  Can have significant economic and social impacts for a country
• Food Production


  • Uses 30% of global energy
  • Energy is used to power farm machinery, store farm produce and to manufacture fertilisers and chemicals
  • Energy insecurity can limit how much food can be produced
  • Demand for biofuels increases, taking up land that could be used to grow food, leading to food shortages
• Industrial Output


  • Energy shortages and higher energy costs reduce industrial output
  • Energy is essential for industry as a source of power and a raw material
  • Factories may have to produce less or relocate somewhere with better energy security to minimise costs
  • Can threaten jobs as factories may be forced to reduce employee hours or shut down
• Impact of energy insecurity on food production and industrial output

  • Often results in higher costs for the consumer, as prices for both food and manufactured goods increase
  • The costs of energy in the home will also increase
• The UK's cost of living crisis is closely linked to rising energy prices
• From February 2022 to February 2023, gas prices increased by 129% and domestic electricity prices by 67% in the UK
• Stakeholders affected by energy insecurity

  • People
  • Agriculture
  • Industry
  • Transport
• Conflict caused by energy insecurity

  • Stakeholders compete for available energy, pushing up prices
  • Shortages of energy can lead to political conflict when one state holds a bigger share of an energy resource
• The Middle East produces 40% of the world's gas and 56% of its oil
• The Gulf and Iraq wars in the 1990s and 2000s were driven in part by the West's fear of a global shortage and rising prices
• What can be done about energy insecurity

  1. Further exploit own energy sources

  2. Use complex techniques and expensive equipment to extract oil and gas reserves in sensitive areas
• Extracting energy resources in sensitive areas

  • Drilling for oil in Siberia and Alaska
  • Clearing rainforest areas for biofuel
  • Construction of dams flooding valleys
  • Controversial construction of renewable energy in popular upland areas
  • Fracking near Blackpool
• Impacts of extracting energy resources in sensitive areas

  • Threats to fragile ecosystems
  • High risks of oil spills
  • Contamination of food supplies
  • Displacement of people
  • Destruction of ecosystems
  • Landscape scarring
  • Increase in energy prices for consumers