Human Pollution

• Nonrenewable energy resources


  Energy resources obtained from the Earth's crust that cannot be replenished at the same rate they are consumed, primarily carbon-containing fossil fuels

  
• Types of commercial energy the world depends on

  • Oil
  • Natural gas
  • Coal
• Primary energy supply


  • World
  • Canada
  • USA
• Over 90% of commercial energy used worldwide comes from nonrenewable fossil fuels
• There are large discrepancies for energy use in the world
• Global energy consumption is increasing
• Net energy yield


  The total amount of energy available - the energy needed to make it available

  
• Important questions every country should ask when deciding which energy resources to use


  • What is the intended use for that energy?
  • How much of the energy resource is likely to be available in the near future and the long term?
  • How much will it cost to develop, phase in, and use the resource?
  • What government research and development subsidies will be used to help develop the resource?
  • How will dependence on the resource affect national and global economic and military security?
  • How vulnerable is the resource to disruption through wars, natural disasters, economic problems, or terrorism?
  • How will extracting, transporting, and using the resource affect the environment, human health, and the Earth's climate?
• Oil


  The most widely used energy resource (1/3 of the energy used today), a thick liquid containing combustible hydrocarbons
• Types of oil


  • Conventional oil: pumped using traditional techniques
  • Unconventional oil: oil that must be extracted from substrate using specialized processes
• Countries with the world's oil supplies


  • The 12 countries that make up the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC): Algeria, Angola, Ecuador, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Venezuela
  • The top 3 countries in the world by oil reserves are Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, and Canada
• Canada exports 70% of its oil production to the United States (only 30% for domestic use)
• Most of Canada's oil reserves are concentrated in Alberta, including large areas of oil sands. This unconventional oil comes at a high price.
• Another area of growing importance for Canada's oil is the East Coast (Hibernia, White Rose and Terra Nova oil fields in Newfoundland)
• Global oil reserves should last for 42 to 93 years depending on how rapidly we use oil

  
• Some analysts believe that the peak of world production of conventional oil occurred in 2006

  
• We will eventually shift from an abundant supply of cheap oil to a dwindling supply of expensive oil
• Advantages of conventional oil

  • Ample supply for 42–93 years
  • Low cost (with huge subsidies)
  • High net energy yield
  • Easily transported within and between countries
  • Low land use
  • Well-developed technology
  • Efficient distribution system
• Disadvantages of conventional oil

  • Need to find substitute within 50 years
  • Waste encouraged by artificially low price, search for alternatives discouraged
  • Moderate water pollution
  • Air pollution when burned
  • Releases CO2 when burned

  
• Oil sands


  A mixture of clay, sand, water, and a combustible organic material called bitumen (a thick and sticky heavy oil with a high sulphur content)
• Advantages of oil sands

  • Moderate cost
  • Large potential supplies, especially oil sands in Canada
  • Yields a convenient liquid fuel
  • Easily transported within and between countries
  • Efficient distribution system in place
  • Well-developed technology
• Disadvantages of oil sands

  • Low net energy yield
  • Large amount of water needed for processing
  • Severe land disruption from surface mining
  • Water pollution from mining residues
  • Air pollution when burned
  • Releases CO2 when burned
• Natural gas


  Consists primarily of methane (CH4), often found above reservoirs of crude oil, formed from fossil deposits for millions of years and subjected to high temperatures and pressures
• Types of natural gas

  • Conventional natural gas: lies above most reservoirs of crude oil
  • Unconventional natural gas: found in other underground sources (e.g. shale gas trapped in fine-grain sedimentary rocks)
• Hydraulic fracturing (fracking)


  The injection, under high pressure, of large volumes of water mixed with several chemical agents to open fractures in the oil bearing rock
• Potential issues with fracking include fracking fluid getting into drinking water aquifers or being spilled into surface water
• Not all geologic formations have the same environmental issues/concerns with fracking
• Advantages of conventional natural gas

  • Ample supplies (125 years)
  • High net energy yield
  • Low cost (with huge subsidies)
  • Less air pollution than other fossil fuels
  • Lower CO2 emissions than other fossil fuels
  • Moderate environmental impact
  • Easily transported by pipeline
  • Low land use
  • Good fuel for fuel cells and gas turbines
• Disadvantages of conventional natural gas

  • Nonrenewable resource
  • Releases CO2 when burned
  • Requires pipelines
  • Possible leakage of methane (a greenhouse gas) from pipelines
  • Difficult to move around
  • Shipped across ocean as highly explosive LNG (Liquid Natural Gas)
• Coal

  A solid fossil that consists mostly of carbon (plus sulphur, mercury and radioactive material), formed over millions of years
• Methods of coal extraction

  • Surface mining
  • Subsurface mining
• Coal is burned primarily to produce electricity and steel
• Coal is the most abundant fossil fuel, with 10x more energy than oil and natural gas combined
• Supplies of coal could last the world for 200–1000 years, depending on usage rate
• Canada has only 1% of global proven reserves of coal
• In 2014, the largest consumers of coal were China (51%), the United States (12%), and India (9%)
• Advantages of coal


  • Ample supplies (225–900 years)
  • High net energy yield
  • Low cost (with huge subsidies)
  • Well-developed mining and combustion technology
  • Reduced air pollution possible with improved technology (but more cost)
• Disadvantages of coal


  • Very high environmental impact
  • Severe land disturbance, air pollution, and water pollution
  • High land use (including mining)
  • Severe threat to human health
  • High CO2 emissions when burned
  • Releases radioactive particles and toxic mercury into air
• Advantages of nuclear energy

  • Large fuel supply
  • Low environmental impact (without accidents)
  • Emits 1/6 as much CO2 as coal
  • Moderate land disruption and water pollution (without accidents)
  • Moderate land use
  • Low risk of accidents because of multiple safety systems
• Disadvantages of nuclear energy

  • High cost even with large subsidies
  • Low net energy yield (depending on enrichment process used)
  • High environmental impact (with major accidents)
  • Catastrophic accidents can happen (Chernobyl)
  • No widely accepted solution for long-term storage of radioactive wastes and decommissioning worn-out plants
  • Subject to terrorist attacks
  • Spread knowledge and technology for building nuclear weapons