energy security

• energy mix describes how a country sources its energy
• 3 classifications of energy?

  • primary or secondary - secondary is energy that has been converted
  • renewable or non renewable
  • domestic or foreign
• there's strong correlation between GDP and energy consumption as wealthy countries have people who can afford to consume lots of energy
• 6 things access and consumption of energy depends on?

  • physical availability - some countries have high domestic energy supplies e.g. Saudi Arabia and some countries have better physical terrain for production of energy
  • cost
  • technology
  • public perception - people's lifestyles and how much energy they consume and people believe some energy sources like nuclear are dangerous
  • economic development - developing countries may not be able to extract energy sources
  • environmental priorities
• the case study for national comparisons of access and consumption of energy is USA vs France

  • France has lower energy security as it has a very diverse energy mix as its cheaper whereas USA is opposite
  • USA primarily uses natural gas and oil and minimal amount of renewables showing they have a high demand and fossil fuels is more of an effective supply
  • France primarily uses nuclear and oil, showing the public perception isn't worried about the dangers of nuclear power
• name 4 energy players?

  • TNCs
  • OPEC
  • Consumers
  • Governments
• governments subsidise the the use of renewable energy sources to encourage people to use them and have a duty to follow international agreements if they are members e.g. Kyoto Protocol.

  An example is Denmark's government
• TNCs enrich poor countries who cannot afford the primary investment required to produce their own energy, they provide the link between where energy is situated and needed

  However exploitation can occur e.g. Shell in Nigeria have exploited their oil resource and destroyed livelihood's of farmers and fishermen
• OPEC has 78% of the world's oil reserves and ensures efficient, regular supply of oil alongside stabilising oil prices

  however have been accused of holding oil to allow prices to rise
• consumers determine what type of energy a country uses based on their demand and attitudes, for example China is a large consumer of coal due to increased demands as they become more consumerist and population growth