CASE STUDIES

• Russia has been a major supplier of natural gas to Europe, producing up to 27 million TJ (tera joules) of gas each year, with around 5.5 million TJ reaching Western Europe through several large pipelines
• In 2009, Russian gas company Gazprom accused Ukraine of not paying a debt for its gas supply and the company shut off gas to Ukraine, threatening the supply of gas to countries in south-eastern Europe
• Conflict between Russia and Ukraine escalated in 2022 when Russia launched a full invasion of Ukraine, with significant implications for geopolitical relationships and the supply of natural gas across Europe
• CANADIAN TAR SANDS - Canada is thought to hold the world's largest reserves of tar sands, which have been mined since 1967 in the Athabasca region of Alberta
• CANADIAN TAR SANDS - Extracting oil from tar sands is extremely expensive and uses large volumes of water, producing contaminated wastewater that is toxic to life and threatens the already ecologically sensitive landscape
• CANADIAN TAR SANDS - The exploitation of the Canadian tar sands has caused the decline of indigenous people's cultural ways of life, as groups have had to move out of the area, losing access to traditional hunting and fishing grounds
• USA FRACKING

  • USA has been fracking extensively for shale gas since 2005.
  • Attempts to access multiple pockets of gas in the ground, when shale gas is detected large areas of vegetation are removed > cause habitat destruction and the migration of wildlife out of an area.
  • In 2014, 3 billion gallons of wastewater was created from fracking sites in colorado, wastewater is highly toxic.
  • In USA natural gas has taken over from coal as largest energy source reducing number of coal fired power stations, but caused increased air pollution around fracking sites as methane is released.
• BRAZILIAN DEEP WATER OIL

  • The Lapa deep water oilfield discovered off South Brazilian Coast in Santos Basin in 2006. Around 270km offshore and over 2km deep > makes drilling of wells and oilfield platforms difficult + expensive processes.
  • Since then, brazil has started to drill for oil in deeper waters means oil drilling platforms are further from coastline + longer pipelines needed, increased cost of oil for consumers.
• BRAZILIAN DEEP WATER OIL 2

  • Brazil looking to expand diversity of energy mix increasing its electricity from fossil fuel sources, large proportion currently generated from hydroelectric power but fears are climate change will bring more droughts > affect flow of rivers + ability of dams to generate power.
• The changing energy mix in the UK

  • Coal used to form a significant proportion of the primary energy used in the UK
  • Since 1990, the amount of coal used has decreased significantly
  • Investment in nuclear power stations and other renewable energy sources (particularly wind power) has increased
• Primary energy sources in the UK

  • Coal
  • Nuclear power
  • Renewable energy (particularly wind power)
• In order to reduce its overall energy requirements, the UK is implementing new legislation and policies which require homes and businesses to use more energy-efficient appliances and machinery
• By 2035, the UK government is aiming to have all its electricity generation come from clean energy sources
• Biofuels

  Another fossil fuel alternative
• BIOFUEL IN BRAZIL - Brazil produces around 34 billion litres of bioethanol from sugar cane every year
• BIOFUELS IN BRAZIL - Brazilian bioethanol isn't sold as a pure product-it is mixed with petrol to create 'flex-fuel' which an increasing number of car engines in Brazil run on
• BIOFUELS IN BRAZIL - Production of bioethanol has grown rapidly as the Brazilian economy has grown
• BIOFUELS IN BRAZIL - Cleared forest land has been used for more intense cropping patterns, increasing the efficiency of production
• BIOFUELS IN BRAZIL - At its peak in 2005, over half a million were employed by the bioethanol industry in Brazil
• BIOFUELS IN BRAZIL - The Brazilian government implemented a 27% minimum of bioethanol in flex-fuel and removed subsidies given to petrochemical companies, making it a highly profitable industry
• BIOFUELS IN BRAZIL - The 2008 economic crash reduced demand and investment in the industry but it is now steadily growing again
• BIOFUELS IN BRAZIL - In 2022, the price of bioethanol cost US$ 0.84 a litre in Brazil compared to US$ 1.02 a litre for petrol
• AMAZON DROUGHT EVENTS - The Amazon rainforest plays an important role in regulating the local, regional and global climate systems
• AMAZON DROUGHT EVENTS - It releases moisture into the atmosphere, through evapotranspiration, affecting humidity and rainfall patterns
• AMAZON DROUGHT EVENTS - Climate change can alter evapotranspiration and rainfall patterns within tropical rainforests
• The Amazon experienced severe droughts in 2005 and 2010
• Many plant and animal species, which have adapted to live in moist conditions, died in the dry weather
• During droughts, photosynthesis slows down and less carbon is removed from the atmosphere
• Forest wildfires became more common, releasing more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and increasing local atmospheric temperatures further
• Frequent droughts could lead to the extinction of some species and the overall health of the forest is threatened as carbon and water cycling within the ecosystem is affected
• AMAZON DROUGHT EVENTS

  • Many plant + animal species that have adapted to live in moist conditions have died due to dry weather.
  • During droughts photosynthesis slows down and less carbon is removed from atmosphere.
  • Forest wildfires become more common releasing more C02 increasing local atmospheric temperatures.
  • Frequent droughts could lead to extinction of some species and overall health of forest threatened as carbon + water cycling within ecosystem is affected.
• RISING TEMPERATURES IN THE ARCTIC

  • Rising temps will reduce snowfall, cause longer periods of melting and increase global sea level threatening people’s livelihoods as coastal areas flood.
  • Ice reflects more solar radiation creating a positive feedback called the albedo effect where more solar radiation is absorbed by meltwater further increasing melting.
  • Migratory patterns of animals such as caribou are changing, are able to graze in more northern latitudes for longer extending hunting season for indigenous people.
• RISING TEMPERATURES IN THE ARCTIC

  • As more sea surface becomes ice free + exposed to sun the habitat range of phytoplankton increases increasing amount of carbon sequestration taking place.
  • Warmer temps have lengthened growing season for crops and increased yields as a result.
  • Melting of ice has increased number of shipping vessels using northern sea routes, may increase risk of oil spills + pollution > harm marine ecosystems.
• RISING TEMPERATURES IN THE ARCTIC

  • The Arctic is a net carbon sink, however when permafrost thaws the carbon can be released as C02 and methane. In Northern Canada the melting of permafrost has caused infrastructure to subside as ground beneath it becomes unstable.
• Some mitigation strategies require international cooperation
• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)


  An international organisation of the UN
• The IPCC states that countries need to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions
• IPCC report published in 2021


  Highlighted five possible future scenarios called Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSP) which take into account different levels of climate change mitigation
• Countries can work together to reduce emissions
• International treaties


  • Kyoto Protocol (1997)
  • Paris Agreement (2015)