Non-Renewble Fossil Fuels (Cambridge International IGCSE Geography)

Importance of Non-Renewable Fossil Fuels

Spec point — 3.5.1 · Importance of non-renewable fossil fuels globally and in different countries at different levels of development

• Global energy demand is rising rapidly

• Population growth and development are the key drivers of increased energy consumption because

  • Food production:

    • The higher demand for food leads to more intensive farming, which needs more energy for machines, light and heat

  • Industrial growth:

    • Factories need energy for operations, heating, and lighting

  • Transportation:

    • Increased movement relies on petrol, diesel, and electricity

  • Urbanisation:

    • Increasing urban population use domestic appliances, heating, and lighting

  • Economic development:

    • Rising wealth leads to people buying more appliances and technology that need energy

Graph showing world energy demand by source.

• Over 80% of the world's energy is provided by fossil fuels (coal, oil and gas)

  • 33% oil
  • 27% coal
  • 24% gas

• Fossil fuels are fuels formed from the remains of living organisms (plants/animals)

  • These are non-renewable as they cannot be replaced at a speed that keeps up with consumption

• It is estimated that based on current use and availability, gas and oil will run out by 2080

World energy mix

• The use of nuclear and renewable energy is growing but non-renewable fossil fuels still dominate energy production

• It is predicted that the use of gas and oil will continue to increase over the next 30 years

  • Fossil fuels are expected to still provide over 75% of the world's energy by 2040

Coal

Advantages

• World reserves estimated at 120 years
• Reliable and easy to produce energy from
• Technology has enabled coal to be obtained more easily

Disadvantages

• Non-renewable— it will run out
• Releases carbon dioxide (greenhouse gas) and sulphur dioxide (causes acid rain) when burnt
• Heavy and bulky to transport
• Most accessible coal has been used and so the cost of production has increased as coal reserves are more difficult to access
• Risk of accidents due to mine collapse and gas release
• Opencast mining damages large areas of the environment

Oil and gas

Advantages

• Reliable and easy to produce energy from
• Efficient—it has a high energy density so it produces a lot of energy per kilogram
• Not as harmful to the environment as coal (gas is the least harmful)
• Easy to transport via pipeline

Disadvantages

• World reserves estimated to be between 50-60 years
• Non-renewable— they will run out
• The gases released when they are burnt are greenhouse gases
• Oil spills damage the environment and wildlife over large areas
• Prices fluctuate rapidly
• Supplies can be affected by conflict and political disagreements, e.g. the war in Ukraine

Energy use

• MEDCs usually use more energy than LEDCs

  • Countries with the highest energy consumption per person tend to be MEDCs and include Canada, Norway and Saudi Arabia
  • Countries with the lowest energy consumption per person are LEDCs, which are all in Africa and include Niger, Chad and Tanzania

• The greatest growth in energy use in LEDCs and newly emerging economies such as China and India

• Development means more use of energy in

  • businesses and factories
  • homes as people buy more appliances and technology
  • transport

Energy use per person in kwh

Energy security

• An energy gap is when a country cannot meet the demand for energy using its own resources

• When countries have an energy gap, they have to import energy to meet the demand

• Having an energy gap means that a country is not energy-secure

• To be energy secure, a country needs an

  • uninterrupted supply of energy
  • affordable supply
  • accessible supply

• The UK has a widening energy gap and is not energy secure because:

  • Renewable energy is not as efficient and so cannot replace full energy from fossil fuels
  • It is cheaper to import fossil fuels than it is to exploit the resources in the UK

• The commitment of many countries to tackling climate change and reducing the use of fossil fuels has increased energy insecurity in many countries

• Energy security can also be affected by:

  • energy sources running out
  • war/conflict
  • natural hazards
  • political disputes

Energy mix

• The energy mix in countries varies depending on the level of development
• The most economically developed countries have a wider use of renewables and nuclear energy

• The newly emerging countries are more dependent on fossil fuels

• The least economically developed countries are dominated by biofuels, which are mostly fuel wood used for heating and cooking, particularly in rural areas

Worked Example Table 1 shows energy consumption in the USA in 2007 and 2016.

Table 1

Describe the changes in non-renewable energy consumption shown in Table 1.

[3 marks]

Final answer: Answer

• Coal has decreased from 22.9% to 14.6% [1]
• Gas has increased from 23.3% to 29.2% [1]
• Oil has decreased slightly from 37.5% to 36.9% [1]
• Uranium has decreased slightly by 0.1% [1]