Energy Demand and Production (Edexcel IGCSE Geography)

Energy Demand

Spec point — 4GE1-S6.067

• Global energy demand has rapidly increased

Graph showing global energy demand

Causes of increased energy demand

• Population growth and development are the two main causes of the increase in energy demand:

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

  • Increasing industry requires energy for heating, lighting and machinery

  • There is more transport, all of which requires energy in the form of petrol, diesel or electricity

  • Urbanisation increases with development increasing domestic appliances, heating, lighting

  • Increased wealth means people buy more appliances and technology which require energy

  • Advances in technology in energy production and in appliances

    • New technology in energy production means more energy sources are available, including nuclear energy and advances in renewable energy
    • Technology advances in wider society affect demand

Patterns of energy demand

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

Global energy use per person

• The main energy sources are fossil fuels, which supply 84% of the world's primary energy

• Renewables are increasing but only make up 11% of the energy mix

• Nuclear energy is 4% of the primary energy

• It is estimated that 2.5 billion people still rely on fuelwood as their main source of energy

  • This is mainly in developing and emerging countries which lack the infrastructure to connect people to electricity supply
  • Energy poverty is when people do not have access to modern energy supplies

Global Energy Sources

Environmental concerns

• There are increasing concerns about the environmental impact of non-renewable energy sources and the link to pollution and global warming
• Public concerns about the environmental impact of using fossil fuels has increased pressure on governments
• Legislation about energy production has increased

Worked Example Study figure 1a below which shows global energy consumption

Energy Use by World Region

Suggest one reason for the increased energy use in Asia

(3 Marks)

• Identify the command word

  • The command word is 'Suggest'

• The focus of the question is 'increased energy use in Asia'

• This is a three-mark question looking at only one reason so a detailed explanation of the reason is needed

• Answer:

  • The big increase after 2000 (1) due an increase in global population **(1) **which means overall there will be a substantial increase in consumption (1)
  • The big increase after 2000 (1) due an increase in consumption per head (1) a people become wealthier they generally have more appliances and devices which use more energy (1)
  • Asia shows the biggest overall increase** (1)** this may be caused by the continued growth in manufacturing (1) which uses large amounts of energy in the process (1)

Energy Production

Spec point — 4GE1-S6.067

• Energy sources are not evenly distributed across the world

• Some areas produce very little energy due to a lack of natural resources or because they do not have the money to exploit the resources

• The main producers of fossil fuels for primary energy are:

  • USA
  • Canada
  • Norway
  • Russia
  • Australia
  • Middle East

• The world's largest producers are often the largest consumers of energy

Energy Security

Spec point — 4GE1-S6.067

• 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 in 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 for many countries

• Energy security can also be affected by:

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