Environmental Impact of Energy Production
- Created by: Sharon
- Created on: 09-04-15 18:40
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- Environmental Impact of Energy Production
- Fuel Wood
- Main source of cooking fuel, heating and lighting in developing countries.
- Increased population = more demand for wood = more trees cultivated.
- less interception of rainfall, reduced infiltration, faster run off (flooding) and greater soil erosion by wind and water, loss of habitat and attractive scenary
- overuse of land from gathering
- Nuclear Energy
- Advantages
- low co2 emissions
- less toxic waste released
- large amounts of energy from small amounts of fuel
- energy produced is cheap. eg France - 78% of electricity produced from nucelar power. France has cleanest air and chepest energy
- Disadvantage
- nuclear waste is highly radioactive - needs to be stored carefully for very long time - expensive
- transport difficult and expensive eg specially designed railways.
- accidents causing radioactive leak has devastating affect on environment
- decommissioning powers stations at end of life is very expensive
- nuclear waste is highly radioactive - needs to be stored carefully for very long time - expensive
- Advantages
- Fossil Fuels
- problems arising from depletion of fossil fuel reserves, (natural gas and crude oil)
- no more cheap energy from petroleum
- loss of 1000s products made from petroleum eg. plastics, acrylics, cosmetics, paints, varnishes, asphalts, fertilizers, medications
- price of them will rise
- problems arising from depletion of fossil fuel reserves, (natural gas and crude oil)
- Acid Rain
- Causes
- sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide (from burning fossil fuels) reacting in atmosphere with water
- kills plant life, pollutes rivers, erodes stone
- sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide (from burning fossil fuels) reacting in atmosphere with water
- Management
- catalytic converters on cars - reduce nitrogen oxide in car exhausts
- burn fossil fuels with lower sulphur content
- replace coal fired power stations with nuclear
- Causes
- Fuel Wood
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