Year 11 - Geography
Environmental impacts of energy extraction
Energy
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
This unit teaches pupils about different energy resources, their extraction and uses. Pupils learn about the different types of energy, the factors affecting extraction and the patterns and inequalites associated with production and consumption. Pupils also learn about energy futures.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to explain environmental impacts associated with non-renewable, renewable and recyclable energy extraction and use.
Key Notes
- Energy extraction has environmental consequences.
- Mining and drilling can have environmental impacts, such as landscape scarring, oil spills and carbon emissions.
- Renewable energy can have landscape impacts including from HEP flooding and land use for wind turbines and solar panels.
Vocabulary To Learn
- landscape scarring: visible damage to a landscape caused by human activities such as mining or construction
- carbon emissions: the release of carbon into the atmosphere, contributing to the greenhouse effect and global warming
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Only the extraction and use of non-renewable energy has environmental consequences.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain this geography topic using two clear key points.
Energy extraction has environmental consequences. Mining and drilling can have environmental impacts, such as landscape scarring, oil spills and carbon emissions.
2. Define this geography term and use it in an example. 'landscape scarring'
visible damage to a landscape caused by human activities such as mining or construction.
3. Correct this common geography misunderstanding.
Mistake: Only the extraction and use of non-renewable energy has environmental consequences. Correction: Renewables and recyclables can have environmental consequences too, although they generally cause less harm than fossil fuels. These consequences can include impacts on biodiversity and the ability of ecosystems to absorb carbon dioxide.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Changing attitudes to unsustainable energy consumption Study Guide
- Changing oil supply and prices Study Guide
- Classification of energy – non-renewable, renewable and recyclable Study Guide
- Costs and benefits to fossil fuel alternatives Study Guide
- Developing conventional oil/gas sources in sensitive or remote areas Study Guide
- Developing unconventional oil/gas sources in sensitive or remote areas Study Guide
- Distribution of oil reserves, factors affecting growth of oil consumption Study Guide
- Energy futures – contrasting views Study Guide
- Factors affecting access to energy resources Study Guide
- Global patterns of energy use and causes of variations Study Guide
- Reducing demand on fossil fuels Study Guide
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