iGeo 2008, Писмен тест — Задача 4. Energy futures and sustainability

• 1 2
• 2 3
• 3 2

1 (1m)
alternative 2

2 (1m)
alternative 3

3 (1m)
alternative 2

4 (3m)
Question 4 focuses on geographical distributions of energy supply and demand, and looks for a relationship between these and questions about the sustainable use of energy.

• 3 marks may be awarded, if different patterns of energy resources and use are related to emerging sustainability and accompanied by appropriate country names,
• 2 marks for an answer that otherwise makes some good points,
• 1 mark for any two statements relevant to the question,
• 0 for less than this.

Answer could note:
The geographic distribution of energy resources differs from that of energy use.

• Most conspicuously, the oil-rich countries around the Arabian Sea were leading suppliers of oil to the developing economies of Europe in the 20th Century with the US being another major oil producer. With increasing scarcity of oil in the last three decades, oil in more difficult locations (e.g. North Sea) has fuelled industrial economies of Europe. (1m)
• Coal, as a second fossil fuel, is much more widely spread, and has a longer history of exploitation in industrial economies. Countries like Japan with limited natural energy resources, have build an industrial base on importing coal from places like Australia. (1m)
• The pressure on fossil fuels has led to a re-evaluation of their use, and renewable natural resources, typically wind and water are being utilised in rapidly developing economies like China. Bio-fuels have been part of the energy supply of countries, like Brazil, where there is a plentiful land supply and good growing conditions, although the replacement of food crops is currently causing concern . (1m)
• In summary, few countries are energy rich, those without energy resources face increasing economic pressure, and efforts to produce a sustainable energy supply have thrust new options (wind and biomass) onto the economic agenda of many countries.

5 (3m)
Question 5 looks just at oil, exploring the total demand in relation to per capita use.

• 3 marks may be awarded to answers that classify and explain geographical patterns in per capita oil use, with reference to identified countries,
• 2 marks may be awarded to answers that classify the distribution but does not relate this to the nature of economies,
• 1 mark for any two statements relevant to the question,
• 0 for less than this.

Answer could note:
-The most striking feature of the distribution is the high level of per capita use in North America and parts of Northern Europe. These are the established industrial economies. Only Saudi Arabia, a major energy source, shows comparable levels of per capita consumption. (1m)
-In the mid ranges of consumption per capita we find much of Eastern Europe and South America, while much of Asia (notably India and China) have high oil demand, but comparatively low levels of use per capita as a function of a very substantial population base. (1m)
-In Africa there is low use or no data for almost every country; this reflects modest energy resources (outside Nigeria and Libya), agricultural and subsistence economies and significant populations. (1m)

• In summary, the patterns are a consequence of different distributions of natural resources and different economic histories; more industrial countries generally have higher per capita oil consumption than more agricultural economies.

6 (4m)
Question 6 looks just at an emerging renewable source; wind. The answer should refer to energy types rather than the geographies of different countries.

• 4 marks for an answer that shows understanding of (i) the costs and benefits of developing renewable technologies for industrial supply and (ii) their potential rather than delivered capacity.
• 3 marks for an answer that talks about wind power for industrial supply and its emergent rather than installed capacity.
• 2 marks if the benefits alone are discussed.
• 1 mark for any two statements relevant to the question,
• 0 for less than this.

Answer could note:
While geothermal generation is possible in only a few places, wind turbine locations are geographically widespread and therefore attractive energy sources.
Geothermal uses can include localised heat exchange units, but large scale industrial generation occurs in very few countries. (1m)
Because of this widespread distribution, wind energy has good potential to deliver efficient renewable electricity to national grids for industrial use, and some capacity to support the transport sector through electrification of networks/vehicles. (1m)
Wind farms of multiple turbines have environmental consequences, often in terms of their visual impact, but their contribution to the national electricity grids will be of increasing importance in the 21st Century. (1m)
Currently, no industrial economy generates more than 20% of its supply from renewable sources outside hydro-electricity, but with the growth rates shown in Resource 3. There is a good chance that this supply threshold will be raised. (1m)

Total = 13 marks