Renewable and non-renewable resources The use of energy resources in Ireland and Europe

1. 5 Environmental impact of economic development • Renewable and non-renewable resources • The use of energy resources in Ireland and Europe • The impact of fossil fuels • Environmental pollution at a national and a global scale • Sustainable economic development • Conflict between environmental and economic interests

2. Chapter 5: Environmental Impact of Economic Development • Energy resources • We consume large amounts of energy in the way we live and work today • Energy is produced from a number of different resources • Sources include: Fossil fuels, nuclear power, natural resources such as wind, water and the sun • Renewable resources are natural resources that can be replaced • Renewable resources include wind, water, timber, sunlight and fish • Non-renewable resources are resources that cannot be replaced once they have been used • Non-renewable resources include oil, natural gas, coal, iron ore, copper and peat • The production of energy has a major impact on the environment – global warming

3. Chapter 5: Environmental Impact of Economic Development • Ireland’s energy resources • Ireland depends on fossil fuels for energy – 96 per cent of all energy used in Ireland in 2008 • Ireland has very limited supplies of fossil fuels • In 2008, imported oil and gas accounted for 81 per cent of Ireland’s energy supply • Ireland’s non-renewable resources: peat and natural gas • Ireland’s renewable resources: solar, wind and water power

4. Chapter 5: Environmental Impact of Economic Development • The EU’s energy resources • Fossil fuels are the main sources of energy • Oil and gas have replaced coal as the main sources of energy • The EU supplies 50 per cent of energy resources it consumes • The other 50 per cent are imported • Currently imports 82 per cent of oil used and 57 per cent of natural gas • The EU depends heavily on Russia for oil and natural gas

5. Chapter 5: Environmental Impact of Economic Development • Nuclear power • The world's first commercial nuclear power station opened in the UK in 1956 • By April 2011, there were 437 nuclear reactors operating in the world • Nuclear power stations currently supply: 6 per cent of the world’s energy and 13 per cent of the world’s electricity • Environmental concerns over the disposal of nuclear waste and a series of nuclear disasters threaten the future of nuclear power

6. Chapter 5: Environmental Impact of Economic Development • Renewable energy • Currently, the world relies heavily on fossil fuels • Fossil fuels account for more than 85 per cent of the world’s primary energy consumption • Non-renewable – supplies of fossil fuels will eventually run out • The burning of fossil fuels contributes to global warming • Renewable energy resources include hydropower (water power), solar power, wind energy, biofuels and geothermal energy • Hydropower: power that is generated by the force of moving water, currently accounts for almost 20 per cent of the world’s electricity • Wind energy: a clean and renewable source of power, supplies 2.5 per cent of the world’s electricity • Biofuels: a biofuel is a type of fuel derived from biomass, provided 2.7 per cent of the world’s transport fuel in 2010

7. Chapter 5: Environmental Impact of Economic Development • Wind farms in Ireland • Ireland has ideal conditions for generating wind power – large unpopulated areas that are exposed to regular winds • The development of wind power in Ireland started in the early 1990s • By 2010, there were 110 on-shore wind energy projects and one off-shore wind farm in Ireland • Wind power accounted for 14 per cent of electricity production in Ireland in 2010 • Arklow Bank Wind Park: first off-shore wind farm in Ireland

8. Chapter 5: Environmental Impact of Economic Development Environmental impact of energy consumption • The production and consumption of vast amounts of energy has a negative impact on the environment • Acid rain: • Fossil fuels emit sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides into the air, these gases then mix with water vapor in the air to form an acid • Acid rain can have harmful effects on forests, soils, freshwaters (lakes and rivers), buildings and human health • Smog: • A type of air pollution, occurs when large quantities of smoke mix with fog • Smog can have harmful effects on human health

9. Chapter 5: Environmental Impact of Economic Development • Global warming • Global warming: the rise in the average temperature of the Earth • Caused by the build up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere • The greenhouse effect: gases let sunlight through to the earth but trap the heat and warm the temperature • Causes of greenhouse gases: fossil fuels, industrialisation, population growth and deforestation • Impacts of global warming: alter sea levels, modify precipitation patterns, change agricultural production, and increase health problems

10. Chapter 5: Environmental Impact of Economic Development • The Kyoto Protocol • An international protocol that aims to reduce global warming • Originates from an international conference on global warming held at Kyoto, Japan in 1997 • Participating countries aimed to reduce their collective greenhouse gas emissions by 5.2 per cent by 2012 • Agreed to reduce the burning of fossil fuels, increase their use of alternative fuels and reduce deforestation • The EU was given a target of an 8 per cent reduction in emissions by 2012 • Some countries are currently failing to meet their commitment to cut greenhouse gas emissions

11. Chapter 5: Environmental Impact of Economic Development • Sustainable economic development • Takes a long-term view of development • Definition: development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs • To achieve sustainable development, environmental needs must be taken into account when planning economic activities • EIA: used to assess the possible positive or negative impact that a proposed project would have on the environment • EIS: results of an EIA are documented in an EIS, lists the possible impacts that the proposed development would have • EPA: set up in 1993 to protect Ireland’s environment, set up in 1993 to protect Ireland’s environment

12. Chapter 5: Environmental Impact of Economic Development • Economic development versus environmental protection • Often conflict between the need to develop economic activities and the need to protect the environment • Conflict of interest can lead to disputes between developers and communities • The Mayo Gas terminal: a gas field discovered off the coast of Mayo in 1996 • Corrib Gas Project: plan to construct a pipeline to transport gas from the field to an onshore processing terminal in Bellanaboy • Objections: Health and safety issues, danger of air and water pollution, exploitation of Ireland’s gas resource • Support: will supply 60 per cent of Ireland’s gas needs for a period of 20 years, short-term employment for over 500 workers, 50 permanent jobs