Lesson video

Hello, my name is Mr. Marsh, and I'm here today to teach you all about global patterns of energy consumption and supply.

So grab everything that you need for today's lesson and let's get going.

So by the end of today's lesson, you will be able to interpret patterns in global energy security and describe the impacts of energy insecurity on people and economies.

There are four key terms for today's lesson.

Those are demand, energy security, consumption, and finally, supply.

Demand refers to a measure of how much of something people want to buy.

Energy security refers to the ability of a country to ensure a reliable, affordable, and uninterrupted supply of energy to meet its needs, now and in the future.

Consumption refers to the amount of something that is bought and used.

And finally, supply refers to the amount of something that is available to buy.

There are two learning cycles for today's lesson.

We can start with learning cycle one, which is all about patterns in global energy security.

Now globally, demand for energy is certainly increasing as the graph on the right hand side does a great job in actually illustrating.

This graph then if we look along the X axis, we can see it begins in 1800 and it goes all the way up to 2023.

Now then, I have a quick question for you.

So looking at the graph then, what sources of energy are being used to meet this increasing demand for energy? Now, you may like to pause the video here whilst you really consider your answer to that question or better still, perhaps even have a discussion with someone near you.

And my follow-up question to that first question is, and what problems might that cause? So looking at that graph, and I'm sure you've been able to identify the different types of energy sources which are being used to meet that increasing demand for energy.

What problems do you think that may cause then? And once again, you may like to pause the video here whilst you consider your own answer to that question.

So what did you come up with? Let's start with that first question, which was really to identify the different energy sources which are meeting that increasing energy demand.

And as Alex says, the sources that show the biggest increase are coal, oil, and natural gas, so non-renewable energy types.

The second question then was what problems might that cause? Let's have a look at what different students have said.

So the first thing is that it's going to drive climate change by burning these fossil fuels.

It's releasing carbon emissions into our atmosphere, which has been proven as a link towards climate change.

There's also price increases as well and finding conflict over limited amount of resources globally.

Now once again, we've got a really interesting map on the screen in front of you on the right hand side.

It's a map which is showing us global patterns of energy consumption.

Here we can see an energy consumption map per person from 2023.

Now my question to you is yes, what does this map tell you about global patterns of energy consumption? Now, you may like to pause the video here whilst you really study that map and try to identify perhaps a pattern of energy consumption.

So what were you able to identify? Well, as Lucas was able to identify, he says that "Energy consumption varies between countries," and that is absolutely spot on.

We can see by looking at the map that there are some countries which are shaded in a much darker colour, which indicates that energy use per person is much higher in these countries, than those countries which are shaded in a lighter colour, which is showing energy use per person as being much, much lower.

Also, Jun says it is highest in the northern hemisphere and lowest in central and east Africa.

So once again, we can see a bit of a divide in the energy use per person and energy consumption.

Some areas, particularly the northern hemisphere and perhaps the western world or what we consider to be the western world, seems to have energy consumption, which is much, much higher per person than in areas of Africa, for example.

Now, high energy consumption requires a large supply of energy.

Some countries are actually able to supply a lot of their own energy themselves.

For example, oil producing countries.

And on the map in front of you, you can see those different oil producing countries around the world.

Others though, import energy to supply their energy needs.

Energy security then is a measure of how securely a country can actually supply its own energy needs.

So time now for a quick learner check, and it says true or false? Countries that produce a lot of oil tend to consume a lot of energy.

Now then you can see you've got two different maps on the screen in front of you to help you answer this learner check.

The one on the left then is all about energy consumption per person from 2023.

On the right hand side, then you can see oil production, again, as of 2023.

So please then pause the video here whilst you consider and then select your answer.

And the correct answer was true.

The USA produces a lot of oil, and it has high energy consumption.

So too does Saudi Arabia and so too does Russia.

But there are also countries that do not produce oil which have high energy consumption too.

Some of those are the energy importing countries, while a few others, Iceland for example, have other forms of energy production.

In the case of Iceland, this is geothermal energy.

Now availability, accessibility, affordability, and acceptability are known as the four A's of energy security.

Let's try and break those down in a little bit more detail.

Let's start with availability.

So the question really is, is there an interrupted supply of energy, and is supply actually enough to meet demand? The next thing is accessibility.

Does everyone have access to energy, regardless of how much they earn or where they live? Next, there's affordability.

Are energy prices set at a reasonable level that people and businesses can actually afford them? And finally, acceptability.

Does energy come from sources that are socially and environmentally acceptable? And these are all different points that need to be considered when thinking about global energy security or energy security for a particular nation.

So time now for a learning check.

And it says which of the four A's of energy security is actually missing? So I'm giving you affordability, accessibility, acceptability, and what is the remaining one? So you can see you've got four different options on the screen there.

What you need to do is pause the video whilst you try to recall the correct answer.

And the correct answer was D, availability.

Really well done if you were able to select D as the correct answer.

Around the world, three quarters of people live in countries that need to import their energy to meet its demand.

52 countries import more than half of their energy.

So how might that lower energy security? Let's try and break it down once again through those four A's.

Let's start with availability.

So disruptions to imports could actually mean countries didn't have enough energy to meet its demand.

When energy import prices rise, energy prices also increase, and this can cause or fuel poverty.

Accessibility, while import problems can mean some people and areas face a reduction in supply or support.

And then finally, acceptability.

Actions by an energy exporting country can make it unacceptable as a supplier.

So now we're gonna refer back to the map that we looked at before, which is a map showing oil producing countries.

Some countries though with higher percentage of energy imports have also been labelled.

So for example, we can see Germany at the north of the the map there.

67% of energy is imported.

It is not an oil producing country.

Meanwhile, for example, Costa Rica and Central America, once again, not an oil producing country, is importing 52%.

And finally, perhaps Japan, again, not an oil producing country, is importing a massive 87% of its energy.

So what can we infer about energy security from this? Once again, you may like to pause the video here whilst you refer back to those four A's and consider your own answer to that question right there.

So what were you able to infer from the map? Perhaps you inferred something similar to Lucas.

Now Lucas says that countries that import a lot of energy aren't oil producing countries, and that is a hundred percent spot on.

Countries which are not able to produce their own energy will end up needing to import energy from elsewhere, and this leaves them very much vulnerable or exposed to potential energy insecurity.

Time once again for a learning check, and it says true or false? Countries that have to import a lot of their energy to meet demand have an increased risk to their energy security.

So please then pause the video here whilst you consider and then select your answer.

And the correct answer was true.

Now, once again, I'd like you to pause the video whilst you consider as to why or how that statement then is true.

And the reason it's true is that a country's energy supply is more secure if it can produce its own energy, rather than relying on imports.

Imports can be disrupted, affecting availability.

Prices for imports can spike, affecting affordability and accessibility, and imports can come from sources that can become unacceptable, for example, due to political or perhaps environmental reasons.

So really, really well done if you were able to get those two answers correct.

Now, some populations can't actually access electricity.

The map in front of you taken from 2022, is showing the number of people without access to electricity.

The darker the shade of colour on the map, the more people without access to electricity.

Now my question to you is does very low accessibility make these the most energy insecure countries? You may like to pause the video here whilst you consider your own answer to that question or perhaps even have a discussion with someone near you.

So Laura though has said, "I think it does because accessibility is one of the four A's." And yes, Laura is absolutely right.

Generally the countries ranked highest for energy insecurity are countries which cannot reliably provide electricity to large parts of their own population.

So let's now consider the opposite.

Do countries with a lot of fossil fuels always have high energy security? Once again, we can refer to the map on the right hand side showing the oil producing countries as of 2023.

Now what about that question right there? You may like to pause the video here whilst you consider your own answer to that question.

Well, the answer is not always because Nigeria has really large oil and gas reserves, but still has frequent power cuts and fuel shortages because of weak infrastructure.

Furthermore, Venezuela also has large oil reserves, but an energy crisis followed an economic collapse caused by an over-reliance on oil exports.

Also, countries which can supply themselves with fossil fuels actually also have future risks to energy security.

Now why is that? Well, one possible reason is all to do with climate change.

Climate change is the result of using fossil fuels for energy.

Now my question to you is, which A is threatened by climate change in terms of energy security? You may like to pause the video here whilst you try to recall the answer to that question.

Well, the answer actually is acceptability.

Perhaps governments will have to move away from burning fossil fuels as environmental protests in terms of using fossil fuels gains pace and gains momentum to the point where national governments find it unacceptable to continue burning fossil fuels.

Perhaps as a result, countries are increasing their energy security by investing in renewable energies.

As you can see on the right hand side, by looking at the renewable energy generation of China.

Countries can actually reduce their reliance on imported energy by generating their own renewable energy.

Tech improvements or technological improvements means renewable energy is often cheaper than fossil fuel energy.

Renewable energy doesn't pollute, and it's increasing in its acceptability.

Solar and wind are not as reliable as fossil fuels, however, so there really is some pros and cons to countries trying to move towards renewables, but certainly, it does add towards a country's own energy security.

So a quick learning check.

It says true or false? Renewables make a country less energy secure because they're unreliable.

So what you need to do right now is pause the video whilst you consider whether that statement is true or false.

And the correct answer is false.

Now once again, I'd like you to pause the video whilst you consider as to why that statement then is false.

And the reason it's false is that although supplies of energy from solar and wind can be variable, renewables actually diversify a country's energy supply and reduce reliance on imported fossil fuels.

Over reliance on imported fossil fuels is a bigger cause of energy insecurity.

So really, really well done if you were able to get those two answers correct.

We're on now to our one and only practise task for our first learning cycle.

And it says this, who do you agree with most and why? So we have two statements on the screen in front of you.

One from Andeep.

Andeep says that countries with high energy consumption have low energy security.

Sophia says, "Countries with low energy consumption have low energy security." So your job then is to decide who you agree with most and give an explanation as to why and a justification.

So pause the video here whilst you attempt this practise task.

Best of luck.

And that's some feedback.

So you may have answered the following.

"I agree with Andeep.

Energy security is about meeting future needs as well as present needs.

So even if a country produces a lot of fossil fuel energy now, that is unsustainable in the future because of climate change.

There are also countries that have high energy consumption who import energy to actually meet those needs.

Importing energy increases risks of supplies being disrupted or prices increasing, which reduces energy security." Or perhaps you agreed with Sophia's answer.

So I've said that "I agree with Sophia.

Energy security is about making sure that there's enough energy to meet demand.

Countries with low energy consumption are usually those whose governments are not able to provide electricity to their populations.

There are also countries that have high energy consumption who are able to supply their own energy needs.

For example, because they are oil producers.

In these countries, high consumption comes with high energy security." So really, really well done if you're able to include anything like that in your own response.

Right, now to our second and final learning cycle, and this is all about impacts of energy security.

A lack of energy security can have a range of different impacts.

Where a country can't provide a reliable electricity supply, economic and social development becomes extremely challenging.

For example, schools can't use computers.

Children may not be able to do homework at night because of the lack of electricity.

Furthermore, companies may have to stop production and send workers home if there are long power cuts.

Farmers may rely on diesel for machinery and irrigation pumps.

If fuel is too expensive, production will reduce as a result.

And finally, countries will even go to war to protect sources of energy that they rely on.

We've seen that lack of access to modern energy sources in lower income countries means people rely on what are sometimes called traditional biomass.

For example, burning wood, crop waste, dried animal dung.

This form of energy security has real negative impacts for economic and social development.

Where fuel wood is the main source of energy for cooking, women and girls may spend hours each day collecting wood.

As a result, girls may have less time for education and study, and women have less time for better paid work.

Indoor pollution also increases where wood is used for indoor cooking, which has some very severe health impacts.

Now one option for countries facing energy insecurity for oil is to develop biofuel production.

But what are the economic and environmental costs of these biofuels? Well, biofuels are a renewable alternative to petrol and diesel, and they're made from crops such as maize, sugarcane, and soybeans.

But using farmland to grow biofuel crops means that there's less food production as a result.

Countries may have to import food which adds cost to those food items. Forest is also cleared to grow biofuels in some parts of the world, and this has environmental costs.

For example, it leads to a loss of a carbon sink and destruction of natural habitats.

Now, oil and gas trapped in shale rock used to be too difficult to extract, but fracking technology now makes extraction much more possible and profitable.

How does it work though? Well, a well is drilled vertically and then horizontally into a layer of shale rock.

A mixture of water, sand, and chemicals is then pumped into the well at really high pressure.

This creates small cracks in the rock, allowing trapped gas or oil to flow out.

The sand keeps the cracks open, so the gas or oil keeps flowing out into the well.

Now, fracking has had great economic benefits for the USA, which has changed from being an oil and gas importer to an oil and gas exporter, increasing its energy security significantly.

But fracking has environmental costs which has to date, limited its use in the UK, which has the right types of shale rocks for fracking.

So what are the different impacts then of using fracking technology to meet energy demand? First of all, there's air pollution because methane can actually escape from wells and toxic chemicals in stored fracking water can evaporate into the atmosphere.

Then there's the real big challenge of our age, all to do with climate change because methane is a really powerful greenhouse gas and adds to climate change if it leaks from wells.

Then there's land use.

Although each fracking well pad only really takes up a small amount of area, when there are a lot of these fracking well pads, the impact becomes much more significant.

Then finally, there's earthquakes because fracking can actually cause small earthquakes.

Water contamination is also a real environmental risk.

Fracking uses a lot of water, which are mixed with chemicals that can be toxic.

If these chemicals leak from faulty wells or are spilled at the surface, there is a real risk to water quality.

And these leaks can contaminate groundwater, they can harm wildlife, and they can cause health problems for nearby settlements.

Time now for a learning check.

It says true or false.

Fracking only uses water, which means its environmental impacts are harmless.

So please then pause the video here whilst you consider and then select your answer.

And the correct answer is false.

Now once again, I'd like you to pause the video whilst you consider as to why or how that statement is false.

And the reason it's false is that in fact, fracking fluid includes toxic chemicals and sand, as well as water, which can have some really serious environmental impacts on water quality if spilled or released during fracking.

The wastewater left over from fracking also needs to be stored very carefully.

So really well done if you're able to get those two answers correct.

Let's now look at the exploration of environmentally sensitive areas because developing difficult sources of oil and gas from shale rock and also from tar sands is one way of actually increasing energy security.

Another way is to develop oil and gas resources in areas that were previously too remote or challenging and environmentally sensitive.

One example is oil and gas development in the Arctic, and there's a real sort of clamour towards trying to gain and exploit those oil and gas reserves, which were previously in areas which were deemed too difficult to access.

But perhaps with climate change beginning to thaw some areas in the Arctic North, reserves which were previously thought as inaccessible, are now much more accessible and open to exploitation.

In fact, the USA has increased its energy security by developing oil and gas in North Slope in Alaska, in that Arctic Circle.

US geologists estimate that North Slope holds about 22 billion barrels of oil and 230 trillion cubic feet of gas.

The USA, as a result, has built the trans-Alaska pipeline or TAPS to deliver oil from North Slope, as you can see on the map on the right hand side of the screen, to the Port of Valdez, 800 miles to the south.

A similar pipeline is being planned for gas.

It would cost around $44 billion to build.

And yet, North Slope is a really environmentally sensitive region, which may affect the acceptability of using its gas and oil.

Why is that? While the ground is permanently frozen, we call this permafrost, with only the top layer of the soil thawing in the summer, as a result, the soil is very easily damaged.

Also, thawing permafrost releases greenhouse gases.

And as we know, this leads to climate change.

Millions of migratory birds rely on the wetlands and lakes of North Slope for breeding areas.

And any disturbance to these breeding areas can affect bird population numbers on a global scale.

And finally, two large caribou herds, the porcupine and the central Arctic, migrate to North Slope each year, where caribou calves are born.

Disruption and noise from human activities can scare away caribou, disrupt their migration patterns, and threaten their reproduction.

Time now for a learning check and it says, which two of these North Slope facts relates to its environmental sensitivity? So you can see on the screen then you've got four different options.

What you need to do is pause the video here whilst you consider, and then select what you think the two correct answers.

And the two correct answers are B, millions of migratory birds rely on the wetlands and the lakes of North Slope.

And C, two large caribou herds migrate to North Slope each year to give birth.

Really well done if you were able to select B and C as the correct answers.

Time now for our three practise tasks for our final learning cycle.

And the first one says to list the potential environmental costs of developing this location for shale gas extraction, otherwise known as fracking.

The second question says that this photo shows the trans-Alaska pipeline system.

Explain one reason why Alaska is an environmentally sensitive area for oil extraction and transportation.

The third and final question says to describe two social impacts of energy insecurity.

And as Sophia says, "Social means things like health, education, housing, and crime, doesn't it?" And she is absolutely spot on.

So please then pause the video here whilst you attempt these three practise tasks.

Best of luck.

Time now for some feedback.

And for the first question, your answer could have included the following.

Air pollution, climate change, earthquakes, land use, and water contamination are all valid answers.

For the second question then, your answer could have looked like this one.

I've said that two large caribou herds, the porcupine and the central Arctic, migrate across Alaska each and every year.

The caribou gets scared by disruption and noise from human activities.

This can stop them migrating, and that means new caribou calves are not born.

For the third and final question then, your answer may have included something like this.

Not having access to basic electricity supply for at least a few hours a day is a form of energy insecurity.

One social implication would be education.

School children can't do homework at night because they don't have light to work by, and there is no internet to learn from.

The answer continues, a second social impact of energy insecurity could be health.

Without access to modern forms of energy, people burn wood to cook their meals on.

When wood is burned inside homes, it causes indoor air pollution, which is very dangerous for people's health.

So really well done if you were able to include anything like that in your own answer.

Right now to our learning summary and what you need to know from today's lesson.

Well, you need to know that most people live in countries which do not produce enough energy to meet demand.

Energy security relies on supplies of energy being secure, but this is not always the case.

And finally, energy insecurity has a range of different economic, social, and environmental impacts.

So really well done during today's lesson.

It was a pleasure teaching you, and I will see you again on the next lesson.

Goodbye.