Global patterns of energy use and causes of variations
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can describe the global pattern of energy use and explain reasons for the variations in energy use per person.
Key learning points
- There are variations (inequalities) in the global pattern of energy use.
- Level of economic development is a cause of variations in the global pattern of energy use.
- Demand from different economic sectors cause variations in energy use.
- Energy poverty has negative economic, social and environmental implications.
Keywords
Variation - differences or changes in something, for example variations in energy use between countries means differences in the amounts and types of energy that different countries use
Economic development - the growth of a country’s wealth, leading to better jobs, higher incomes and improved living standards
Economic sectors - the different types of jobs and industries in an economy, divided into primary (e.g. farming), secondary (e.g. manufacturing), tertiary (services) and quaternary (e.g. research)
Common misconception
Hot countries use less energy because it is warm all year so they do not need to heat their houses.
While people in hot countries may need to use less energy on heating, energy use depends most on how developed a country is - developed countries use more energy per person because they have more industries, transport and technology.
Teacher tip
An interesting development in recent years is that some developed countries are starting to see reductions in their energy use per person, which includes the UK and Canada. Students could explore reasons (e.g. energy efficiency, vehicle electrification) and consider whether this trend will continue.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What is a renewable energy source?
Q2.Which of these is a non-renewable energy source?
Q3.What does recyclable energy refer to?
Q4.Which of these is a common environmental impact of fossil fuel use?
Q5.What’s a key difference between renewable and recyclable energy?
Q6.Why might a country not use its own fossil fuel reserves?
Assessment exit quiz
4 Questions
Q1.What does 'variation' mean in the context of global energy use?
Q2.What is economic development?
Q3.Why do HICs (high-income countries) often use more energy than LICs?
Q4.Why is the idea that hot countries always use less energy incorrect?
To help you plan your 11 geography lesson on: Global patterns of energy use and causes of variations, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 11 geography lesson on: Global patterns of energy use and causes of variations, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 geography lessons from the Energy unit, dive into the full secondary geography curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.