Topic 6 of 6 · Form 4
Energy, water and environmental risks
Non-renewable (coal, oil, natural gas, nuclear) and renewable (hydroelectric, solar, wind, geothermal, biomass) sources; advantages and disadvantages; factors affecting power station location; energy demand in rich and poor countries.
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Energy
Non-renewable (coal, oil, natural gas, nuclear) and renewable (hydroelectric, solar, wind, geothermal, biomass) sources; advantages and disadvantages; factors affecting power station location; energy demand in rich and poor countries.
Water
Water supply sources (rivers, lakes, reservoirs, groundwater, desalination); uses (domestic, agricultural, industrial); water shortages and their causes; schemes to increase supply (dams, boreholes, rainwater harvesting); water pollution and its impacts.
Environmental risks of economic development
Air pollution (acid rain, smog, greenhouse gases and climate change), soil erosion, deforestation, mining impacts, and strategies for sustainable development; conservation and management.
Worked example: Give one advantage and one disadvantage of a large hydroelectric dam.
Advantage: renewable energy and water storage for irrigation; disadvantage: flooding of land and displacement of people.
Check yourself
- Why is solar power suitable for many tropical regions?
- Give two uses of water in agriculture.
- How does burning fossil fuels contribute to climate change?
Show answers
- High levels of sunshine throughout the year.
- Any two: irrigation, livestock watering, crop spraying, aquaculture.
- It releases carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that traps heat in the atmosphere.
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