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Name ___________________ Date _____ Class ____ _
Australia, Oceania, and Antarctica
Geography and Economics Activity
Energy for Our Future Economies depend on energy. Energy
refers to sources of usable power. Power plants burn coal to produce electricity for homes and businesses. Fuels made from petroleum power factories, farm equipment, and trucks that transport goods to market.
Coal, petroleum, and natural gas are called fossil fuels, because they formed from the remains of prehistoric plants. As you can see in the circle graph, fossil fuels are the source of most of the world's energy.
Fossil fuels are nonrenewable sources of energy. It took millions of years for them to form. When they are used up, they cannot be renewed, or restored. We are using fossil fuels faster than Earth can replace them.
The use of fossil fuels creates other concerns as well. Much of the world's petroleum is found in Southwest Asia. The United States and other nations depend on this troubled region for energy.
In addition, burning fossil fuels produces harmful gases, especially carbon dioxide. These gases, called greenhouse gases, slow the escape of heat into space. The result is global warming-a slow increase in the average temperature of Earth's surface. The table on the next page lists the top 10 producers of carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels.
Scientists warn that global warming could have damaging effects. Climate change could bring harsher weather, such as droughts and storms. Warmer temperatures are slowly melting the ice in Antarctica and the North Pole. This is raising sea levels and might submerge some land areas in time.
One promising solution to these problems is to develop other sources of energy, such as flowing water, wind, and the sun. These sources are renewable. Using them for power does not use them up. In addition, these sources do not produce greenhouse gases.
Nuclear energy is produced by changing the structure of atoms. It is a renewable source with great potential. However, it produces dangerous wastes. Disposal of these wastes is a major problem.
New Zealand takes advantage of its rivers to produce hydroelectric powerelectricity generated from flowing water. Underground volcanic activity gives New Zealand another source of energygeothermal energy, or electricity generated from steam.
Some nations, including the United States, are using high-tech windmills to generate electricity from wind power. As technology improves, solar energyelectricity produced from the sun's raysmight also heat our homes someday.
World Energy Production by Source
Natural gas 23.7%
Nuclear Power 6.5% ,---Geothermal
and other
. • ... Petroleum . ···.·.38.0% .. ·.·· .•. · .
Coal 23.9%
Source: Energy Information Administration, 2003.
Q
Name ___________________ Date ____ Class ____ _
Geography and Economics Activity continued
~ Thinking Economically Directions: Examine the information and graph on the previous page and the table below. Then answer the questions that follow.
Top Producers of Carbon Dioxide From Burning Fossil Fuels
Carbon dioxide (millions of
Rank Country metric tons)
1 United States 1,592
2 China 957
3 Russia 390
4 India 333
5 Japan 328
6 Germany 219
7 United Kingdom 148
8 Canada 141
9 South Korea 122
10 Italy 118
Source: Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center, 2002.
1. Summarizing What three problems come from depending on fossil fuels for energy?
2. Contrasting What is the difference between renewable and nonrenewable sources of energy?
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3. Identifying What geological features provide sources of renewable energy for New Zealand?
4. Analyzing Visuals Based on the circle graph, what two renewable energy sources are used most?
5. Calculate Find the fossil fuels on the circle graph. What percentage of the world's energy comes from fossil fuels?
6. Drawing Conclusions Look at the countries in the table. Assume that the top carbon dioxide producers are mostly industrialized countries. Why do you think industrialized countries would produce the most carbon dioxide?
7 .lm.mO!l'; QJ Use the Internet to research new, alternative sources of energy, such as ocean tides, plant-based ethanol, or hydrogen. On a word processor, summarize your research in a report that describes how the energy is harnessed or developed, the steps taken to make the energy source accessible to the public, and its outlook for the future.
