GCSE Geography | Impact of UK Energy Production (Resource Management - UK Overview 8)

The exploitation of energy resources has many economic and environmental impacts - some good and some bad.

Fossil fuels

Fossil fuels have traditionally been the main source of energy in the UK - and we still have between 200-300 years worth of coal left so it makes sense that we should dig it up, rather than import it from other countries. And we also know there are lots of areas that could be dug to find oil and gas - which would create thousands of jobs and lead to a multiplier effect with support industries and the manufacturing process, giving a huge economic boost to those areas with these resources. But there are numerous economic and environmental impacts that are linked to fossil fuel energy production...

Economic impacts of exploiting fossil fuels in the UK

• Much of the coal is deep underground which makes it very expensive and hard to access - meaning it is easier and cheaper to import coal from other countries. The last operating deep coal mine in the UK closed in 2015 - Kellingley colliery in North Yorkshire
• New areas of oil exist in places that are either remote or hard to get to - for example, there is oil in areas of the North Sea that haven't been drilled before, but this exploration is very expensive due to the remoteness, and there is also oil in some heavily populated areas along the south coast
• Many people who have spent decades working in coal mines have developed respiratory illnesses from breathing in coal dust, which have to be treated by the NHS at significant cost
• Coal mining leaves large spoil heaps which are very expensive to clean up

Environmental impacts of exploiting fossil fuels in the UK

• Burning fossil fuels emits carbon dioxide which contributes to the greenhouse effect and climate change
• Visual pollution from coal mining spoil heaps and open cast mines
• Coal mines create large amounts of dust and noise, and increased heavy goods vehicles on the road - this has an impact on local people and wildlife
• Coal mining uses large areas of land, and needs additional infrastructure, such as access roads and supporting industries, which also impacts upon wildlife habitats
• Oil and gas terminals are vast and have a huge visual impact (see photo of Ellesmere Port below)
• Fracking - click here for more information

Nuclear energy

The 1960s saw investment into nuclear power stations across the UK, such as Sizewell A on the Suffolk Coast (the concrete building in the photo below), with a second wave of investment into new-generation plants in the 1980s and 1990s, including the construction of Sizewell B (the blue and white building in the photo below). By the late 1990s nuclear power accounted for a quarter of all energy production in the UK, but this has declined to around 15% now. This is due to the fact that all of the original nuclear power stations have been decommissioned or are currently going through that process, and construction of new-generation plants was halted for a number of years. However, more recently the government has decided to go ahead with the construction of these new-generation plants, including the controversial Sizewell C development which many locals have opposed, despite how much it will boost the local economy.

Nuclear power is seen by many as a clean source of energy which is able to produce electricity at a large scale, and although the cost of building power stations is higher than any other form of power, the production costs after are relatively low. Nuclear energy also create huge numbers of jobs - in constructing the plants, but also in research and development for new technology. But nuclear power is controversial for many reasons...

Economic impacts of nuclear power in the UK

• The power stations cost an enormous amount of money to construct
• Transportation and storage of nuclear waste is very difficult and expensive
• The costs of the decommissioning process at the end of the life of the power station is also very high

Environmental impacts of nuclear power in the UK

• Nuclear waste has to be stored for a very long time - it can take thousands of years for radioactive decay to occur so the risk of contamination is high
• Radiation leaks from nuclear accidents can have a long-term effect on people and the environment, e.g. Chernobyl (Ukraine, 1986) which led to the evacuation of 350,000 people, and destroyed hundreds of thousands of pine trees close to the reactor, leading to reduced seed production in the area, and a huge decline in species of invertebrates and small mammals

Renewable energy

The contribution made by renewable energy to the UK's energy mix has grown significantly over the last decade - most days around a third of UK energy comes from renewable sources, particularly wind and solar. There has been huge investment into wind farms, particularly those off-shore, which are less likely to be opposed, and thousands of acres of farmland have been given over to solar farms. Renewable energy gives of few carbon emissions so is seen as an important strategy in the fight against climate change. As this sector has grown rapidly it has created thousands of jobs in research and development, but in manufacturing and construction too. However, there are several drawbacks to generating energy in this way...

Economic impacts of renewable energy in the UK

• Initially the cost of renewable energy is high, particularly as they are often in hard to get to places, such as the sea!
• Many people argue that land used for solar farms is taking away land that could be used for crop farming, therefore impacting food supply
• Lots of people also argue that renewable energy production is unsightly, for example, fields full of solar panels, but particularly windfarms, which are often situated in highland areas where the landscape is beautiful, therefore there could be an impact on tourism
• There is also a concern that they don't generate that much electricity, so it takes a long time to get the initial investment back

Environmental impacts of renewable energy in the UK

• Visual impact on the landscape (mentioned above) - of wind turbines in particular, but also the supporting infrastructure, such as access roads, which can dramatically change very remote regions
• Wind turbines can present a danger to birds - they can affect migration, but can also cause birds to fly into them
• Solar panels can also pose a danger to wildlife as birds often mistake the reflective glass for water
• Noise pollution to local people - one of the main reasons that people oppose on-shore windfarms, and why off-shore wind development is more likely to take place
• Off-shore wind turbines can affect underwater currents, which affects marine life