Energy & mining: supply, demand & the environment

Every light we switch on, every truck on the B1 and every factory in Windhoek runs on energy — but where does that energy come from, who burns the most of it, and what does it really cost the land and the people to produce? In this AS lesson we first analyse the world pattern of energy production and consumption, and discover why the regions that burn the most energy are often not the ones that produce it. We work through the seven factors that shape the demand and supply of energy — resource availability, sustainability, level of development, technology, climate, income and pollution — and then examine why renewable sources such as hydroelectric power, fuelwood, wind, solar, biofuels and geothermal power are rising so fast. We study a required case study of the giant Tengger Desert Solar Park in China and relate it to Namibia's own huge solar potential, look at Ruacana's hydropower, and finally weigh honestly the environmental impacts of producing and transporting energy and the real consequences of mineral extraction at Rössing and Husab for both people and the environment.