ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

Natural Resources -2
 Non-renewable energy
• Nonrenewable energy resources include coal, natural gas, oil, and nuclear energy.
• Once these resources are used up, they cannot be replaced, which is a major
problem for humanity as we are currently dependent on them to supply most of
our energy needs.
• Fossil fuels were formed within the Earth from dead plants and animals over
millions of years—hence the name “fossil” fuels.
• Crude oil is a liquid fuel fossil fuel that is used mostly to
produce gasoline and diesel fuel for vehicles, and for the manufacturing of plastics.
• Natural gas is widely used for cooking and for heating homes. It consists mostly
of methane
• Coal is a solid fossil fuel that is used for heating homes and generating power
plants.
• Nuclear energy comes from radioactive elements, mainly uranium, which is
extracted from mined ore and then refined into fuel.
• human society is—for the time being—dependent on
nonrenewable resources as its primary source of energy.
• Approximately 80 percent of the total amount of energy used
globally each year comes from fossil fuels.
• they are energy-rich and relatively cheap to process.
• Major problem with fossil fuels, aside from their being in
limited supply, is that burning them releases carbon dioxide
into the atmosphere.
• Rising levels of heat-trapping carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
is the main cause of global warming.
 Coal
• India has the world's 3th largest proven
coal reserves with nearly 177 billion metric
tons as on 1 April 2021.
• primary energy contributor with 56.90%
share equivalent to 452.2 Mtoe in 2018.
• second-largest importer of coal 141.7
Mtoe in 2018 and the second-largest
consumer of coal with 452.2 Mtoe in 2018.
• world’s largest coal company, Coal India
Ltd, which controls 85% of the country’s
coal production with 7.8% production
share of coal (including lignite) in the A coal mine in Jharkhand state
world
 Oil and natural gas, LPG
• India was the third top crude oil consumer globally (4.8% of the world) with 221
Mt in 2017.
• India was the second-top net crude oil (including crude oil products) importer of
205.3 Mt in 2019.
• India has 49.72 lakh (4.972 million) barrels per day (5.1% of the world) crude oil
refining capacity which is ranked 4th globally in 2017.
• Nearly 1 crore (10.937 million) tons LPG was consumed during April to September
2019 (six months) in domestic sector mainly for cooking.
• The number of domestic connections are 274 million (one connection for five
people) with a circulation of more than 40 crore (400 million) LPG cylinders
• India is second largest consumer of LPG globally.
• Most of the LPG requirement is imported.
• Piped city gas supply in India is not yet developed on major scale
 Nuclear power
• Expected to have 20 GW of nuclear
capacity, though it currently stands as
9th in the world in terms of nuclear
capacity.
• imported enriched uranium and is
under International Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA) safeguards
The Kudankulam Nuclear power plant (2x1000 MW) in
• development of a Tamil Nadu while under construction
thorium-centered fuel cycle
• Uranium used for the weapons
program
 Effects of Fossil Fuels utilization
• Emission of pollutants
– CO2, oxides of sulfur, nitrogen and CO
– Pollutants cause respiratory problems
– Damage forests and cause acid rain
– Greenhouse effect
• Melting ice caps
• Rise in sea levels
• Submerging coastal belts
• Drought and Floods
• Warming of seas can lead to death of coral (sensitive organism)
• Impact of the use of oil
• Drilling, processing, transportation and utilization all can cause pollution
• Leakages to air and water
• Accidental fires
• Oil slicks
Effects of Fossil Fuels utilization
Climate Externalities
Ocean acidification: At least a quarter of the carbon dioxide emitted
from fossil fuels is absorbed by the ocean, changing its pH. The
increased acidity makes it harder for marine organisms to build shells
and coral skeletons. Over the last 150 years, ocean acidity has increased
by 30 percent, posing threats to coral reefs, fishing, tourism, and the
economy.
Extreme weather: Climate change, brought upon by burning fossil fuels,
is contributing to more frequent and severe extreme weather events that
lead to disasters costing at least a billion dollars each. The cost of
extreme weather events, including wildfires, hurricanes, wind storms,
flooding, and droughts, between 2016 and 2020 has been estimated at
$606.9 billion.
Sea level rise: Oceanic and atmospheric warming due to climate change
is melting glaciers and land-based ice sheets, resulting in global
sea level rise. Sea levels have risen about 9 inches since the late 1800s,
causing more frequent flooding, destructive storm surges, and saltwater
intrusion.
 Environmental Externalities
Fossil fuels have significant environmental externalities including:
• Air pollution: Fossil fuels produce hazardous air pollutants, including sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, particulate
matter, carbon monoxide, and mercury, all of which are harmful to the environment and human health. Air
pollution from fossil fuels can cause acid rain, eutrophication (excessive nutrients that can harm aquatic
ecosystems by lowering oxygen levels), damage to crops and forests, and harm to wildlife.
• Water pollution: From oil spills to fracking fluids, fossil fuels cause water pollution. Each fracking well uses
between 1.5 million to 16 million gallons of water, and the resulting wastewater can be toxic, often
containing substances like arsenic, lead, chlorine, and mercury that can contaminate groundwater and drinking
water.
• Plastic pollution: Over 99 percent of plastics are made from fossil fuels. Globally, 300 million tons of plastic waste
are produced each year, 14 million tons of which end up in the ocean, killing wildlife and polluting the food
chain. Plastics also have climate consequences, plastic industry produces 232 million tons of carbon dioxide
equivalent per year, and the industry’s greenhouse gas emissions are expected to surpass those of coal-fired
power plants by 2030.
• Oil spills: Fossil fuel extraction, transportation, and refining can lead to oil spills that harm communities and
wildlife, destroy habitats, erode shorelines, and result in beach, park, and fishery closures. The largest oil spill in
history, the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon spill, released 134 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, killing 11
people and countless birds, turtles, fish, marine mammals, and plants—and cost BP $65 billion in penalties and
 Oil usage in Transportation Sector
• Oil produced vehicles emit CO2, SO2, N2O, CO and particulate
matter in cities with heavy traffic density
• Leaded petrol
– Neurological damage
• Unleaded petrol
– Emit Benzene, Butadiene (carcinogenic)
• New Delhi Story – Changed many vehicles from oil to CNG
(methane)
• High dependence on oil – political tensions
• 65% of the world reserves of oil are in the middle east
 Coal usage effects on Environment
• Single largest contributor to greenhouse gases
• Most important cause of Global Warming
• Many power plants are not fitted with the equipment to filter the suspended particulate
matter
• Burning of coal – Acid rain – Destroys forest vegetation- damages architectural heritage sites
• Pollution of water by acid rain can affect health
• Transportation of fly ash and its dumping is a big issue
• Benefits must be calculated in the backdrop of damage and losses due to pollution and
waste production
Fly ash

Coal
 Nuclear Energy
• 1938 – Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassman demonstrated nuclear
fission
• Conversion of mass into energy
• Nuclear power industry – started in late 1950s
• First large scale nuclear power plant in the world – 1957-
Pennsylvaniam USA
• 1kg Uranium – 300 tons of Coal
• Reaction , Energy, water, steam, turbine, electricity
• Uranium rods need to be changed in the reactor periodically
• Disposal of Nuclear waste is big problem
• Very hot water can damage aquatic eco-systems
• For environmental reasons, Sweden decided to become
Nuclear free country by 2010
• An accident can have devastating effect
– Destroy area, death, cancer, genetic deformities
– Land, water and vegetation are destroyed for long period of time
– Generations can be effected
• Nuclear energy is known for its high destructive power as
evidenced from nuclear weapons.
• The nuclear energy can also be harnessed for providing
commercial energy. Nuclear energy can be generated by two
types of reactions:
• Nuclear Fission: It is the nuclear change in which nucleus of
certain isotopes with large mass numbers are split into lighter
nuclei on bombardment by neutrons and a large amount of
energy is released through a chain reaction as shown.
• 92U 235
+ 0n 1
→ 36Kr92
+ 56Ba 141
+ 3 0n1 + Energy

• Nuclear Reactors make use of