You can easily recharge a smartphone battery, but you cannot recharge a coal mine once it is empty. Fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas) are finite resources that take millions of years to form. The UK has exhausted approximately 75% of its own coal reserves, forcing a shift in its energy mix and increasing reliance on imported energy.
To ensure future generations can meet their needs, we must practice sustainable energy management. The continued reliance on fossil fuels creates a severe chain reaction of negative impacts:
Global energy demand is projected to increase by 37% between 2013 and 2035 due to population growth and rising living standards in emerging economies like China and India. This widening gap between demand and domestic production creates an energy gap, necessitating a rapid transition to infinite/renewable resources (like wind and solar) to ensure long-term energy security.
Every time you turn up the thermostat, you are adding to your personal carbon footprint. Domestic heating contributes 15% to an individual's carbon footprint, while powering homes contributes 12%. People can reduce this by taking individual actions such as installing AAA-rated appliances, using LED lighting, and driving less.
At a corporate level, companies are taking significant steps to reduce emissions. For example, Marks & Spencer achieved a 28% reduction in emissions and a 39% increase in energy efficiency. They achieved this by switching to 100% renewable electricity and replacing diesel delivery vehicles with bio-LNG.
National and global actions set the legal frameworks for sustainability:
When a country cannot meet its own energy needs, it must import fuel. This reduces energy security and exposes the country to geopolitical price spikes.
A country consumes 600 Mtoe (Million tonnes of oil equivalent) of energy in a year but only produces 400 Mtoe domestically. Calculate the country's energy gap and its percentage reliance on energy imports.
Step 1: Calculate the energy gap (Demand - Domestic Production).
Step 2: State the energy gap.
Step 3: Calculate the import reliance percentage ().
Why would someone who supports green energy object to a wind turbine being built near their house? Transitioning to a sustainable energy future involves conflicting opinions from different stakeholders. The central conflict is often the trade-off between the high reliability and historically lower cost of fossil fuels versus the higher capital cost and intermittency of renewables.
Non-renewable energy and nuclear power provide a reliable baseload (a constant minimum power supply), whereas renewables like wind and solar do not provide constant power because they are weather-dependent.
Various groups hold distinct perspectives on how energy should be managed:
Comparing Stakeholder Views:
| Stakeholder Group | Primary Priorities | View on Sustainable Energy & Renewables |
|---|---|---|
| Governments | Energy security, geopolitical independence, and economic growth. | Support legal targets (e.g., the UK invested £265 million in renewable subsidies). However, they worry about the intermittency of renewables and previously supported fracking to ensure cheap gas. |
| Transnational Corporations (TNCs) | Profit maximisation, efficiency, and shareholder dividends. | Prefer reliable baseload sources (gas/nuclear) for consistent profits. They often use "net zero" branding and green tariffs for social legitimisation (greenwashing). |
| Environmental NGOs | Environmental conservation and climate stability. | Demand a rapid shift to 100% renewables. They firmly oppose fracking due to methane leaks and groundwater contamination risks. |
| Local Communities | Quality of life, local environment, and job creation. | May support local fossil fuel extraction for jobs (e.g., estimated 32,000 UK fracking jobs). However, they often display NIMBY attitudes towards renewables, objecting to visual pollution, shadow flicker, and turbine noise. |
Energy transitions look different depending on a country's wealth and geography. In the UK, renewables reached 50.8% of the energy mix in 2024.
Other global examples highlight different pathways to energy security:
Students often confuse 'carbon footprint' with 'ecological footprint' — remember that carbon footprint refers only to greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere, whereas ecological footprint measures the total demand on Earth's land and water ecosystems.
When answering 'Contrast' questions about stakeholders, use comparative connective words (like 'whereas', 'conversely', or 'on the other hand') to explicitly link the profit-driven views of a TNC with the environmentally-driven views of an NGO.
In 'Explain' questions about sustainable energy, examiners are looking for a clear causal chain — make sure to link the initial action (e.g., burning fossil fuels) to the environmental mechanism (CO2 emissions causing global warming) and the resulting need to change.
Sustainable energy management
Meeting the energy needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own energy needs.
Finite resource
A resource that is limited in supply and will eventually run out, such as coal, oil, and natural gas.
Infinite/renewable resource
An energy source that can be used repeatedly and does not run out, such as wind, solar, and hydroelectric power.
Energy mix
The specific combination of different energy sources (renewable, non-renewable, and recyclable) used by a country.
Energy gap
The difference between a country's energy demand and its domestic production, which must be filled by imported energy.
Energy security
Having uninterrupted access to a reliable and affordable supply of energy.
Carbon footprint
The total amount of greenhouse gases generated by human actions, measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.
Ecological footprint
A measure of human demand on Earth's ecosystems, calculated in global hectares (gha).
Net zero
Achieving a balance between the greenhouse gases put into the atmosphere and those taken out.
Stakeholders
Any individual, group, or organisation affected by or having a vested interest in a particular project or policy.
Fracking
Also known as hydraulic fracturing; the process of injecting water, sand, and chemicals at high pressure into shale rock to release trapped gas.
Intermittency
A characteristic of certain renewable energy sources, like wind and solar, that do not provide a constant, uninterrupted supply of power.
Baseload
The minimum continuous amount of electric power that a utility company must make available to meet customer demand at all times.
NIMBY
Stands for 'Not In My Back Yard'; supporting a project like a wind farm in principle, but objecting to its construction near one's own home.
Landscape scarring
Visible damage to the natural environment caused by human activities like open-cast mining or quarrying.
Greenhouse gases
Gases in the Earth's atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide and methane, that trap heat and contribute to global warming.
Enhanced greenhouse effect
The additional warming of the Earth's climate caused by human activities releasing excess greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
Mtoe
Stands for Million tonnes of oil equivalent; a unit of measurement used to compare the energy released by different fuels.
Bio-LNG
Bio-liquefied natural gas; a renewable fuel produced by processing organic waste, often used to reduce carbon emissions in transport.
Put your knowledge into practice — try past paper questions for Geography A
Sustainable energy management
Meeting the energy needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own energy needs.
Finite resource
A resource that is limited in supply and will eventually run out, such as coal, oil, and natural gas.
Infinite/renewable resource
An energy source that can be used repeatedly and does not run out, such as wind, solar, and hydroelectric power.
Energy mix
The specific combination of different energy sources (renewable, non-renewable, and recyclable) used by a country.
Energy gap
The difference between a country's energy demand and its domestic production, which must be filled by imported energy.
Energy security
Having uninterrupted access to a reliable and affordable supply of energy.
Carbon footprint
The total amount of greenhouse gases generated by human actions, measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.
Ecological footprint
A measure of human demand on Earth's ecosystems, calculated in global hectares (gha).
Net zero
Achieving a balance between the greenhouse gases put into the atmosphere and those taken out.
Stakeholders
Any individual, group, or organisation affected by or having a vested interest in a particular project or policy.
Fracking
Also known as hydraulic fracturing; the process of injecting water, sand, and chemicals at high pressure into shale rock to release trapped gas.
Intermittency
A characteristic of certain renewable energy sources, like wind and solar, that do not provide a constant, uninterrupted supply of power.
Baseload
The minimum continuous amount of electric power that a utility company must make available to meet customer demand at all times.
NIMBY
Stands for 'Not In My Back Yard'; supporting a project like a wind farm in principle, but objecting to its construction near one's own home.
Landscape scarring
Visible damage to the natural environment caused by human activities like open-cast mining or quarrying.
Greenhouse gases
Gases in the Earth's atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide and methane, that trap heat and contribute to global warming.
Enhanced greenhouse effect
The additional warming of the Earth's climate caused by human activities releasing excess greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
Mtoe
Stands for Million tonnes of oil equivalent; a unit of measurement used to compare the energy released by different fuels.
Bio-LNG
Bio-liquefied natural gas; a renewable fuel produced by processing organic waste, often used to reduce carbon emissions in transport.