Global patterns of energy (Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE Geography): Revision Note

Patterns of energy surplus & deficit

• The global supply of energy sources is not evenly distributed

• Production of energy sources depends on various factors

  • Physical factors such as geology

  • The technology opening up new opportunities for resource exploitation

  • Economic factors such as the price of the resource and the cost of extraction

  • Political factors such as environmental agendas and wars

• Some places have a surplus of energy sources

• Others have a deficit and rely on trade and imports to make up the shortfall

Energy surplus

• Energy surplus tends to occur in countries that have:

  • Large reserves of fossil fuels, such as the Middle East and Russia

  • Good access to renewable energy sources – often hydroelectric or geothermal, such as Norway

  • A small population compared to the energy sources available, for example, Australia

Energy deficit

• Energy deficit tends to occur in countries that:

  • Have limited fossil fuel or renewable energy, such as Nepal

  • Have large populations, leading to high energy demands

  • Lack the money to exploit energy resources such as countries in Sub-Saharan Africa

Importance of energy security

• An energy gap is when a country cannot meet the demand for energy using its own resources

• When countries have an energy gap, they have to import energy to meet the demand

• Having an energy gap means that a country is not energy secure

• To be energy secure, a country needs an:

  • uninterrupted supply of energy

  • affordable supply

  • accessible supply

• The UK has a widening energy gap and is not energy secure because:

  • Renewable energy is not as efficient and so cannot replace energy from fossil fuels

  • It is cheaper to import fossil fuels than it is to exploit the resources in the UK

• The commitment of many countries to tackling climate change and reducing the use of fossil fuels has increased energy insecurity for many countries

• There are other factors that can affect energy security:

  • energy sources running out

  • war/conflict

  • natural hazards

  • political disputes

  • cost

  • environmental concerns