Energy Tradeoffs
Unit 3: Energy Resources in Wales
While any number of factors contribute to climate change (and geological history clearly demonstrates periods of global warming and cooling before Homo sapiens entered the mix), the science is undeniable that human activity is disproportionately impacting Earth systems - and that our approach to energy use is one of the biggest problems...even though modernisation has improved the quality of life for millions.
Unit 3 of Green Britain makes use of Wales as a ‘classroom’ to study the pros and cons - socially, economically, and environmentally - of various power sources and systems.
Learning Objective: Communicate the science behind environmental and socioeconomic trade-offs of various energy sources and policies with a wide range of audiences
Student Checklist:
click on each issue below to review course materials
complete the science communication assignment
What control does the devolved Welsh Government have over energy production in Wales?
In 2019, the Senedd officially declared a Climate Emergency, making Wales the first government in the world to do so. The action took place fewer than 40 years after the central UK government clashed with striking miners, whom Thatcher called “the enemy within”. It was made possible by devolution, with environmental policy being one of the Welsh Assembly’s powers...but increasing pressures for energy security raise questions about the future of Wales’ true independence around these issues.
How has coal production impacted Welsh history, identity, and society?
Mining in Wales dates back to at least the Roman Empire, but the Industrial Revolution launched a particularly intense era for iron and coal. Engineering innovations allowed for deeper shafts and increased extraction, though the mechanisation did relatively little to make life better for those working in the mines. The UK government began shutting down collieries in the 1980s, against popular opinion within most mining communities - creating tensions felt to this day.
Could Wales make as much energy from sustainable sources as it did from coal?
Reducing demand for energy (ideally while still providing the social benefits of its use) is one way to take action on climate change. Another is to reduce the problematic environmental footprint of how we extract and process energy. Chief among those negative impacts is greenhouse gas emissions, but there are other ecological concerns associated with virtually every energy source, no matter how ‘sustainable’.
Who decides whether and how Wales should exploit its oil and gas resources?
Four decades ago, Westminster began forcibly closing Welsh mines - for economic rather than environmental reasons. Today, Westminster might begin forcibly opening Welsh oil wells...again, more for political and economic reasons than for sustainability concerns. While the Welsh government has a strong ecological track record and ethos, the British government is facing geopolitical questions around oil and gas supply, as well as a cost of living crisis. How decisions should be made around economic, social, and environmental tradeoffs is increasingly debated.
Unit 3 Assignment Details: Guest Expert Media Interview
The Unit 3 assignment for Green Britain asks students to communicate the knowledge they’ve learned about energy science and climate impacts with diverse audiences by acting as a guest expert during a simulated public news interview. The Guest Expert Media Interview is worth 20% of students’ course grade for GEO/PSC300.