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UK Environmental Challenges

Changing UK energy supply and demand, and sustainable use

  • 3 things to know
  • Component 01

Overview

Coal in the 1950s, North Sea oil and gas, the dash for gas and the collapse of coal mining, falling energy demand, how government and agreements such as the Paris Agreement steer supply, sustainable energy use by households, councils and the nation, smart meters, and why cutting demand beats building new generation.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Key term

How did Britain's energy supply shift from coal to North Sea oil and gas between the 1950s and 1990s?

Key term

Which fuel dominated British energy supply in the 1950s?

Key term

How did North Sea discoveries change where Britain got its energy from?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    Which fuel dominated British energy supply in the 1950s?

    Model answer

    Coal, mined at home and burned for electricity, for industry and in household grates.

  2. 2

    How did North Sea discoveries change where Britain got its energy from?

    Model answer

    Oil and gas found offshore from the 1960s onwards made the country largely self-sufficient and displaced coal from homes and power stations.

  3. 3

    What was the dash for gas?

    Model answer

    The rapid building of gas-fired power stations during the 1990s, because they were cheaper, quicker to build and cleaner than coal-fired ones.

  4. 4

    Why did British coal mining collapse during the 1980s and 1990s?

    Model answer

    Imported coal and North Sea gas were cheaper, and government withdrew support and closed the pits.

  5. 5

    What has happened to overall energy demand in Britain since the mid-2000s?

    Model answer

    It has fallen, because heavy industry has shrunk and buildings, appliances and vehicles have all become more efficient.

  6. 6

    Give two ways a government can steer where a country's energy comes from.

    Model answer

    By granting or refusing planning permission for power stations and wind farms, and by taxing, subsidising or setting targets that make some sources cheaper than others.

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