From Production to Consumption- Energy's Other Environmental Effects

Extracting and refining oil, producing and distributing electricity, automobile transport, wood heating, and these are just a few examples. From producer to consumer, activities in the energy sector can affect the environment and human health. This involves all energy resources, whether fossil, renewable or nuclear. However, these effects can be prevented or minimized.

Producing Energy- Possible Effects on Humans and the Environment

As with any human activity, energy production impacts humans and the biosphere as a whole (fauna, flora, air, water, and atmosphere); but there are various ways of preventing or limiting this impact:

   • Oil extraction releases what are called associated gases. Most of the time, they are purified and sold off as natural gas. Sometimes this is not possible for technical, economic or safety reasons. In this case, the gas must be burnt off, resulting in the discharge into the atmosphere of greenhouse gases and sometimes pollutants (hydrogen sulfide and heavy metals). Pollutants can cause acid rain- which damages plants, water quality, and disturbs animals. To reduce these emissions as much as possible, oil companies use techniques such as reinjecting associated gases back into the oil deposits from which they came. This prevents the gas from being dispersed into the atmosphere. It also means that more crude oil can be recovered from the deposits. This is because the injected gas raises pressure inside the rock containing the crude and forces it up to the surface.

   • Oil refining, just like electricity production in thermal power plants, releases fine particles (soot) and pollutants (sulfur or nitrogen oxide and hydrogen sulfur). To stop them from contaminating the ambient air, 90% of these pollutants are recovered using filters. Then they are treated with air cleaners.

   • Extracting coal can cause pulmonary diseases in miners because of the prolonged inhalation of large quantities of dust. Various measures are implemented in mines to prevent these diseases, including wearing protective masks, ventilating and purifying the air in the galleries, and humidifying the coal to prevent dust formation.

   • Extracting fossil fuel deposits (oil, gas, and coal) in conventional or less conventional forms (oil sands for example) upsets the balance of ecosystems. When these deposits reach the end of their productivity, operators clean, replant, and rehabilitate the sites as close to their initial state as possible. This minimizes the impact of extraction on flora, fauna, and landscapes.

Energy production's impact on the environment can be prevented or limited.

   • Aquatic flora and fauna near thermal or nuclear power plants can be affected by hot water discharged from cooling towers (these facilities cool down the water used by these plants). If this happens, fish and plants that are better adapted to temperature rises can proliferate to the detriment of other species. Rivers near plants are therefore constantly monitored to ensure that the discharge temperature does not exceed a statutory threshold.

  • When in operation, nuclear power plants emit liquid or gas discharges that have been filtered and purified with very low radioactivity levels. Ground, air, and water samples are taken daily.  Flora, fauna, and agricultural foodstuffs in the areas around power plants are also monitored. Their radioactivity levels are checked to ensure that they are well below the values set by authorities. Radioactive waste produced by the power plants is also sorted, processed, stored, and monitored according to extremely strict procedures adapted according to their danger rating.

  • Constructing hydroelectric dams often leads to the creation of large artificial lakes (they store the water used to drive the turbines which produce an electric current). These lakes can have an impact on local climate - increasing humidity levels and rainfall. Damming a river can also prevent the seasonal migration of some fish. To remedy this, fish ladders or runs are built to allow trout, eels, and salmon to cross the dams. Finally, the construction of a new dam over a river sometimes involves large-scale displacement of neighboring populations living on the river banks due to flood risk. Between 1992 and 2008, the construction of the Three Gorges Dam over the Yangtze River in China led to the displacement of over one million people.

  • Solar photovoltaic farms take up huge amounts of land and are surrounded by fencing that impedes the movement of wild animals. To maintain biodiversity in these regions, ecological corridors are set up to enable animals to pass through these areas.

Wind energy production has no negative impact on the environment.False. Wind turbines can cause considerable visual and noise pollution for people living near wind farms. Moreover, migrating birds can collide with turbines located along their migratory corridors. Because of this, the location of wind turbines is subject to specific regulations.

What Are the Environmental Effects of Energy Distribution and Consumption?

Transporting energy to consumers (individuals and industries) has an impact on the environment.
   • In refineries, storage depots, and service stations, the transferring petroleum products from tank to truck causes the emission of polluting vapors. To protect the ambient air, recovery units are used to recover these vapors, which are then treated and discharged into the atmosphere with no harmful effect.

   • All waste generated in the distribution of petroleum products can have a negative impact on the environment.

It is therefore subjected to appropriate treatment (oily cloths are incinerated, and the water used to wash trucks and tanks is filtered and decontaminated).

   • High-voltage lines used to transport electricity over long distances generate significant electromagnetic fields (EMF). The possible effect of EMFs on the health of neighboring populations and the environment has been the subject of in-depth research since 1996, through the International Electromagnetic Fields Project launched by the World Health Organization (WHO)¹. The research has highlighted that "at a distance of between 50 and 100m from high-voltage lines, EMF intensity falls to the value measured at distances far away from these plants"². However, the WHO also notes that "there are still gaps in knowledge" about EMFs³. Pending further scientific progress in this area, international maximum EMF exposure standards have been set. These take account of factors such as the activities of those exposed, their age or the time spent in proximity to a high-voltage line.

Similarly, energy consumption has effects on the environment and on human health. With regard to automobile transport and some industrial activities, burning fossil fuels (oil, gas or coal) generates emissions of:

   • heavy metals (lead)

   • fine particles (dust)

   • polluting gases such as ozone, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide or nitrogen oxide.

This atmospheric pollution can cause respiratory disorders, headaches, eye irritation or allergies, particularly in vulnerable people such as children, the elderly, and those suffering from respiratory failure. It also disrupts ecosystems.

   • Deformed branches start to grow on trees.

   • Fir and spruce needles turn yellow and fall.

   • Greasy particles discharged from diesel engines obstruct leaf pores and prevent plants from breathing.

Various solutions are implemented to minimize this negative impact.

   • The ashes from burnt coal can be recovered and stored as sludge in specially designed containment ponds. Using this storage method prevents this waste from contaminating air, water or soil. The sludge is then dried, cleaned and partially reused, for example as a road construction material or to make concrete.

   • Pollutant air emissions are monitored and measured continuously by public authorities and are capped by emission thresholds. If the concentration of irritant particles or gas in the atmosphere is too high, specific measures can be applied (imposing restrictions on automobile traffic, wearing protective masks or advising those sensitive to pollution to stay indoors, and incentivizing the use of collective transport).

   • Industrial research is developing ever more efficient engines and fuels, which make a significant contribution to reducing atmospheric pollution.

Wood heating has no harmful effect on health or the environment.

False. Burning wood for heat releases smoke containing about a hundred chemical compounds, including many pollutants, such as carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxide, and fine particles. If their concentration in the air goes above a certain threshold, for example in a poorly ventilated room, they can cause eye and respiratory irritation or headaches. Therefore, specific standards must be respected when installing a fireplace or wood-burning stove.

To prevent any toxicity risk, CO and CO₂ detectors are installed in rooms with wood-fired heating. These appliances can be connected to a stove and can automatically shut it down if there are excessive amounts of these colorless, odorless gases in a room or premises.

[1] Source: World Health Organization.
[2] Source: World Health Organization.
[3] Source: World Health Organization.