ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

- Environmental impact assessment.
This should describe all of the ecological changes that the project could cause in the local area. There should also be an assessment of the economic and social repercussions of the project before any important decision are made.

- Effects on the environment.
· Extracting natural resources: fossil fuels and radioactive elements are extracted from underground deposits. Large areas of forets have been destroyed to provide wood for fuel.
· Transporting fuel: oil is transported over land through pipelines and by sea in oil tankers. Natural gas is transported over land through gas pipelines or by sea in tankers as liquid natural gas (LNG). Natural disasters can also affect it.
· Generating electricity: hydroelectric power stations require large amounts of water which must be stored in reservoirs. These changes have enormous effects on ecosystems alon the entire lenght of the river.
· Waste treatment: nuclear waste is kept in special containers which usually located underground or in deep ocean trenches. Deep ocean storage can be a problem if corrosion damages ythe containers and the radioactive waste escapes.

- Climate change.
The most serious negative effect on the environment is climate change. 
· When we burn fossil fuels, gases such as carbon dioxide and methane are released into the air and contribute to the greenhouse effect.
· Global warming, such as the melting of our polar ice caps and glaciers which lead to rising sea levels.
· Acid rain is the combination of sulphur oxide and nitrous oxide, produced by the fossil fuels, and water vapour.
· Power stations affect plants and animals life because they use refrigeration systems that pump hot water into our rivers and oceans.

- Energy consumption.
The fossil fuels that consumers use in their cars or home heating systems also have an effect on the environment. The generation and transportation of electricity can have serious effects on the environment.