IEA: Global energy use to spike 30 percent by 2040
Emerging economies will drive demand despite falling use in developed countries, International Energy Agency says.
Published On 10 Nov 2015
Global energy use will shoot up 30 percent over the next 25 years, driven primarily by growing demand in emerging economies, a report released on Tuesday by the International Energy Agency (IEA) said.
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The organisation, made up mostly of developed Western countries, said energy use would grow in India, China, Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia, despite a decrease in developed states.
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China’s use of fossil fuels is set to increase rapidly by the 2030s, and the country is set to overtake the US as the world’s biggest consumer of oil, the report said. It added that by 2040, total demand in China will be double that in the US.
This increase is despite China having a larger renewable power generation capacity than any other country.
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The country’s shift from more energy intensive industries, such as steel production, to a more service based economy will mean it will use less energy per unit of economic growth, the IEA said.
China’s population currently stands at more than 1.35 billion. Its neighbour to the south India has a population of 1.25 billion and is expected to have similar energy demands.
India’s fast pace of modernisation and the urbanisation of its population will help it become the world’s largest coal importer by 2020.
Paris conference
The IEA said the EU would oversee the biggest cut in energy use, expecting to decrease consumption in its member states by 15 percent by 2040. Japan is expected to cut its use by 12 percent and the US by three.
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Fossil fuel use is the primary source of greenhouse gas emissions and a key driver in climate change.
On Sunday, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere had reached a record high.
“Every year we say that time is running out. We have to act now to slash greenhouse gas emissions if we are to have a chance to keep the increase in temperatures to manageable levels,” said WMO Secretary-General Michel Jarraud.
The UN is convening a conference in Paris in December to help achieve a binding agreement on climate change.
Source: Al Jazeera