This year’s International Energy Outlook has been released by the American Energy Information Administration. Among the key things noted:
- The total demand for energy worldwide will increase by 57% between 2004 and 2030.
- If oil prices remain comparable to their present levels, coal will be the dominant fuel for new power plants.
- Annual growth in installed generating capacity in the OECD will be about 0.9%, compared with 3.7% in China and 3.4% in Brazil.
- As of 2004, total greenhouse gas emissions from the developing world have exceeded those of the developed world.
Naturally, all of this underscores how difficult it will be to address the problem of climate change, even if the relatively low costs cited by Nicholas Stern and Cameron Hepburn are accurate.
For more on energy sources and climate change, see: Coal and climate change, Solar power and climate change, and Climate change and nuclear power.
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As of 2004, total greenhouse gas emissions from the developing world have exceeded those of the developed world.
A lot more people do live there, after all. One can hardly expect the minority in the rich world to continue to get a disporportionate share.
Tom,
Agreed. While the share of total emissions that the developing world should increase, in the interest of fairness, total emissions need to be decreased substantially. Fast upward trends will make that more challenging.