In a surprise announcement, the International Energy Agency (IEA) confirmed that the People’s Republic of China has overtaken the United States as the world’s largest energy user. With more than 1.3 billion people, China is the world’s most populous country. Its enormous population and the country’s growing economic base made it a foregone conclusion that it would eventually surpass all other nations in energy consumption. But it did so at a much faster pace than previously forecast:
China’s rise to the top ranking was faster than expected as it was much less affected by the global financial crisis than the United States.
The ever-increasing energy needs of 1.3 billion Chinese show no signs of abating, a point the IEA singles out:
What is more important is the phenomenal growth in demand that has taken place in China over the last decade; also prospects for future growth still remain incredibly strong. Since 2000, China’s energy demand has doubled, yet on a per capita basis it is still only around one-third of the OECD average. Prospects for further growth are very strong considering the country’s low per-capita consumption level and the fact that China is the most populous nation on the planet, with more than 1.3 billion people.
The Chinese government has played a major role in shaping the country’s overall energy policy:
China’s demand today would be even higher still if the government had not made such progress in reducing the energy intensity (the energy input per dollar of output) of its economy. It has also very quickly become one of the world’s leaders in renewable energy, particularly wind power and solar energy, and paved the way for a big expansion of nuclear power.
Read the IEA press release HERE.