After overtaking USA in Carbon Emissions,China surpasses USA in Energy Consumption as well

China surpassed the USA as the largest emitter of Greenhouse Gases (GHG) in 2006 when it produced 6.2 billion tons of CO2 overtaking the USA at 5.8 billion tons.It has only increased the gap with the USA in the intervening 4 years as the Chinese economy has grown roughly at a 10% average.Now International Energy Agency (IEA) has said that China has also become the world’s largest consumer of energy overtaking the US with a lead of 4%. IEA said that China consumed the 2.252 Billion Tons of Oil Equivalent overtaking USA at 2.17 Billion Tons.BP in its statistical overview had said the same thing a month ago.The increase in Energy Consumption by Emerging Countries like India and China is going to result in substantial increase in the prices of energy.While Green Energy is getting traction in the developed world,it needs to grow much faster.

China Passes U.S. as World’s Biggest Energy Consumer, IEA Says – Businessweek

China overtook the U.S. as the world’s biggest energy user last year, suggesting continued strength in global fuel-demand growth, according to the International Energy Agency.China consumed 2,252 million metric tons of oil equivalent in 2009 in the form of oil, coal, natural gas, nuclear power and renewable sources, IEA Chief Economist Fatih Birol said yesterday. That exceeded the 2,170 million tons used by the U.S.China’s oil imports gained 48 percent last year and have almost doubled since 2005, according to customs data. The nation increased oil imports to a record 22.1 million tons, or about 5.4 million barrels a day, customs figures show.Global oil supplies will become “tighter” after 2015 as a result of declining production outside the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, and growing control of reserves by state-run producers, Birol said.

China overtakes US as world’s biggest CO2 emitter – Energy Bullentin

The surprising announcement will increase anxiety about China’s growing role in driving man-made global warming and will pile pressure onto world politicians to agree a new global agreement on climate change that includes the booming Chinese economy. China’s emissions had not been expected to overtake those from the US, formerly the world’s biggest polluter, for several years, although some reports predicted it could happen as early as next year. But according to the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, soaring demand for coal to generate electricity and a surge in cement production have helped to push China’s recorded emissions for 2006 beyond those from the US already. It says China produced 6,200m tonnes of CO2 last year, compared with 5,800m tonnes from the US.

Pressure on China to Increase to Reduce GHG Emission and Energy Usage

With China becoming both the biggest GHG emitter and its largest Energy Consumer,the pressure on China to control its emission will increase.This is apparent from the fact that a Chinese official has denied IEA’s statement saying that China is not the largest energy consumer.He also said that China was a big mover in Renewable Energy with heavy investments in Wind,Solar,Hydro and Nuclear Energy.China recently said that it would not be able to meet its target of decreasing energy efficiency of 40-45% by 2020.The lack of a global climate deal and the the disinterest shown by world leaders in enacting climate legislation will only see China and the rest of the world getting into a deeper hole.

China denies IEA label as world’s top energy user – Reuters

China on Tuesday denied a report that it had surpassed the United States last year to become the world’s largest energy user.But Zhou Xian, spokesperson for China’s National Energy Administration, said on Tuesday that the IEA’s estimate of China’s energy consumption was too high, although he declined to give an alternative estimate.In 2000, the United States — the world’s largest economy — consumed twice as much energy as China, but China, which is the world’s third-largest economy, now consumes more than the United States, the Financial Times report quoted Fatih Birol, the IEA’s chief economist, as saying.