Feature Article

Currently, over a quarter of the world’s primary energy supply comes from coal. Since the rich world has already created its coal infrastructure, the increased use of coal in China and India is now under scrutiny. In 1980, rich countries used over 65 per cent of the world’s coal; in 2000 their share was roughly 50 per cent. By 2005, this figure fell to 38 per cent as consumption in China and India grew.

The proponents of coal have come up with a novel idea

For the global nuclear industry, climate change seems to be a blessing.

Is it possible for the world to reinvent its energy systems?

In India, wind provides 70 per cent of renewable energy. In mid-2007, the country, had roughly 10,000 mw of installed renewable capacity

You can save money, electricity and get piping hot water for your home with a solar water heater.

It would seem that India is quick to jump on a boat and then even quicker to sink it.

It is estimated that by 2015 roughly 20-30 per cent of the Chinese population will be using the sun to heat their domestic water. The country has built a huge manufacturing base for these systems and its suppliers even offer 10-15-year guarantees on them. Chinese solar water heater exports are booming going from 200,000 sq m of collecter area in 1999 to 2 million sq m in 2006.

It is quite evident that the less the fuel used, the lower will be the greenhouse gas emissions per unit of gdp. This is known as emissions intensity. In this respect, the industrialized world

The one sector which is running amok in terms of growth of emissions is transport. Between 1990 and 2005, the maximum increase in emissions of rich countries was in this sector