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China: Prices

In recent years, the remarkable growth in several emerging countries has transformed the global energy scene, putting pressure on the sustainability of the whole system. In this regard, the international community faces a difficult dilemma: if it is true that access to affordable energy sources is key to ensuring the growth and eventual development of emerging economies the intensive use 'dirty' but cost-effective generates harmful effects on the environment. These tensions were expressed at the recent United Nations Conference on climate change developed in Copenhagen, which were evident institutional constraints that prevent reach a significant and binding agreements in relation to control gas emissions emissions.

In this context, we are witnessing the emergence of two new 'giant' energy: China and India. Figure 1 describes the time evolution of primary energy consumption of the main Ales countries and regions. We see that today, China has surpassed ampliam or entity to the European Union and is the second largest consumer of energy globally. It is also the second-largest electricity (after the United States) and the third energy producer (behind the United States and Russia). The dynamics of India is also surprising, although the volumes are much lower: for 2008 consumption resembles nothing less than that of Japan, where 30 years earlier and did not reach 30% of the latter.

On the other hand, from the environmental point of view the picture is not encouraging, since both China and India energy structure based primarily on the combustion of coal, one of the most polluting energy sources. The following table gives an account of this.

Oil remains the dominant fuel worldwide, maintaining majority share in all regions except Europe and Asia Pacific. Coal is the dominant fuel in Asia, and their participation is increasing. Asia accounts for 61.5% of global consumption of coal is higher overall participation for all fuels in all regions, thus we see that the region depends heavily on this energy source.

coal dependence partly explains the relatively low efficiency of the energy industry in these countries, together with the composition of the coal industry (coal mines and small-scale, very low-tech to low productivity and high pollution ) and issues associated with transport (coalfields are far from the regions of highest energy consumption).

However, if we consider the statistics in terms of per capita consumption of both countries is still far much of the world average. For example, electricity consumption in China in 2003 was 1464 kWh per capita, equivalent to U.S. consumption in 1941, Japan in 1962 and Taiwan in 1975. This is another sign of alarm, not only for energy sustainability issues but on environmental grounds, since in the coming years is expected to inc remento significant electricity consumption (the main primary source of energy is coal.)

Indeed, Figure 3 shows the exponential trend of electricity consumption in China, growing at rates never seen before. Consequently, the demand for coal-derived, follows a similar pattern. Naturally, this has an impact on the level of greenhouse gas emissions (Figure 4) : according to private estimates, in 2009 China had already overtaken the United States on emissions.

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Undoubtedly, the process of modernization that is experiencing particularly Southeast Asia and emerging countries in general, poses a significant energy challenge. While it is a complex situation, we must work together in building partnerships to overcome the differences arising from the diversity of interests between developed and emerging countries and also present and future generations-.