A new report by the U.S. Energy Information Agency predicts that worldwide energy consumption will surge 53 percent between 2008 and 2035, with China and India accounting for about half of the growth. As their economies continue to expand, China and India are expected to double their energy demand by 2035, and combined they will consume about 31 percent of the world’s energy, according to the report, International Energy Outlook 2011. The report calculates that global energy use, which was about 505 quadrillion British thermal units (Btu) in 2008, will rise to 619 quadrillion Btu in 2020 and reach 770 quadrillion Btu in 2035. China, which passed the U.S. as the world’s largest energy consumer in 2009, will use about 68 percent more energy than the U.S. within 25 years. The report says that renewable energy is the fastest growing source of electricity, with an annual growth of about 2.8 percent. By 2035, about 15 percent of the world’s power will come from renewable sources, the report estimates. Eighty percent will come from fossil fuels, especially coal, with China accounting for 76 percent of the world’s projected net increase in coal consumption.

Original Article on Yale Environment 360