Emerging nations more energy-efficient - report

14 April 2008 15:04  [Source: ICIS news]

MUMBAI (ICIS news)--India is the most energy-efficient country among the emerging economies such as Brazil, China and South Africa, all of whom outperform the industrialised nations in this area, the Centre for Knowledge Societies (CKS) said on Monday.

“[On a] per capita basis, not only China and India, but most emerging economies remain far below the energy consumption as well as carbon emission levels of industrialised economies,” the India-based CKS said in a report.

"Many emerging economies have tiny carbon footprints in comparison with industrialised economies. Yet some of them are highly energy-efficient: this means that they create more economic value per unit of energy consumed,” said CEO and founder Aditya Sood said.

China's carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of 2,600 tonnes per 1,000 people is far below the 10,160 tonne/1,000 people rate for Germany, CKS said.

Indonesia's per capita energy consumption of 21.5m Btu is higher than India's 12.6m Btu, but it is almost negligible when compared to its more economically developed neighbours such as South Korea, which has a consumption of 170.2m Btu, it added.

As energy demands and carbon footprints increase in line with rising per capita GDP of these nations, energy innovation will play a significant role, Sood said.

The report forecast that, confronted with the high costs of energy as well as the prospect of climate change, emerging economies would become energy innovators in the future.

By: Isha Jha
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