Environment & Energy

GliderGuider

(21,088 posts)

14. Overall world energy use per capita stabilized in 1975

Wed Jun 26, 2013, 08:29 PM

Jun 2013

Last edited Wed Jun 26, 2013, 09:01 PM - Edit history (1)

The uptick since 2000 is mostly because of China, of course. Chinese per capita energy consumption has gone up 250% since 2000 from 0.8 toe to 2.0 toe/cap - which is above the world average.

Have you read Tim Garrett's paper on the energy cost of cumulative wealth? He estimates it takes 9.7 mw of primary energy per 1990 dollar's worth of cumulative GWP to keep the show running, in terms of the energy plowed into maintaining the asset base. Only power over that amount could be put towards growth, and that fraction has been declining since ... about 1972.

The press release about Garrett's findings.
A short article I wrote about it.

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Global Energy, GWP and Population Growth: what happened in 1972? [View all] GliderGuider Jun 2013 OP

The Oil Shock Demeter Jun 2013 #1

So that was the U S of A. What about the rest of the world? GliderGuider Jun 2013 #2

China instituted the One-Child Policy, and enforced it Demeter Jun 2013 #5

I'm not convinced, but I'll keep looking. GliderGuider Jun 2013 #6

Beats me. Iterate Jun 2013 #3

Hah! I knew it had to be Paul Ehrlich's fault! GliderGuider Jun 2013 #4

Ok, time to get serious Iterate Jun 2013 #7

Nice analysis. Thanks. GliderGuider Jun 2013 #8

My first thought was post war rebuilding also. kristopher Jun 2013 #9

Here's a look at a longer time series GliderGuider Jun 2013 #10

Try loading this. See if we're seeing the same thing. Iterate Jun 2013 #11

Here's what I see GliderGuider Jun 2013 #12

Interesting. Way interesting. Iterate Jun 2013 #13

Overall world energy use per capita stabilized in 1975 GliderGuider Jun 2013 #14

I remember Garrett Iterate Jun 2013 #15

I had similar questions about Garrett's 9.7mw number, so I wrote him. GliderGuider Jun 2013 #16

Yea, but those 7 billion individual Iterate Jun 2013 #17