Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
4.1.5 Saving Energy - Achieving More with Less
As the last chapter showed, the options for saving energy are enormous - at least
in industrialized countries like Germany. The situation is different in developing
countries. Someone who does not even own an electric light bulb and lives in a
house without heating will be in no position to save energy through energy-saving
bulbs or building insulation. Figure 4.5 shows that per capita energy requirements
generally increase with the per capita gross domestic product (GDP), which roughly
mirrors the prosperity of a country.
500
Iceland
Bahrain
Kuwait
450
400
Arab
Emirates
Trinidad/Tobago
Canada
350
USA
Brunei
NL Antilles
Finland
300
Singapore
Norway
Sweden
Saudi Arabia
China
250
Australia
Belgium
TREND
India
Oman
Russia
Taiwan
NZ
Netherlands
Korea
CZ
F
200
Austria
Estonia
SK
D
GB
DK
Kazakhstan
Ireland
JP
Italy
CY
150
SL
E
IS
South Africa
Switzerland
P
H
GR
100
Hong Kong
Malta
Argentina
50
Uruguay
0
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
GDP (PPP) in 1000 US$
2000
per capita
Figure 4.5
Per capita primary energy consumption based on gross domestic product (GDP)
according to the purchasing power parity method (PPP) for different countries.
The differences between countries with the same GDP per inhabitant are consider-
able. Whereas the GDP per inhabitant in Canada and in Switzerland is almost
identical, a Canadian consumes far more than double the primary energy of a Swiss
person. In addition to the way people live and how they handle energy, the climate
conditions and industrial structure of a country also play an important role in energy
consumption. However, having high energy needs does not automatically equate to
high greenhouse gas emissions. Although the per capita energy requirement of
Iceland is clearly higher than that of Canada, its carbon dioxide emissions are sub-
stantially lower. This is due to the fact that Iceland covers most of its energy require-
ments carbon-free using hydropower and the natural heat of the earth.
Many countries in the world have a low level of prosperity and, consequently, a
low demand for energy. Once the per capita energy requirements of China and India
reach the same levels as Great Britain or Germany, this alone will more than double
global demand. Considering the high growth rates of both countries, this would
