Reducing the Energy Carbon Content - Energy and Climate: How to Achieve a Successful Energy Transition - page 69

of the large economic regions, changing in Europe from 0.5 to 0.4 kg of
CO 2 per US $ and in North America from 0.7 to 0.5 kg of CO 2 per US $.

Figure 6.1 Relationship between CO 2 emissions and GDP per capita in the world
( Source: Enerdata)

In China the figure dropped considerably, from1.3 to 0.7 kg of CO 2 per
US $. Nevertheless, it remains substantially higher than that of the main
industrialised countries. In India and Latin America the figure remains
stable at about 0.4 kg of CO 2 per US $. In Asia in particular, it can be
observed that the carbon intensity starts increasing when the GDP per
inhabitant rises, then reaches a maximum before decreasing.
The same care must be taken with carbon intensity as with energy
intensity. A drop in carbon intensity cannot be considered as a sufficient
result per se. An actual drop in emissions is what is really needed.

Energy carbon content reduction pathways

Energy decarbonation can be achieved either by using an energy source of
non-fossil origin or by capturing and storing the CO 2 emitted, to tend
towards a neutral carbon balance.
The first option, which is themost direct, consists of using either nuclear
energy or the renewable energies.
These two alternatives to the fossil energies will be examined in the
remainder of this chapter. In most cases, they produce electrical energy,
which results in certain restrictions in their use, since electricity does not
cover all requirements and is difficult to store.