Summary Box: IEA says China has now surpassed US as the world’s biggest energy consumer
By APTuesday, July 20, 2010
Summary Box: China surpasses US as top energy user
THE BIGGEST USER: The International Energy Agency says China is now the world’s largest energy consumer, not the U.S. The historic shift comes years ahead of forecasts and as China’s energy use has more than doubled in less than a decade.
HOW MUCH?: The IEA says China’s 2009 consumption of energy from oil and coal to wind and solar power was equal to 2.265 billion tons of oil. The U.S. used 2.169 billion tons last year. Per capita, though, the US still consumes five times more energy, an IEA economist says.
REBUTTAL: China says the IEA’s calculations are “unreliable.” China, which has long pointed fingers at developed nations in climate change talks, is sensitive to complaints about its status as the world’s biggest polluter.
