Pitfalls and Pipelines - Philippine Indigenous Peoples Links

90 Pitfalls and Pipelines: Indigenous Peoples and Extractive Industries
in the world. This was largely because of the slackening of demand from
industrial consumers in the more heavily-industrialized OECD countries
as a result of the global economic crisis. Demand in the Asia Pacific
region and the Middle East grew by 7.4 percent. China was responsible
for 95 percent of that increase and was, overall, the largest producer and
consumer of coal in the world, accounting for 46.9 percent of global coal
consumption and producing 45.6 percent of global supplies during 2009,
according to the BP report. Other producing countries differ widely in the
proportion of their coal that they export.
BP noted that coal remains the most abundant fossil fuel by global
reserves, and accounted for 29 percent of total energy consumption
in 2009—the highest proportion since 1970. The World Coal Institute 77
forecasts that use of coal will rise by 60 percent over the next 20 years.
It is estimated that 45 percent of carbon dioxide emissions will in 2030
be linked to coal. 78 While the rhetoric of intergovernmental concern might
suggest otherwise, the reality is that both governments and companies
have projections extending at least to 2030, which predict and tolerate
increasing extraction and consumption of coal.
0.9
0.8
Kilograms of carbon per Watt
0.7
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
Coal
Oil
Gas
Comparison of the amount of carbon (as carbon dioxide) released per unit
of energy (Watt) generated by coal, oil and natural gas (figure after Archer
2007. Global Warming: Understanding the Forecast. Blackwell Publishing,
194.)