Consciousness of Sheep
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BP has defended the energy projections set out in its annual energy outlook, which gives projections for global energy use out to 2035.
Environmental campaigners had challenged the projections for failing to account for the COP21 targets that aim to limit global temperature increases to just 2 degrees. If the BP projections are correct – particularly about continuing global fossil fuel use – then there is simply no possibility of meeting the COP21 targets. Therefore – according to campaigners – the BP projections must be wrong.
However, Paul Appleby, BP’s head of energy economics says that campaigners would be better turning their fire on governments:
“We don’t yet see the policies in place that are going to achieve what the countries have said they are going to achieve… We need more on the policy front and even faster development on technology to give the world the option of getting on the path to limiting expected temperatures increase to less than 2 degrees.”
According to Appleby, there are still billions of people across Asia and Africa who are currently without or with insufficient access to electricity. Without a change of political direction, this demand will be met by coal and gas. In this, India looks set to lead the way, overtaking the USA to become the world’s second (to China) largest consumer of coal.
