INTRODUCTION

Energy has always been a major component in the day-to-day life of humans. More than 1billion people in the industrialized countries (about 20 percent of the world's population) consume nearly 60 percent of the total energy supply, whereas about 5 billion inhabitants in developing countries consume the other 40 percent. The 2 billion low-income individuals ($1,000 annual income or less percapita) scattered in rural areas and shanty towns, use only 0.2 tons of oil equivalent (toe) of energy per capita annually; the I billion or so "rich" people ($22,000 annual income or more per capita) use nearly 25 times more per year-5 toe per capita.¹ Overall, energy consumption has never been as high as today. Every country is trying to achieve economic growth with energy-intensive paths. Energy intensities are valuable indicators in describing the energy consumed in entire production chains. The combination of sectoral energy intensities and the demand for sectoral outputs provides insight into an economy's total energy use. Changes in energy consumption reflect the combined effects of changes in energy intensities in various sectors and changes in the volume and structure of demand. Energy needed per unit of production (referred to as energy intensity or specific energy consumption) shows the sensitivity of products or sectors to changes in energy prices. Temporal analyses or historical studies of energy intensities provide information about changes caused by energy price changes and their effects on total energy use.²

The paradox when dealing with energy is that it is needed for man to live and develop and, at the same time, unplanned developmental activities focusing on fossil fuels are affecting the environment in which he lives. Moreover, the evolution of the societies, the economic growth, and the way countries develop lead to an increasing demand for energy. Two problems arise with expanding energy consumption: first, pollution associated with energy usage increases, leading to unknown changes in world climate that could have tremendous repercussions; second, the fossil fuels commonly used are not renewable. Even if people are concerned about the future of the planet, the power of money and the need for economic growth dominate the debate. Studies have been made on the different fossil fuel resources, nuclear power, and the more environmentally benign energies like solar and wind in order ultimately to replace the fossil fuels and generally nonrenewable energies.³ On the other hand, efforts are being undertaken to increase efficiency and, therefore, conserve energy.

Initially, the energy use per capita was used as an index of a region's development; it is quite low for developing countries and high for developed nations. However, this approach does not reveal any picture of development or efficiency of usage. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to look at the energy intensity, that is, the energy consumed per unit of output, which is the inverse of the energy efficiency of any process (the output per unit of energy consumed). The impact of more efficient energy use in reducing energy demand and the overall prospects for restraining energy demand growth are important issues in the context of environmental policy. Energy intensity is directly related to price signals, whereas energy efficiency depends more on the diffusion of the most cost-effective technologies. It is important to point out where the losses of energy are the highest in order to reduce them. Some developed countries have lower or similar energy consumption per capita and a much higher per-capita gross domestic product (GDP) thancertain developing nations. Energy services will be fulfilled only if GDP grows in a sustainable manner. Such economic growth will require the provision of corresponding energy-related services at an affordable price with no reasonable expectation to break the linear relationship between GDP growth and the increase in the energy demand that has been experienced so far.⁴ Understanding the situation is an essential step for initiating appropriate conservation measures. This paper compares the energy consumption of most countries of the world. Using indicators like energy consumption per capita and energy intensities (energy consumption per GDP), it is possible to offer an analysis that would help in optimal resource planning.