Global emissions to leap 39% by 2030: US

Global carbon dioxide emissions are set to rise 39 per cent by 2030 as energy consumption surges in the developing world, notably in Asian giants China and India, the United States has warned.

The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) said yesterday global energy demand would leap 44 per cent between 2006 and 2030, fueled by a 73 per cent rise in demand from non-developed countries.

The giants of the developing world, China and India, will fuel much of the growth as their economies continue to expand, EIA said in a report.

It projects carbon dioxide emissions - a major cause of global warming — to reach 40.4 billion metric tonnes by 2030, up from 29 billion in 2006.

Despite elevated oil prices, the use of liquid energy sources — including petrol — is expected to rise to 107 million barrels a day, up from 85 million in 2006.

The projections presume no legislative changes to cap emission levels or other initiatives to reduce the use of fossil fuels.

In the United States, one of the world's leading carbon dioxide producers, lawmakers recently approved a plan to reduce greenhouse gases by 80 per cent before 2050.

"In the absence of national policies and/or binding international agreements that would limit or reduce greenhouse gas emissions, world coal consumption is projected to increase... (at) an average annual rate of 1.7 per cent," the report said.