Aggressive action needed if Kyoto targets to be met

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Aggressive action is needed in future if OECD countries are to meet their Kyoto Protocol targets for reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, the International Energy Agency (IEA) says in its World Energy Outlook 2000. The projections in the book indicate that if current policies and measures

in OECD countries are not strengthened, energyrelated CO2 emissions in 2010 are expected to still be significantly higher than required under the Kyoto Protocol. The World Energy Outlook 2000 projects that global energy use and related CO2 emissions will continue to increase steadily over the next two decades. Projected world primary energy demand is seen increasing by 57% between 1997 and 2020, while CO2 emissions from the burning of fossil fuels increase by 60%. Fossil fuels will account for 90% of the world primary energy mix by 2020 - up slightly on 1997.

Different regions' shares in world-energy demand will shift significantly, with the OECD share declining in favour of developing countries. A sharp increase will occur in international trade in energy, especially oil and gas. The main consuming regions, including the OECD and dynamic Asian economies, will become considerably more reliant on oil and gas imports, the report says. The latest edition of the World Energy Outlook was released at the COP 6 climate change meeting in The Hague in November (see OECD.org). * IEA, World Energy Outlook 2000, 2000

* Visit the IEA web site at http://www.iea.org

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Greenhouse gases rise