Energy Intensity (Primary & Final Energy) Rankings of G20 Countries 1990-2010

G20 (the Group of Twenty) refers to the 20 influential economies in the world. It consists of 19 countries and the European Union (EU). The members of the G20 are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea (South Korea), Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States and the EU.
The term 'energy intensity' generally means the amount of energy consumed per unit of gross domestic product (GDP) in a country. It is calculated by dividing a country's total (primary or final) energy consumption by the country's GDP. It shows an overall energy efficiency of the country's economy.
By GDP at 2005 Purchasing Power Parity, the global primary energy intensity was improved from 10.215 MJ/dollar (or 0.244 toe/$1000) in 1990 to 7.904 MJ/dollar (0.189 toe/$1000) in 2010. The global final energy intensity passed almost the same direction as the primary one by enhancing the efficiency from 7.320 MJ/dollar (0.175 toe/$1000) to 5.376 MJ/dollar (0.128 toe/$1000) during the same period (See the last two figures of this post.).
Just like the global energy intensities, G20 members' energy intensities have generally improved over the last two decades. Although the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) recently published an International Energy Efficiency Scorecard (Young et al., 2014), I wanted to compare countries not by scores but by absolute performances. Using the World Bank's data compiled for the United Nation's "Sustainable Energy for All" initiative, I compared energy intensities of the 19 countries (i.e., G20 excluding the EU) and ranked each country annually. Actual energy intensity numbers are also provided after the rankings figures.
The United Kingdom has achieved a tremendous gain in its economy's energy efficiency. It was 7th both in primary and final energy rankings in 1990. In 2010, it boasts the most energy-efficient economy.
Germany and India jumped up 4 ranks in both primary and final energy intensity rankings over 1990-2010. China climbed up the primary energy intensity rankings ladder by 3 steps. Australia improved its final energy intensity rankings by 3 steps.
By absolute ranks, Russia showed the poorest energy efficiency both in primary and final energy intensities. However, the worst performing country in energy efficiency improvement was Saudi Arabia. In 1990, the country was 11th in primary energy intensity rankings and 8th in final energy intensity rankings. Saudi Arabia's 2010 ranking was 18th by both energy intensities.
Brazil was the second most-demoted country in the primary energy intensity rankings by sliding 5 ranks over 1990-2010. France and South Korea fell by 3 steps in the same rankings. In the final energy intensity rankings, however, Turkey showed the second biggest lapse (5 steps) next to Saudi Arabia's, defeating Brazil's 4-step decline.








Notes:
(1) Energy intensity level of primary energy (MJ/$2005 PPP): A ratio between energy supply and gross domestic product measured at purchasing power parity. Energy intensity is an indication of how much energy is used to produce one unit of economic output. Lower ratio indicates that less energy is used to produce one unit of output.

(2) Energy intensity level of final energy (MJ/$2005 PPP): A ratio between final energy consumption and gross domestic product measured at purchasing power parity. Energy intensity is an indication of how much energy is used to produce one unit of economic output. Lower ratio indicates that less energy is used to produce one unit of output.

References:
The World Bank. (2014). Sustainable Energy for All. Washington, DC: The World Bank. [Data at http://j.mp/SE4ALL]
Young, R., Hayes, S., Kelly, M., Vaidyanathan, S., Kwatra, S., Cluett, R., & Herndon, G. (2014). The 2014 International Energy Efficiency Scorecard. Washington, DC: American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). [Full-text at http://j.mp/ACEEE_2014]

Analytical Conceptual Frameworks of IPBES

The original post (changed to grey color) following the line below is updated.

Park, H. (2017). Analytical Conceptual Frameworks of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES): An Update [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://j.mp/IPBES-Update

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Now the IPCC's Fifth Assessment Reports (a.k.a. AR5) are all released except the Synthesis part. There is a relatively new IPCC-like intergovernmental organization focusing on biodiversity and ecosystem services.
The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, or IPBES, has launched in 2012.
I welcome this new organization wholeheartedly. See, the title of my blog is "Energy and Ecology." If the IPCC is more about energy (as a means of climate change mitigation), the IPBES is more about ecology.
Just as the IPCC has done to connect science and policy since the publication of the First Assessment Report (FAR) in 1990, the IPBES is planning to generate timely assessment reports regularly for the world's policymakers. The first global assessment of the IPBES is scheduled to be published by 2018 and will replace the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (published by WRI, UNEP, the World Bank, and UNDP in 2005) as the most authoritative report on the status of the Earth's biomes and ecosystems.
The following figures are a beautified version of the IPBES's analytical conceptual framework and operational conceptual model drawn by the Platform's experts at the 2013 IPBES's second Plenary (IPBES-2). These figures will provide a basis of future IPBES studies. In the analytical framework (Figure 1), there are six building-blocks and two big arrows representing spatial and temporal scales each. The operational model (Figure 2) explains how science and policy interacts with each other through the IPBES processes, while the analytical framework supports the four functions of the IPBES – knowledge generation, assessments, policy support tools and methodologies, and capacity-building.
These figures appear to be influenced by the conceptual framework of the United Kingdom's 2011 National Ecosystem Assessment (2011) as well as that of the United Nations Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005). Interestingly, the IPBES analytical conceptual framework has made the UK NEA framework updated as manifested in its follow-on phase report (2014) (Figure 3). A detailed explanation of Figures 1 and 2 can be found in the IPBES-2 report (2014) and could be compared with the conceptual framework of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment.

Figure 1. IPBES Analytical Conceptual Framework
(vector [emf] image: http://j.mp/IPBES_ACF)

Source: My drawing based on IPBES-2.


Figure 2. Operational Conceptual Model of the IPBES
(vector [emf] image: http://j.mp/IPBES_OCM)


Source: My drawing based on IPBES-2.

Figure 3. UK NEA Follow-on Phase Ecosystem Services Conceptual Framework


Source: My drawing based on UK NEA FO.

Two Open-Access Books on Energy and Sustainability Published in 2014

I want to introduce two open access books on energy and sustainability that were published in 2014.

(1) Coyle, E. D., & Simmons, R. A. (Eds.). (2014). Understanding the Global Energy Crisis. West Lafayette, IN: Purdue University Press. [Full-text at http://www.oapen.org/download?type=document&docid=469619]

(2) Thesis, T., & Tomkin, J. (Eds.). (2014). Sustainability: A Comprehensive Foundation. Houston, TX: Rice University. [Full-text at: http://cnx.org/content/col11325/latest]

And their tables of contents are:

(1) Understanding the Global Energy Crisis

Contents

Foreword ..................................................... xi
Preface .................................................... xiii
Introduction .................................................. 1

Part 1: The Global Energy Crisis in Context

Chapter 1: Reflections on Energy, Greenhouse Gases, 
           and Carbonaceous Fuels ............................ 11
 1.1. Introduction: Man’s Quest for Energy ................... 12
 1.2. Earth’s Atmosphere and Greenhouse Gases ................ 13

Chapter 2: Global Energy Policy Perspectives ................. 27
 2.1. Introduction: Energy Demand and Expected Growth ........ 28
 2.2. United States Energy and Climate Policy ................ 34
 2.3. Energy and Climate Policy in the European Union ........ 42
 2.4. China Energy and Climate Change Policy ................. 50
 2.5. Russia Energy and Climate Change Policy ................ 52
 2.6. Brazil Energy and Climate Change Policy ................ 54
 2.7. India Energy and Climate Change Policy ................. 58

Chapter 3: Social Engagement by the Engineer ................. 73
 3.1. Introduction ........................................... 74
 3.2. Social Systems ......................................... 75
 3.3. Common Authentic Values and Principles ..................78

Part 2: Energy Conversion Technology

Chapter 4: Harnessing Nature: Wind, Hydro, Wave, 
           Tidal, and Geothermal Energy ...................... 91
 4.1. Introduction ........................................... 91
 4.2. Wind Energy ............................................ 92
 4.3. Hydroelectric Energy ................................... 99
 4.4. Wave and Tidal Energy ................................. 102
 4.5. Geothermal Energy ..................................... 114
 4.6. Impact of Renewable Technologies on Electricity Grid
      Developments .......................................... 117

Chapter 5: Solar Power and the Enabling Role of
           Nanotechnology ................................... 125
 5.1. Introduction .......................................... 125
 5.2. Solar Power Overview .................................. 126
 5.3. Nanotechnology ........................................ 128
 5.4. Solar Photovoltaics ................................... 132
 5.5. Thermoelectrics ....................................... 135
 5.6. Nanotechnology in Other Energy Applications ........... 140

Chapter 6: Biofuel Prospects in an Uncertain World .......... 151
 6.1. Biofuels History ...................................... 152
 6.2. First Generation Biofuels ............................. 153
 6.3. Second Generation Biofuels ............................ 155
 6.4. Conclusions: Major Challenges and Opportunities ....... 162

Chapter 7: A Future Role for Nuclear Energy? ................ 167
 7.1. Introduction: Essentials of Nuclear Energy ............ 168
 7.2. History of Nuclear Engineering ........................ 171
 7.3. Current Status of Nuclear Energy ...................... 171
 7.4. Nuclear Energy Safety ................................. 175
 7.5. Nuclear Accidents and Impacts ......................... 177
 7.6. Challenges in Nuclear Waste Management ................ 180
 7.7. Future Role for Nuclear Power ......................... 182
 7.8. Social Engagement ..................................... 185
 7.9. Future for Nuclear Fusion ............................. 188

Part 3: Energy Distribution and Use

Chapter 8: Taking Emerging Renewable Technologies to Market . 193
 8.1 Introduction ........................................... 194
 8.2 Economic Factors ....................................... 194
 8.3 Political Factors ...................................... 196
 8.4 Social Factors ......................................... 199
 8.5 Maintainability Factors ................................ 202
 8.6 Economics of Energy .................................... 202
 8.7 Some Challenges for Emerging Wave Energy Technologies .. 204
 8.8 Conclusion ............................................. 209

Chapter 9: Transportation and Energy ........................ 215
 9.1 Transportation Energy Overview ......................... 216
 9.2 Electric and Hybrid Vehicles ........................... 225
 9.3 Aviation Fuels and Regulation .......................... 239

Chapter 10: Policy Challenges for the Built Environment: 
            The Dilemma of the Existing Building Stock ...... 255
 10.1 Introduction .......................................... 255
 10.2 Energy Conserving Building Retrofit Technologies ...... 257
 10.3 Complexity of Energy Efficiency Retrofit Strategies ... 261
 10.4 Policy Challenges to Energy Efficiency Retrofit Success 266
 10.5 Building Energy Reduction Programs Recently
     Employed in the US and EU .............................. 272
 10.6 Recommendations and Opportunities for
     Future Solutions ....................................... 276

Epilogue: Reflections on Our Path Forward ................... 283

Index ....................................................... 291


(2) Sustainability: A Comprehensive Foundation

Contents

Foreword....................................................... 1
Preface ....................................................... 3

1 Introduction to Sustainability: Humanity and the Environment
  1.1 An Introduction to Sustainability: Humanity and the
      Environment ............................................. 5
  1.2 What is Sustainability? ................................. 5
  1.3 The IPAT Equation ....................................... 8
  1.4 Human Consumption Patterns and the Rebound Effect ....... 9
  1.5 Challenges for Sustainability .......................... 11
  1.6 Chapter Review Questions................................ 14

2 The Evolution of Environmental Policy in the United States
  2.1 The Evolution of Environmental Policy in the United
      States Chapter Introduction ............................ 15
  2.2 The American Conservation Movement...................... 16
  2.3 Environmental Risk Management .......................... 27
  2.4 Sustainability and Public Policy........................ 35
  2.5 Public Health and Sustainability........................ 39

3 Climate and Global Change
  3.1 Climate and Global Change - Chapter Introduction........ 49
  3.2 Climate Processes; External and Internal Controls ...... 50
  3.3 Milankovitch Cycles and the Climate of the Quaternary .. 63
  3.4 Modern Climate Change .................................. 76
  3.5 Climate Projections .................................... 98

4 Biosphere
  4.1 Biosphere Chapter Introduction......................... 117
  4.2 Biogeochemical Cycles and the Flow of Energy in the
      Earth System........................................... 119
  4.3 Biodiversity, Species Loss, and Ecosystem Function..... 126
  4.4 Soil and Sustainability ............................... 135

5 Physical Resources: Water, Pollution, and Minerals
  5.1 Physical Resources: Water, Pollution, and Minerals -
      Chapter Introduction................................... 149
  5.2 Water Cycle and Fresh Water Supply..................... 151
  5.3 Case Study: The Aral Sea - Going, Going, Gone ......... 179
  5.4 Water Pollution ....................................... 184
  5.5 Case Study: The Love Canal Disaster ................... 209
  5.6 Mineral Resources: Formation, Mining, Environmental
      Impact................................................. 212
  5.7 Case Study: Gold: Worth its Weight? ................... 227

6 Environmental and Resource Economics
  6.1 Environmental and Resource Economics - Chapter
      Introduction........................................... 233
  6.2 Tragedy of the Commons................................. 234
  6.3 Case Study: Marine Fisheries........................... 243
  6.4 Environmental Valuation ............................... 246
  6.5 Evaluating Projects and Policies....................... 254
  6.6 Solutions: Property Rights, Regulations, and Incentive
      Policies............................................... 261

7 Modern Environmental Management
  7.1 Modern Environmental Management Chapter Introduction .. 267
  7.2 Systems of Waste Management ........................... 268
  7.3 Case Study: Electronic Waste and Extended Producer
      Responsibility......................................... 279
  7.4 Government and Laws on the Environment................. 281
  7.5 Risk Assessment Methodology for Conventional and
    Alternative Sustainability Options....................... 290

8 Sustainable Energy Systems
  8.1 Sustainable Energy Systems - Chapter Introduction ..... 303
  8.2 Environmental Challenges in Energy, Carbon Dioxide,
      Air, Water and Land Use ............................... 309
  8.3 Case Study: Greenhouse Gases and Climate Change ....... 333
  8.4 Energy Sources and Carriers ........................... 338
  8.5 Energy Uses ........................................... 385
  8.6 Applications of Phase Change Materials for Sustainable
      Energy................................................. 397

9 Problem-Solving, Metrics, and Tools for Sustainability
  9.1 Problem-Solving, Metrics, and Tools for Sustainability
      - Chapter Introduction................................. 409
  9.2 Life Cycle Assessment ................................. 410
  9.3 Derivative Life Cycle Concepts......................... 424
  9.4 Sustainability and Business ........................... 470

10 Sustainability: Ethics, Culture, and History
  10.1 The Human Dimensions of Sustainability: History,
       Culture, Ethics....................................... 476
  10.2 It's Not Easy Being Green: Anti-Environmental
       Discourse, Behavior, and Ideology..................... 478
  10.3 The Industrialization of Nature: A Modern History
       (1500 to the present)................................. 483
  10.4 Sustainability Studies: A Systems Literacy Approach .. 490
  10.5 The Vulnerability of Industrialized Resource Systems:
       Two Case Studies ..................................... 494
  10.6 Case Study: Agriculture and the Global Bee Colony
       Collapse ............................................. 498
  10.7 Case Study: Energy and the BP Oil Disaster ........... 501
  10.8 Sustainability Ethics................................. 503

11 Sustainable Infrastructure
  11.1 Sustainable Infrastructure - Chapter Introduction..... 511
  11.2 The Sustainable City ................................. 512
  11.3 Sustainability and Buildings ......................... 535
  11.4 Sustainable Energy Practices: Climate Action Planning  551
  11.5 Sustainable Transportation: Accessibility, Mobility,
       and Derived Demand ................................... 566
  11.6 Sustainable Stormwater Management..................... 576
  11.7 Case Study: A Net-Zero Energy Home in Urbana,
       Illinois ............................................. 588

Glossary..................................................... 591
Index ....................................................... 619
Attributions................................................. 626

BGR's Latest Estimates of Global Fossil Fuel Resources and Reserves, as of January 1, 2013

The BGR, a Hannover-based German government institute, is renowned for their annual reports of global non-renewable energy resources (fossil fuels and nuclear energy sources). (BGR = Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe; or Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources)
When I wrote about the fossil fuel resources/reserves last year, the BGR's report was using old information for non-conventional natural gas and oil resources. So I used the US EIA's latest estimates for natural gas and crude oil. I quoted the BGR's data only for coal resources at that time.
Now that this year's BGR report updated the natural gas and oil numbers utilizing the US EIA's new data, I am introducing here the BGR's estimates for the reserves and resources of all fossil fuels. (The US EIA's coal numbers are too old, now.)
I prepared two tables below. The first table is summarized according to unique units of each fossil fuel. The second table is according to the same thermal equivalents. In a nutshell, at the beginning of 2013, the world had approximately 73 years' supply of fossil fuels that could be exploitable with contemporary technologies.

(According to the BGR's glossaries,
Reserves = Proven volumes of energy commodities economically exploitable at today’s prices and using today’s technology;
Resources =  Proven amounts of energy resources which cannot currently be exploited for technical and/or economic reasons, as well as unproven but geologically possible energy resources which may be exploitable in future)

Table 1. Reserves & Resources in Fuel-specific Units (as of January 1, 2013)

Fuel	Unit	Reserves	2012 Production	R/P (years)	Resources	Remaining Potential
Coal Total	Gtce	762			16,195	16,957
Hard Coal	Gtce	650	6.835	95	14,506	15,156
Lignite	Gtce	111	1.106	100	1,689	1,800
Oil Total	Gtoe	217	4.137	52	429	646
	billion bbl	1,592	30		3,154	4,745
Conventional Crude Oil	Gt	169			161	330
Non-Conventional Oil Total	Gtoe	48			268	316
Oil Sand	Gt	27			63	89
Extra Heavy Oil	Gt	21			61	82
Shale Oil	Gt	–			47	47
Oil Shale	Gt	–			97	97
Gas Total	Tcm	196	3.389	58	837	1,033
	Tcf	6,928	120		29,558	36,486
Conventional Natural Gas	Tcm	191			310	501
Non-Conventional Gas Total	Tcm	5.5			527	533
Shale Gas	Tcm	3.7			205	209
Tight Gas	Tcm	–			63	63
Coal Bed Methane	Tcm	1.8			50	52
Aquifer Gas	Tcm	–			24	24
Gas Hydrates	Tcm	–			184	184
Fossil Fuels Total	EJ	38,826	534.4	73	524,378	563,204
	Gtoe	928	12.8		12,533	13,461

Table 2. Reserves & Resources in EJ/Gtoe (as of January 1, 2013)

Fuel	Unit	Reserves	2012 Production	R/P (years)	Resources	Remaining Potential
Coal Total	EJ	22,320	232.7	96	474,655	496,975
	Gtoe	533	5.6		11,344	11,878
Hard Coal	EJ	19,061	200.3	95	425,155	444,216
Lignite	EJ	3,259	32.4	101	49,500	52,759
Oil Total	EJ	9,052	172.9	52	17,923	26,975
	Gtoe	216	4.1		428	645
Conventional Crude Oil	EJ	7,050			6,732	13,782
Non-Conventional Oil Total	EJ	2,002			11,191	13,193
Oil Sand	EJ	1,115			2,613	3,728
Extra Heavy Oil	EJ	886			2,541	3,427
Shale Oil	EJ	–			1,969	1,969
Oil Shale	EJ	–			4,068	4,068
Gas Total	EJ	7,455	128.8	58	31,800	39,255
	Gtoe	178	3.1		760	938
Conventional Natural Gas	EJ	7,244			11,779	19,023
Non-Conventional Gas Total	EJ	211			20,021	20,232
Shale Gas	EJ	142			7,804	7,946
Tight Gas	EJ	–			2,397	2,397
Coal Bed Methane	EJ	69			1,916	1,985
Aquifer Gas	EJ	–			912	912
Gas Hydrates	EJ	–			6,992	6,992
Fossil Fuels Total	EJ	38,826	534.4	73	524,378	563,204
	Gtoe	928	12.8		12,533	13,461

Notes:
hard coal = bituminous coal + anthracite

R/P  = Reserves-to-production ratio
Gtce = billion tonnes of coal equivalent (= 1000 million tonnes of coal equivalent (Mtce))

Gtoe = billion tonnes of oil equivalent (= 1000 million tonnes of oil equivalent (Mtoe))

bbl  = barrels (1 toe = 7.35 bbl)
Tcm  = trillion cubic meters (1 Tcm = 35.315 Tcf)

Tcf  = trillion cubic feet 

EJ   = exajoules, or quintillion joules (10¹⁸ J)

Conversion factors:
1 EJ  = 23.9 Mtoe
1 toe = 1.428 tce = 1101 m³ (cubic meters) of natural gas

Source:
BGR. (2013). Energy Study 2013: Reserves, Resources and Availability of Energy Resources. Hannover, Germany: Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe. [Full-text at http://j.mp/BGR_2013]