ABSTRACT
This chapter summarizes some key features of the world economic and energy outlook to provide a background for the analysis of the Asia-Pacific region. In the Asia-Pacific region, most of the developing countries are projected to have energy growth rates approximately equal to gross national product. The major space heating markets in the Asia-Pacific region, primarily in China, Korea, and Australia, are being met by a variety of fuels, including coal. The oil-importing countries will shift to gas or coal wherever available in order to reduce oil dependency. This includes Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, and several countries in South Asia, including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. China should be able to constrain the growth of its energy consumption to about 3% per year while achieving 4% to 5% economic growth. This low growth rate of energy use compared to economic activity reflects the expection that China will make substantial improvements.
