ABSTRACT
Worldwide, energy demand is rising swiftly. This has been the case above all in the industrialized and transition countries since the onset of industrialization, despite massive efficiency improvements achieved in some fields. Since the end of the Second World War, the energy hunger of the developing and newly industrializing countries has also been on the rise. In the Least Developed Countries, however, energy poverty prevails. Some 2.4 thousand million people need access to modern forms of energy to catch up with the economic development of the industrialized countries. Energy is a precondition to economic growth, and thus world consumption is set to rise sharply in the 21st century. Present structures of energy use pose severe environmental risks and raise major barriers to development in many countries. Moreover, these global structures are a source of security risks. Steering energy systems towards sustainability is thus a key task of global environment and development policy in the 21st century.
