[bruinbirdman]

"The massive amount of energy derived from fossil fuels or other means. Oil, Coal, Natural gas. In most the cases this energy use is largely unavoidable. You have to heat your home in winter. You have to travel by car. The public transportation is nonexistent outside certain areas. The culture is more individualistic and fosters more consumption of everything including energy. "

Any discussion of GDP and energy cannot exclude requirements of commercial, industrial consumption which is vastly larger than individual, private consumption.

A few million CFL lightbulbs or window air conditioners is nothing compared to the electricity used in one aluminum processing plant.

yitbos

[MunnaP]

Any discussion of GDP and energy cannot exclude requirements of commercial, industrial consumption which is vastly larger than individual, private consumption

- The commercial and industrial consumption is a direct function of individual consumption. Would you agree ? All the commercial and industrial enterprise would not exist without the individual demand to consume the product of such enterprise...
If we take the example of aluminum , the demand for aluminum products by individuals would drive the aluminum production
in turn would drive electricity demand for the processing ..

The point I want to stress.. in case of India the total consumption would never approach the American levels because of inherent constraints of weather, culture and mindset....in turn never creating economy bigger than US...Unless they find some really creative ways of wasting resources...