Global energy fall in 2009

-- The global energy use will fall this year for the first time since 1981 due to the financial crisis, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in its latest report.

The IEA released its World Energy Outlook (WEO) 2009 in London Tuesday.

Projected global demand was lower than in last year's report, reflecting the impact of the economic crisis, so the preliminary data point to a fall in 2009 of up to two percent.

But demand growth rebounds thereafter, averaging 2.5 percent per year from 2010 to 2015, the report said.

It said fossil fuels will continue to dominate the energy mix, accounting for more than three-quarters of incremental demand.

WEO 2009 demonstrates that containing climate change is possible but will require a profound transformation of the energy sector, Xinhua reported.

'WEO 2009 provides both caution and grounds for optimism. Caution, because a continuation of current trends in energy use puts the world on track for a rise in temperature of up to six centigrade and poses serious threats to global energy security.

'Optimism, because there are cost-effective solutions to avoid severe climate change while also enhancing energy security, and these are within reach as the new Outlook shows,' said Nobuo Tanaka, executive director of the IEA.

The IEA is an intergovernmental organisation that acts as energy policy advisor to 28 member countries in their effort to ensure reliable, affordable and clean energy for their citizens.