Asian fuel consumption to increase dramatically

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=asia-will-drive-future-demand-for-fossil-fuels

Robert Hormats, undersecretary of state for economic growth, claims that US interest in stability in the Persian Gulf will not decline despite the US's rapidly declining oil dependence projected in the next 20 years.  Asia, on the other hand, is slated to consume the most oil and thus create the largest energy market in that time frame.  Consequently, China will have a much larger stake in protecting sea lanes for energy transport and will have to commit resources to protecting them.  The US is projected to still depend on imported oil for a little over a third of its liquid energy consumption for the next twenty years, but its increasing self reliance means China's stake will be larger than ours.  This should raise an alarming environmental concern:  How will China's increased consumption affect climate change over the next twenty years?  Time will tell.

Andrew DuBois