The world uses more energy every year, and it still gets most of it from fossil fuels. Understanding why that is true — and what actually decides which sources a country builds — is worth more marks than memorising a list of fuels.
📘 What you need to know
Energy consumption is the total energy used by people, industries and countries. It keeps rising.
Demand rises for two reasons: more people (population growth) and more energy used by each person (per capita demand).
Fossil fuels still supply the large majority of world energy. In 2022 they were about 80%, with renewables at about 12.7%.
Some industries — steel, concrete, fertiliser — are very hard to run on renewables today.
Five factors shape a country’s energy choices: economic cost, pollution, energy efficiency, availability and energy security.
Energy efficiency (same job, less energy) is not the same as reducing consumption (doing the job less often).
Why demand keeps climbing
Global energy consumption has risen almost every year for two centuries, and there are two separate causes stacked on top of each other.
1. Population growth
More people simply need more energy — for electricity, transport, heating and cooling. If nothing else changed, a bigger population alone would push demand up.
2. Per capita demand
On top of that, the average person is using more energy than they used to. This is happening fastest in developing countries, where industrialisation is spreading and living standards are improving. A household that gets a fridge, then a washing machine, then a car, uses far more energy than it did a decade earlier.
Notice these two multiply together. That is why global demand grows faster than population does on its own. If a question asks you to explain rising consumption, give both causes — one alone usually caps you at half the marks.
What the world actually runs on
Despite years of headlines about solar and wind, the global picture is still dominated by coal, oil and natural gas. Renewables are growing quickly, but from a small base.
Share and amount are different things. Graphs in Paper 1 often show one and ask a question about the other.
🤔 Why the share can fall while the amount rises
Imagine total world energy grows by 2% a year while fossil fuel use grows by 1%. Fossil fuels are now a smaller share of the total, so a percentage graph shows a downward line. But we are still burning more coal, oil and gas than last year, so an absolute graph shows an upward line. Both graphs are correct. If you only look at the percentage one, you will draw the wrong conclusion about emissions.
Why the mix is changing
Economic development
As countries get wealthier they use more energy for industrial processes, transport and technology. India is the standard example: its energy consumption is rising rapidly as it builds up manufacturing and infrastructure.
Environmental concerns
Worry about climate change is pushing governments towards cleaner sources like solar and wind. Governments set targets to cut carbon emissions and invest in renewables. The European Union, for example, aims for carbon neutrality by 2050, which needs a massive reduction in fossil fuel use.
The jobs renewables cannot do yet
This is the part most students skip, and it is exactly where the higher marks live. Some industries are very hard to run on electricity from wind and solar.
STEEL AND CONCRETE
Making both relies heavily on coal and natural gas
These processes need extremely high temperatures that renewables cannot easily supply
China is the world’s biggest steel producer, and its steel industry accounts for a big slice of global coal use
SYNTHETIC FERTILISERS
Natural gas is essential for making ammonia
Ammonia is the key ingredient in the fertilisers that feed much of the world
As food demand grows, so does the need for fertiliser — and therefore natural gas
Use this in an essay. “Fossil fuels cannot simply be switched off, because steel, concrete and fertiliser production currently depend on them” is a mature, high-scoring line. It shows you understand the transition is not just about electricity.
How we meet growing demand
There are two directions to attack the problem from: make more clean energy, or need less energy in the first place.
🧩 The four levers
More renewable capacity — investing in wind, solar and hydro meets rising demand while cutting reliance on fossil fuels.
Energy storage — storing energy fixes the problem that wind and solar do not supply power steadily. Tesla’s battery storage systems in Australia hold surplus solar energy for use at night or on still days.
Energy efficiency — better appliances, vehicles and buildings do the same job with less energy. The UK has tightened building regulations so new homes lose less heat.
Behavioural change — encouraging people and industries to use less energy adds up across millions of households.
Learn the differenceEfficiency = less energy for the same task • Conservation = doing the task less often
The five factors behind an energy choice
An energy choice is the decision a country makes about how it generates and consumes energy. It is never made on environmental grounds alone. Five things pull in different directions.
If a question asks why a country still burns coal, the answer is usually cost and availability beating pollution.
Factor
Fossil fuels
Renewables
Economic cost
Often cheaper to set up, but high environmental and long-term costs
Higher upfront cost, long-term savings; solar is now cost-competitive in many countries
Pollution
Large greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution
Little to no pollution while operating
Energy efficiency
Often less efficient; energy is wasted as heat during burning
Can be efficient, but some depend on the weather
Availability
Countries with big coal, oil or gas reserves tend to use them
Depend on geography: sunlight, wind or water must be there
Energy security
Importing oil or gas exposes a country to price swings and geopolitics
Usually produced locally, so less exposed to world markets
EXAM-STYLE
Explain why global energy consumption continues to rise. [3]
Cause 1
Population growth: more people need electricity, transport, heating and cooling, so total demand goes up.
Cause 2
Rising per capita demand: each person uses more energy than before, especially in developing countries where industrialisation and living standards are rising.
Link them
The two act together, so demand grows faster than population alone would suggest.
3 marks: population, per capita use, combined effectNaming a country (India) makes the second point concrete and often secures the mark.
EXAM-STYLE
Suggest two reasons why a wealthy country might still choose to build a gas-fired power station. [2]
Reason 1 — availability
It may have its own domestic gas reserves, so the fuel is close by and does not have to be imported.
Reason 2 — reliability and cost
Gas produces power on demand, unlike intermittent wind and solar, and the station can be built relatively cheaply and quickly.
2 marks: any two of cost, availability, reliability, security“Suggest” means apply the factors, not recite them. Tie each reason to the situation in the question.
💡 Exam tip
Read the axis label on any energy graph. Percentage share and absolute amount tell different stories.
Use the five factors as a ready-made essay structure: cost, pollution, efficiency, availability, security.
Never say renewables can simply replace fossil fuels. Mention steel, concrete or fertiliser and you show real understanding.
Keep efficiency and conservation in separate sentences. Efficiency is technology; conservation is behaviour.
Have two named examples ready: India for rising demand, the EU 2050 target for policy pressure.
For “discuss” questions, finish with a judgement. State which factor you think matters most and why.
⚠ Common mix-up
“Fossil fuel use is falling.” Its share is falling. The amount burnt globally has generally kept rising.
Efficiency confused with conservation. A more efficient fridge is efficiency. Opening the fridge less often is conservation.
Treating energy choice as purely environmental. Cost, availability and security usually matter more to governments.
Availability confused with energy security — having the resource is not the same as being able to deliver it reliably.
Forgetting per capita demand. Answers that only mention population growth are incomplete.
