Can South Asia Survive in a World Without Oil?
The world will eventually run out of oil. When it does, will south Asians be able to cope with life as we know it? To answer this question, let us examine where India and Pakistan stand today in terms of oil consumption relative to the rest of the world. Pakistan consumes about 400,000 barrels per day. India's consumption is 2.6 million barrels per day. China's daily consumption is 7 million barrels. United States uses 22 million barrels a day. The entire world uses 80 million barrels per day. While China, India and Pakistan are currently at very low per capita energy consumption , their energy requirements are growing at about 6-8% per year, much faster than the US or Europe. While some nations use energy more efficiently than others, the amount of oil used per capita is a rough measure of the standard of living of a nation. Most of the oil is used as fuel for transportation and electricity but a substantial amount is also used in essential materials such as fiber, fertilizer,...