The global energy industry finds itself in urgent need of energy efficiency intervention to prevent the earth from heating up by 4.5 ºC by 2100, South African Energy Efficiency Confederation (SAEEC) president Lisa Reynolds said during the opening of the recent SAEEC conference.

The global energy industry had changed over time to include energy efficiency initiatives and supporting legislation, US-based Association of Energy Engineers executive director Bill Kent added.

Discussing the driving forces of energy efficiency, he highlighted that the main driver for energy efficiency was a growing population.

By 2040, the global population would reach nine-billion.

Kent pointed out that income per capita would grow by 90% by 2040, driving greater demand for goods and services, including energy.

The energy consumption increase was anticipated to reach between 30% and 50% on a global scale by 2040.

However, meeting that demand would lead to environmental damage.

Kent said 110-million tonnes of man-made global warming pollution was being dumped into the atmosphere every 24 hours, with that heat trapped within the atmosphere and heating up the planet.

The biggest sources of greenhouse-gas emissions were air transport, the burning of fossil fuels for power generation, oil production, forest burning, landfills, industrial processes, coal mining, industrial agriculture and land transport.

Kent explained that 2014, 2015 and 2016 were among the 16 hottest years ever measured, affecting food crops, animals and people in terms of disease outbreaks.

Oceans were also severely affected by the extra heat in the atmosphere, causing tropical disturbances, which contributed to more storms and hurricanes.

In order to improve energy efficiency in the energy industry, Kent pointed out, governments needed to create new policies to drive the transition to renewable energy sources and more environmentally sustainable transport options, including electric and autonomous vehicles.