The global use of fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural
gas) increased by 1.3 percent in 2002, to
8,034 million tons of oil equivalent, according
to preliminary estimates based on government
and industry sources.1 (See Figure 1.) This
compares with a 0.3-percent rise in 2001.2 Fossil
fuel consumption was 4.7 times the level in
1950, and it now accounts for 77 percent of
world energy us