Intensidade energética dos países integrantes do BRICS (Brasil, Rússia, Índia, China e África do Sul)

Abstract

The energy is fundamental to the growth and maintenance of human activities. Energy intensity measures the efficiency with which countries use the available energy. The objective of this article was to analyze the energy intensity of the countries belonging to the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) for the periods of 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2014. The data used were of secondary origin obtained on the website of the International Energy Agency. The method of analysis used was the descriptive one through the variables energy production, electricity consumption, CO2 emissions, energy intensity and global energy self-sufficiency. In the period analyzed,all countries increased energy production. China has achieved the highest production. In electricity consumption, all countries increased and the highest consumption was achieved, respectively, by China and Russia. China and India nearly doubled CO2 emissions in the years under review. All countries decreased energy intensity, with the exception of Brazil, which had a small increase in the last year analyzed. Even with this increase, Brazil is the country with the lowest energy intensity. The results show the urgency to change the composition of the energy matrix of the countries, especially those that pollute the most, seeking investments in different areas of energy production, with an emphasis on clean energy, capable of supplying the population with less environmental impacts.