Back to Our Research

Natural Resources

How technology is reshaping supply and demand for natural resources
– The ways we consume energy and produce commodities are changing. This transformation could benefit the global economy, but resource producers will have to adapt to stay competitive.

Lions on the move II: Realizing the potential of Africa’s economies

Reverse the curse: Maximizing the potential of resource-driven economies

Resource revolution: Tracking global commodity markets

Game changers: Five opportunities for US growth and renewal

MORE INSIGHTS

Averting the next energy crisis: The demand challenge
– Global energy-demand growth is expected to flatten in the short term but will rebound with recovery. Indeed, there is potential... for liquids-demand growth to outpace that of supply—risking a new spike in oil as soon as 2010 to 2013, depending on the depth of the economic downturn.

Fueling sustainable development: The energy productivity solution
– By choosing more energy-efficient cars and appliances, and selecting lower-energy-consuming production technologies, developing... countries could cut their annual energy-demand growth by more than half over the next 12 years.

Capturing the European energy productivity opportunity
– With energy-efficiency standards in Europe set higher than in many other regions, European companies are in a strong position... to make large energy-cost savings and innovate lucrative new markets in energy-efficient technologies and services, attracting worldwide demand.

The carbon productivity challenge: Curbing climate change and sustaining economic growth
– Meeting commonly discussed greenhouse gas abatement paths by 2025 while maintaining economic growth will require a tenfold increase... in "carbon productivity," the amount of GDP produced per unit of carbon equivalents emitted.

The case for investing in energy productivity
– Additional annual investments in energy productivity of $170 billion through 2020 could cut global energy-demand growth by at... least half while generating average internal rates of return of 17 percent. Such outlays would also achieve significant energy savings and cuts in greenhouse-gas emissions.

Leapfrogging to higher energy productivity in China
– By taking advantage only of currently existing technologies that pay for themselves, China could further its ongoing efforts and... reduce total energy demand in 2020 by as much as 23 percent.

Wasted energy: How the US can reach its energy productivity potential
– By capturing the potential available from existing technologies, the United States could cap US energy consumption, as well as... its greenhouse gas emissions, at today's levels.

Curbing global energy-demand growth: The energy productivity opportunity
– In-depth sector case studies covering buildings, transportation, industries, and electrical generation highlight how the right... policies and investments in existing technologies yielding an internal rate of return of 10 percent or more could contribute to a reduction in global energy-demand growth by at least half to 2020.