Read in today’s Wall Street Journal on P. A14 under Energy Use Puts Oil Squeeze on Iran…
Already, the Middle East and North Africa’s population of some 300 million consumers consumes almost as much oil as 1.2 billion Chinese.
Now I know enough not believe something just because I read it in a newspaper. But I can almost believe this statement. It seems like the natural result of the heavily subsidized energy that almost every one in the Middle East enjoys.
But still, the nerd in me wants to know were they got these figures and how they these figures were compiled. Does it include all the fuel used by the US military? And how close to the Chinese consumption figure is “almost”?
If this statement in the Wall Street Journal is even close to being true, it calls into question the idea that it has been increased consumption in China that has been keeping energy prices high. Seems like they have had quite a bit of help from the Middle East if the Wall Street Journal can be believed.