A less well-known statistic is that at some point this year the number of people using a personal computer will have topped one billion.
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), energy use by electronic devices will triple by 2030. To put this in context, it is equivalent to the combined residential consumption of the USA and Japan. Electronic devices currently make up 15 per cent of global domestic electricity consumption but this share is rising rapidly.
There are already two billion TV sets in use and more than half the world's population subscribe to mobile phone suppliers. Unchecked, such growth will put a big question mark over current energy use predictions. Consequently, targets for cutting carbon emissions will have to be rethought if consumption continues to rise.
Inevitably, there will be the familiar moans and groans about the planning system slowing down generation capacity. Yet like patriotism, making planning the scapegoat is the last refuge of the scoundrel. Despite the inevitable clamour for planning reform, many of the nightmare scenarios could be sidestepped simply by tackling the problem at its source.
Even with today's best available technology, electricity consumption can be cut more than half. Such technology already exists with mobile devices where the battery life is a selling point. The IEA points out that going down this route would slow growth in energy use to less than one per cent a year up to 2030. This is equivalent to saving more than the generating capacity of Japan.
But while it can be achieved technically, the lack of commercial drivers means that it requires governments to enact strong policies and make international agreements. Former deputy prime minister John Prescott warned last week that tough negotiations lie ahead of the UN's climate conference in Copenhagen this December and that it may be an idea to work on plan B. Tackling energy consumption would be a good place to start.
