How does energy intensity relate to economic development and decarbonization trends?

• A. Energy intensity (energy per unit GDP) often declines as efficiency improves; decarbonization aims to lower energy intensity while growing GDP.
• B. Energy intensity increases with development due to more energy use.
• C. Energy intensity is unrelated to efficiency or GDP.
• D. Energy intensity measures the emissions per unit of energy produced.

Answer: (B)

Energy intensity is the amount of energy used to produce a unit of economic output. As economies develop, they typically become more energy-efficient and shift toward sectors that use energy more efficiently, so energy intensity often declines rather than rises. This improvement in efficiency is a big part of why richer economies can grow without a proportional jump in energy use.

Decarbonization focuses on reducing greenhouse gas emissions per unit of economic output. When energy is used more efficiently and cleaner energy sources are adopted, emissions per unit of GDP tend to fall, even as GDP grows. So lowering energy intensity—using less energy per unit of output—helps drive decarbonization while still enabling economic growth.

The other statements don’t fit because energy intensity usually does not increase with development, it is related to efficiency and GDP, and energy intensity refers to energy use per GDP (not emissions per energy), which would be carbon intensity.