Oily divide

-- The year 1995 saw a rise of 1.8 per cent in global energy consumption, the highest annual growth rate since 1989 and more than double the average rate of the past five years. The main boost came from a slackening in the pace of decline in the former Soviet Union, where energy consumption fell by 5.9 per cent compared with declines of more than 10 per cent 1993 and 1994. Although the developed North remained the major consumer, there were slight increases in consumption in Asia and Australasia. India's share of total global oil consumption in 1995 was 2.3 per cent. Total proven oil reserves grew slightly, leaving the ratio of reserves to production unchanged.