A fan or open windows are likely to replace central heating/aircon, a bicycle or public transport a car, a radio a television, and locally sourced wood-fired stoves electricity and gas in the kitchen.
Your global 'energy consumption' figure probably includes stupid things like American industrial agriculture, Dubai, the US military, people's calories from food, ~free geothermal power in volcanic zones, established hydropower, etc.
The UAE as a whole only consumes 15% more energy per capita than the US. Given how much smaller it's population is (around the size of NYC), it seems unfair to include it in the list. I assume that number also includes how much energy is needed to produce oil, which is exported worldwide.
The country is heavily investing in renewables, Dubai wants to supply 7% of power by solar from 2020, and 75% by 2050.
OK so good point - as usual looking at real numbers is far more informative... Qatar is way worse, yadda yadda.
That said, the US is a pretty bad yardstick. Another way to look at it would be to say that the average UAE citizen uses 250% of what an Iranian uses, or the average Qatar citizen uses 650% of what an Iranian uses, despite a (very) broadly similar climate and self-sufficient energy production.
The US citizen uses 11x more than an Indian, who is only slightly ahead of a North Korean (despite a horrific climate), both of whom are ~3x more than a Bengali.
A fan or open windows are likely to replace central heating/aircon, a bicycle or public transport a car, a radio a television, and locally sourced wood-fired stoves electricity and gas in the kitchen.
Your global 'energy consumption' figure probably includes stupid things like American industrial agriculture, Dubai, the US military, people's calories from food, ~free geothermal power in volcanic zones, established hydropower, etc.