Global energy demand is on course to be about 35 percent higher in 2040 than it was in 2010, ExxonMobil says in its annual long-term energy forecast. China and India together will account for half of the projected growth in global energy demand, the report released Thursday noted. “Understanding global energy trends is absolutely critical for effective energy policy,” ExxonMobil chairman Rex W. Tillerson said in a statement. “The world depends on safe, reliable and affordable energy development to support economic growth and our modern way of life.” ExxonMobil expects natural gas will become the world’s second most-used fuel on an energy-equivalent basis after oil around 2025 and expects natural gas consumption to rise 65 percent by 2040. Although some countries scaled back their nuclear expansion plans in the aftermath of Japan’s 2011 Fukushima nuclear plant disaster, nuclear energy “will see solid growth,” […]