The global economy that is just emerging from an unprecedented recession in decades is expected to start a journey in the new year toward resurgence and structural re-adjustment.

But the annual 3 percent growth rate average in global energy consumption over the past 100 years should dampen the prospect of the much-needed global economic restructuring. Due to the vast spending of carbon energy - which has aggravated the greenhouse effect and deteriorated the environment and the global ecosystem - the world is now at the risk of a bigger energy and environmental crisis.

Creating a sustainable economic and energy system while steering toward the establishment of a 3E model - known as the coordinated development between the economy, energy and environment - poses an enormous challenge for the world to deal with during a crisis that is likely to worsen. In this sense, the latest round in the global economic crisis is not only the outcome of a regular world economic cycle, but also means the global economy is now in a new period of "reforming its industrial civilizations".