According to a report by the Worldwatch Institute, we're using more energy in production, rather than less. The latest findings indicate that global energy intensity - the total energy consumption divided by global economic output - increased by 1.35% last year after declining for the past 30 years. The institute attributes the rise to growing consumption in China and the United States, but it's optimistic that most economies are opting for more sustainable development and that the index will drop. It will be interesting to see how the materials handling sector contributes to energy consumption, especially as the use of alternative energy sources for forklifts picks up.