Global demand for gas falls for first time in 50 years. - According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the IMF and the US Department of Energy, global gas consumption is expected to fall about 2% in 2009 after growth of +2.5% in 2008 (and +4% in 2007). This is the first fall in natural gas demand since the 1960s. Although demand for heating gas has remained high in the northern hemisphere due to a rigorous winter, the slowdown in production in the high energy intensive sectors such as the motor industry, chemicals or steel, has caused gas demand for industrial usage to plummet in countries such as the United States, Japan and Europe (-8%), not to be offset by the emergent countries. This fall in demand entails a fall in prices: in the United States, with prices now around $4 per million BTU (British terminal unit) compared to over $7 last September. (I.L./transl.jl)