
Oil Companies Plan to Blow Past World Carbon Budget - 23throwaway23
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/oct/10/oil-firms-barrels-markets
======
twright
About a year ago I read an OPEC publication from 2006 “Oil in the 21st
Century”. It was filled with optimism about our oil powered future. In one
chapter they made surprisingly accurate production/consumption estimates
through about 2021 and were only off by a few points because in 08-09
consumption dropped a little. Not once were electric cars mentioned.

What I ultimately absorbed from the book is that oil production and
consumption is inextricably tied into the global economy and only aggressive,
binding, legislation can separate it. Technology -baring some moonshot energy
breakthrough that’s absurdly cheap and easy to adopt overnight— will not save
us; the oil will keep flowing and more will flow each year.

~~~
casualm
>only aggressive, binding, legislation can separate it

That, or the eventual depletion of oil. My gamble is more on this than
politics ever getting it done.

~~~
twright
> depletion of oil

That’s true too, barring some 1970’s-like energy crisis also I think. Though,
my understanding of peak oil arguments is that as drilling technology improves
we can extract deeper oil that is not previously counted as extractable. So
peak oil is this constantly shifting target 30-40 years away. We will run out,
yes, but no time soon. Oil companies and national economies will continue to
drive up production until then.

------
woodandsteel
Most oil production goes to transportation. That is why it is absolutely
essential that we switch to ev's as quickly as possible.

------
_Microft
This is madness.

