The future through green-tinted specs

The chasm between the U.S. and European petroleum sectors over environmental issues showed at last month's Offshore Northern Seas conference in Stavanger. So many speakers talked about sustainable energy and the environment that it was easy to forget that ONS is an oil and gas industry event. Speaking to delegates and visitors to the parallel ONS exhibition during the week, it became clear that European visitors were unruffled by this bias, but some Americans felt they were being lectured.

Sept. 7, 1998

3 min read

David Knott
London
[email protected]

The chasm between the U.S. and European petroleum sectors over environmental issues showed at last month's Offshore Northern Seas conference in Stavanger.

So many speakers talked about sustainable energy and the environment that it was easy to forget that ONS is an oil and gas industry event.

Speaking to delegates and visitors to the parallel ONS exhibition during the week, it became clear that European visitors were unruffled by this bias, but some Americans felt they were being lectured.

Chief lecturer was Lester R. Brown, president of the Worldwatch Institute, Washington.

"Put together the growing population and average income," said Brown, "and you get an enormous growth ahead in the world economy. But progress can't continue with the economy as it is now structured, because it is slowly undermining itself."

Destabilization

Economic indicators are generally positive, said Brown, but environmental indicators, which measure the health of the planet, are consistently negative.

"At some point, the greenhouse effect will become clear to everyone," he said. "The last 20 years include 14 of the warmest on record. We are now seeing some of the effects of climate destabilization.

"Many people have been convinced we need to reconstruct the world economy so that it doesn't self-destruct. Others are not convinced; they think we can muddle through."

Brown's vision of a future sustainable world economy incorporates an energy industry based on renewable resources, with hydrogen as a road transport fuel and rail networks and bicycles for transport in cities.

Reuse/recycle

What, asked Brown, could be more exciting than building an economy that is sustainable rather than continually undermining itself?

"This is the greatest investment opportunity in world history," he declared. "The challenge for the petroleum industry is to lay a vision and decide how to get there."

But Brown warned that few companies in the oil industry seem to have a long-term vision. The industry should lead on environmental issues, he contends, not be pulled kicking and screaming into the future.

"Petroleum companies are at risk of developing 'IBM syndrome,'" said Brown. "In the late '70s and early '80s, IBM bet on mainframes and failed to anticipate personal computers. Similarly, the oil industry risks failure to anticipate the decentralization of energy production."

While petroleum companies dominate supply of the power and transport fuels industries now, he warned, in the future, power and fuel energy will come from diverse technologies.

"Some companies are producing hints that they have recognized this," said Brown, "but the U.S. oil industry is involved in a disinformation campaign. Those who protect the past will become part of the past."