The history of tobacco has been repeated with the oil industry
Letter from Europe: Tobacco offers warning for oil
Moving on from burning fossil fuels for energy will not be easy, but it is ultimately a habit the world will need to kick
In some ways it may be churlish to draw parallels between the tobacco industry and the oil sector. After all, oil was one of the wonders of the 20th century. It is probably the most useful resource that we have ever discovered. The energy that oil contains, the ease with which it can be transported and its versatility are astonishing. But the plight of the tobacco industry offers an important lesson for oil industry executives: whataboutery and a strong PR campaign only go so far. Making good on the pledges at COP28 will be the oil industry’s moment of truth. The tobacco industry knew smoking was detrimental to human health from the early 1950s. As the scientific knowledge improved, the bigg
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The December 2025/January 2026 issue of Petroleum Economist is out now!
16 December 2025
Abdullah Aljarboua serves as a senior fellow in the energy macro & microeconomics programme at KAPSARC. His work spans macroeconomics, energy-economic modelling, large-scale optimisation and advanced computational techniques for modelling complex energy policy dynamics. Here he speaks with Petroleum Economist about the Gulf region’s role in shaping the energy landscape over the coming decades
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The 25th WPC Energy Congress, taking place in Riyadh in April 2026 brings together global leaders, scientists, policymakers and innovators at a pivotal moment in the world’s energy evolution.
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