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
Also in this section
17 September 2024
Decarbonisation strategy is already hurting upstream appetite and threatening near-term energy security
16 September 2024
The third part of our fourth chapter on the history of oil takes the story of gas to the present day with the rise of LNG and the creation of a truly global market
16 September 2024
Gas is difficult to move compared with oil, requiring additional infrastructure. The second part of our history of gas examines how expanding pipeline networks made it possible to monetise the fuel
16 September 2024
The first part of our fourth chapter on the history of oil looks at the origins of gas and LNG—once considered a nuisance, now a fuel of the future