Big Oil’s Role in Our Energy Future

In response to my piece comparing Big Oil to Big Tobacco, Matthew Baxter writes:  Just like big tobacco is around 20 years after people were predicting their imminent demise – big oil is likely to still be around in 20 years. Are container ships and planes going to run on batteries tomorrow/Next year/20 years?

To be clear, I’m aware that the fossil fuel industries will be here for a long time to come, and that’s actually a good thing, as I’ll explain below. I recommend adopting an energy policy that makes it very clear that the U.S., as the de facto world leader in terms of scientific and economic horsepower, is phasing out fossil fuels at the maximum rate feasible. To summarize:

NOW: Replacing coal in our grid mix with an array of solutions that include efficiency, wind, solar, storage, natural gas, and, as it can be accomplished cost-effectively, advanced nuclear.

NEXT 10 – 20 YEARS: Replacing oil as the fuel for cars and light-duty trucks with battery electric transportation.

AT SOME POINT IN THE FUTURE: Replacing the most difficult-to-address applications (the ones you mentioned), i.e., cargo ships, Class 8 trucks, air travel.

At the same time, we need to demand some level of honesty and cooperation from Big Oil. What ExxonMobil did in lying about their research showing an ironclad relationship between fossil fuel consumption and climate change was nothing short of despicable.