There has for decades been controversy among geologists and economists over whether we are going to reach the point of maximum global oil production (the famous ‘peak oil’) and, if so, whether it will be produced by supply-side changes (exhausted resources and reserves) or a fall in demand (decreased consumption linked to the campaign against climate change)? Patrick Criqui reminds us of the origins of this controversy and offers an update in this ‘Signposts’ column on the prospects for peak oil—though the development of unconventional forms of oil, egged on by President Trump’s “Drill, baby drill” slogan, has already changed the picture somewhat.
The article is downloadable only in French. It is not available in English.
