{"id":241379,"date":"2023-01-24T19:50:20","date_gmt":"2023-01-24T18:50:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=241379"},"modified":"2023-01-24T19:50:28","modified_gmt":"2023-01-24T18:50:28","slug":"does-the-oil-industry-have-a-future-part-i","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=241379","title":{"rendered":"Does the Oil Industry Have a Future? (Part I)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From\u00a0Master Resource<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Juli\u00e1n Salazar Vel\u00e1squez<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ed. note<\/strong>: Juli\u00e1n Salazar Vel\u00e1squez is a geologist and petroleum engineer with a nearly 50-year career in the Mexican and Venezuelan oil industries. A leading educator and proponent of free market energy, he is author of numerous articles and Gerencia Integrada de Campos de Hidrocarburo<\/a>s<\/em> (2020), a primer on the oil industry value chain. His four-part world view starts today and continues this week in Part II, Part III, and Part IV.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The current depiction of the oil and gas industry is not only incorrect but worrying. In the more than two years that I have been educating at conferences, in courses, in articles, and in my book\u2014I have seen how unsound dogma threatens progress and prosperity in our countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Background<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In December 2021 in Petroleum Magazine<\/em>, I published \u201cEnergy Transition or Transgression<\/em>? What to do in the face of the global campaign against the oil industry with the political threats of anti-fracking and global warming<\/em>?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I gave a talk on the article at the Venezuelan American Petroleum Association (VAPA), Venamerica, and \u201cColegio de Ingenieros de Venezuela\u2014Monagas\u201d (CIV-MONAGAS). The conference title\u2013\u201cThe two great current threats to the oil industry: anti-fracking and global warming\u201d<\/em><\/strong>\u2013refers to legal prohibitions based on unfounded catastrophic environmental impacts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The alleged danger of CO2<\/sub> emissions from fossil-fuel usage has been propagated in a large part of public opinion and institutions. I warned about the anti-oil and gas campaigns and demonstrations that have grown in Europe, Canada, USA, and Latin America against fossil fuels, even in support of bans which would represent devastating results for the future of humankind. In fact, mineral fuels and petrochemical derivatives have encountered prohibitions, not only for the exploration and production of unconventional shale deposits but in activities across the value chain of the hydrocarbon industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the 2017 edition of my book Gerencia Integrada de Campos de Hidrocarburos<\/em>, I saw these threats as something temporary. I was optimistic when I reflected on the question: Does the oil industry have a future?<\/strong> <\/em>On that occasion I mentioned with conviction:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

I can state with high probability of certainty that this sector will continue to expand to meet the growing demand for energy, so that oil and gas will continue to represent the most widely available source at the lowest cost. On the other hand, alternative energy sources will grow in parallel, sharing the market as they become more competitive.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Five years later, I now see that things have turned for the worse. Not only has the anti-oil and gas position become more radicalized, but the actions of the international political leadership are flagrantly supporting energy generated by wind and solar. Most recently, the activists are trying to establish barriers in the international financial system against oil, gas and coal, based on \u201cnet zero strategies, decarbonization, green energy, renewable energy and energy transition<\/em>,\u201d with the argument of saving the planet from the supposed negative of \u201cglobal warming<\/em>,\u201d or as it is now called \u201cclimate change<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The international protests in Europe, USA, Canada and Latin America, (Figure 1<\/strong>) have had the support of the governments and radical environmental organizations, supported by left-leaning political groups. Hence their radius of action has been increasing, with strong influence on governmental and non-governmental institutions of civil society, as corroborated by the following detrimental results:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Prohibitions and moratoria on activities for the exploration and exploitation of unconventional shale deposits in Europe, Mexico, Costa Rica, Colombia and some states of the USA and Canada. Oil and gas are only produced from this type of deposit in the USA, Canada, Argentina and China.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Stoppage of the 1,700-mile Keystone XL Pipeline by the US through an executive order. This project was built in order to transport 830 thousand barrels per day of crude oil from the oil sands of western Canada to the refineries in Texas.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Promise to stop all oil exploration activities, both conventional and unconventional in Colombia by the left-wing candidate, and a ban on fracking, which is already in its implementation phase after winning the presidency in June 2022.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
      \n
    • Proliferation of campaigns against the industry and oil usage by radical environmental groups, financed by non-governmental organizations that have influenced the policies of countries against the use of fossil fuels. (Figure 2<\/strong>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Increases\u2014after the pandemic and the start of the Russian-Ukrainian war\u2014in the prices of oil, gas and its derivatives, given the decrease in production and increase in demand, with the subsequent global energy crisis; also, short-term problems for energy supply in this winter of 2022 in Europe and North America. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      (To Be Continued in Part 2<\/strong>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      The alleged danger of CO2\u00a0emissions from fossil-fuel usage has been propagated in a large part of public opinion and institutions. I warned about the anti-oil and gas campaigns and demonstrations that have grown in Europe, Canada, USA, and Latin America against fossil fuels, even in support of bans which would represent devastating results for the future of humankind. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":241385,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-241379","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-uncategorized","9":"fallback-thumbnail"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/image-1065.png?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-10Nd","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":242024,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=242024","url_meta":{"origin":241379,"position":0},"title":"What Has Been the Role of Petroleum in Human Progress? (Part IV)","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"28\/01\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"The role that fossil fuels have played in the progress of humanity in four revolutions is undeniable","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/image-1222.png?fit=1066%2C600&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/image-1222.png?fit=1066%2C600&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/image-1222.png?fit=1066%2C600&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/image-1222.png?fit=1066%2C600&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/image-1222.png?fit=1066%2C600&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":241665,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=241665","url_meta":{"origin":241379,"position":1},"title":"Should Nations Stop Using Fossil Fuels? (Part II)","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"26\/01\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Consider the benefits from more than 6,600 products derived from oil and gas which comfort and quality to modern living.","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/image-1134.png?fit=1080%2C1027&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/image-1134.png?fit=1080%2C1027&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/image-1134.png?fit=1080%2C1027&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/image-1134.png?fit=1080%2C1027&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/image-1134.png?fit=1080%2C1027&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":242105,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=242105","url_meta":{"origin":241379,"position":2},"title":"Have Fossil Fuels Progressed Humanity? (Part III)","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"29\/01\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Most have witnessed the benefits from fossil fuels, first coal and then oil and gas. Yes, atmospheric CO2\u00a0emissions have increased, but so have the living standards of a record number of people, what is called The Great Breakthrough.","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/image-1251.png?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/image-1251.png?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/image-1251.png?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/image-1251.png?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/image-1251.png?fit=1200%2C630&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":201685,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=201685","url_meta":{"origin":241379,"position":3},"title":"Never Brighter: Energy Starved Economies Guarantee Endless Demand for Future Fossil Fuel","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"27\/05\/2022","format":false,"excerpt":"The renewable energy cult reckons \u201ccoal is dead\u201d, but the market says otherwise. Thermal coal prices are off the charts, with record demand driving record prices: Australian\u00a0thermal coal prices recently hit $US$400 ($548 a tonne),\u00a0with prices still on the rise. The crowd that tells us that we\u2019re only a heartbeat\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/0fire-out.webp?fit=849%2C574&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/0fire-out.webp?fit=849%2C574&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/0fire-out.webp?fit=849%2C574&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/0fire-out.webp?fit=849%2C574&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":292251,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=292251","url_meta":{"origin":241379,"position":4},"title":"A Three-University Conspiracy? (Or eight billion supporting fossil fuels)","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"22\/12\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201cThis conspiracy theorist needs to check his simplistic, authoritarian, emotional views. Eight billion consumers desiring the most affordable, reliable, plentiful energies is the reason why fossil fuels are winning. The real enemy in terms of human betterment is the climate industrial complex, the industrial wind developers, the solar cronies, and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Big Oil stocks\"","block_context":{"text":"Big Oil stocks","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=big-oil-stocks"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/0CJONWZU4JII6TA3Y7YEFQUBPYQ.jpg?fit=1200%2C831&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/0CJONWZU4JII6TA3Y7YEFQUBPYQ.jpg?fit=1200%2C831&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/0CJONWZU4JII6TA3Y7YEFQUBPYQ.jpg?fit=1200%2C831&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/0CJONWZU4JII6TA3Y7YEFQUBPYQ.jpg?fit=1200%2C831&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/0CJONWZU4JII6TA3Y7YEFQUBPYQ.jpg?fit=1200%2C831&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":407653,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=407653","url_meta":{"origin":241379,"position":5},"title":"Exxon Is Right Again, Bloomberg, Oil and Gas Will Be Needed for Decades to Come","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"11\/10\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"A recent article from Bloomberg, carried by Rigzone, describes Exxon\/Mobil Corporation\u2019s (Exxon) plan to continue investing in and developing oil and gas resources well into the future. This is welcome news, as Exxon is right that oil and gas will be needed for a very long time, not just for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Bloomberg\"","block_context":{"text":"Bloomberg","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=bloomberg"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/0AQPR-6_Qe9fYyTdjxY83gi2yuzoxGy3Gyj1HHjOVw_7TpTojQl-UY6IKyMJs_wTxg0UpLJILE-qnAqtLlAiz3B7sEYoVlpmdupycM3yrfYUskzsvREu-Sr7t89s02s8q-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C671&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/0AQPR-6_Qe9fYyTdjxY83gi2yuzoxGy3Gyj1HHjOVw_7TpTojQl-UY6IKyMJs_wTxg0UpLJILE-qnAqtLlAiz3B7sEYoVlpmdupycM3yrfYUskzsvREu-Sr7t89s02s8q-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C671&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/0AQPR-6_Qe9fYyTdjxY83gi2yuzoxGy3Gyj1HHjOVw_7TpTojQl-UY6IKyMJs_wTxg0UpLJILE-qnAqtLlAiz3B7sEYoVlpmdupycM3yrfYUskzsvREu-Sr7t89s02s8q-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C671&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/0AQPR-6_Qe9fYyTdjxY83gi2yuzoxGy3Gyj1HHjOVw_7TpTojQl-UY6IKyMJs_wTxg0UpLJILE-qnAqtLlAiz3B7sEYoVlpmdupycM3yrfYUskzsvREu-Sr7t89s02s8q-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C671&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/0AQPR-6_Qe9fYyTdjxY83gi2yuzoxGy3Gyj1HHjOVw_7TpTojQl-UY6IKyMJs_wTxg0UpLJILE-qnAqtLlAiz3B7sEYoVlpmdupycM3yrfYUskzsvREu-Sr7t89s02s8q-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C671&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241379","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/121246920"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=241379"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241379\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":241387,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241379\/revisions\/241387"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/241385"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=241379"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=241379"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=241379"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}