The New Economy of Oil - Impacts on Business, Geopolitics and Society. (Paperback, Revised)

An analysis of the condition of the oil industry at the start of the 21st century. It demonstrates that the chief concern of the industry over the next couple of decades will not be its availability but its acceptability. Having dominated the 20th century, playing a crucial role in industrial development, oil now faces an unprecedented series of challenges: as a major polluter, it faces competition from other energy sources - gas and renewables - and ever more stringent regulation and control, with higher taxes. Faced with these pressures, the oil companies are repositioning themselves as energy industries - and oil is certain to have a diminishing share in their portfolio of fuels.;The implications are enormous, given the current dependence on oil of so much industry and government revenue. This book should be useful to all those involved with oil, from industry professionals to competitors, commentators, investors, managers, politicians and regulators, as well as more general readers.