Rio: The “Marvellous City”
The endless beauty of its people and its setting put Rio de Janeiro as one of the most visited cities in the Southern Hemisphere. Rio Summer Olympics 2016 Rio de…
In the News
Levelling the Playing Field …
How much do fossil fuel companies benefit from the public purse? In May this year, the IMF announced their revised calculation of global fossil fuel subsidies. The figure is an…
Indonesia: New Regime Creates Expectations
What effect will the new modernizing president have on the oil and gas industry in Indonesia? Indonesian presidential elections held on July 9, 2014 saw Joko Widodo, leader of the Indonesian…
Making an Educated Guess
An online game shows that using input from a knowledgeable crowd can lead to better decisions. In a recent experiment, university students and oil industry staff, including non-explorationists, tried to predict whether exploration…
China Seeks More Gas
With its vast shale gas resources proving harder to access than anticipated, China is looking to Russian gas to satisfy its rising demand. China is believed to hold the world’s largest…
Capital Discipline – A Shake Up For The Industry
Despite record levels of capital investment since 2005, oil production outside of North America has virtually flat-lined and investors are losing confidence. How is the industry reacting? To say there…
Field-based Training: Luxury or Necessity?
What is the role of field geology today, what will it be in the future and what specifically is the importance of field-based training to petroleum geosciences? Is it a…
Libya’s missing barrels
The Brent oil price continues to slide as Libyan oil is expected to gradually return to the market after two key export terminals, which had been blocked for almost a year by…
The First Oil Shock
At a time when oil prices spiralled down from over $100 to below $50 within half a year, talking about ‘oil shock’ may seem odd. Yet, the oil shock of…
The Secret World of Oil
Ken Silverstein Verso Books Dodgy practice in the oil industry may appear to be a ‘yawn, yawn’ subject – don’t we all know that companies lobby and pay into campaign funds? And…
Malta
A country shaped by limestone (and a bit of very old poo). If one word could sum up the Mediterranean island nation of Malta, it would be ‘limestone’. Limestone has…
Hubbert’s Peak: Not yet reached
In 1956, Shell geophysicist M. King Hubbert predicted that US oil production would reach its highest level in the 1970s. Hubbert’s prediction came true in 1971. The geoscientist got his…