For 50 years the story of oil has been one of matching supply with increasing demand

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🗞️ Driving the news: For the past five decades, the global narrative around oil has centered on balancing its burgeoning demand with supply
• However, as Vijay Vaitheeswaran argues in a special report, the next fifty years signal a dramatic shift
• The focus will transition from managing demand to actively reducing it in alignment with climate goals, marking a historic pivot in the oil industry's century-long saga

🔭 The context: The United Arab Emirates, a major oil-producing nation, embodies the dichotomy of modern oil reliance amid climate vulnerability
• Despite the environmental perils, including the impacts of climate change visible in the region, the UAE plans to boost its oil production
• Yet, the country is also taking steps toward sustainability, as evidenced by initiatives like the planting of a carbon-sequestering mangrove barrier

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: The oil sector's significant contribution to global CO2 emissions positions it at the heart of the climate change dilemma
• The industry's resilience, even in the face of decreasing demand due to the pandemic, underscores the urgent need for a strategic pivot towards reducing oil dependency if the world is to meet the Paris Agreement's ambitious temperature goals

⏭️ What's next: The narrative shift was crystallized at COP28, where a final communiqué called for a global transition away from fossil fuels, albeit in non-binding language
• This symbolic yet historic acknowledgment from within the oil establishment hints at the beginning of a gradual, yet profound, transformation in energy consumption patterns and the global economy's foundational structures

💬 One quote: "This outcome is the beginning of the end," remarked Simon Stiell, head of the UNFCCC secretariat, on the COP28 communiqué's call to transition away from fossil fuels

📈 One stat: In 2023, global oil production reached 101.8 million barrels per day, with emissions from oil estimated at 12.1 billion tonnes per year, representing 32% of all industrial emissions.

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