Letter from Calgary: World’s energy contradictions in microcosm

This year’s WPC laid bare the dilemma facing the energy industry and the world at large, with warnings about the dangers of underinvestment in fossil fuels given the immaturity of alternatives

It is often said that Alberta is to Canada what Texas is to the US, but that does not tell the whole story. In some ways, Alberta is more Texas than Texas: as a hydrocarbons hub, the state produces more than 80% of Canada’s oil while Texas accounts for just over 40% of US oil. In other ways, it is less Texas than Texas, putting greater importance on indigenous land rights that are crucial to energy infrastructure and showing greater appreciation for energy sustainability. So what was striking about the 24th World Petroleum Congress in Calgary in September was how it encapsulated the global tensions between energy security and sustainability. For starters, there seemed to be a lack of consens