The never-ending role of hydrocarbons: Part 3

Technology, policy and narrative are the three biggest factors that could change the course of our 2050 outlook

It is worth noting that many key long-term reports—such as the IEA’s and BP’s—are most likely going to see significant revisions given both organisations’ pivots to more supportive oil and gas mindsets. It would be naive to not contextualise the outlook based on the creator, but of similar importance is the moment in time in which the outlook originated. That is true not just in terms of recency bias, but for example broader questions around whether China’s long-term demand should be formulated with it being extrapolated from its current economic and deflationary malaise. The three biggest factors that could alter the course of Petroleum Economist’s 2050 trajectory for oil and gas are techno