Oil Majors in a Post-Covid World

The oil majors are slowly recognizing that in a decarbonized world their fundamental business is going to have to change.

So what are they thinking? Where are they deploying resources -- and not deploying resources?

Ed Crooks is the right person to ask. He’s our oil major whisperer. He Vice Chair for the Americas at Wood Mackenzie.

Last time we had him on the show was in May of 2020 when the pandemic-driven collapse of oil demand sent key oil prices negative.

Ed talks with our host Shayle Kann about the rebound since then and how oil and gas companies are using this new influx of cash.

They discuss the longstanding differences between American and European oil majors: The Europeans are more aggressive on new energy investments; the Americans are more conservative. Does this distinction still hold, even under the rising pressure of shareholders, employees and governments on these companies to take climate action?

And if they’re not going to invest directly in renewables and power, how will their business models change in a decarbonized world? Shayle and Ed talk about what it would mean to become a “carbon management company.”

They also talk about the differences between 1.5- and 2.0-degrees-celsius worlds and what each would mean for oil and gas companies.

Finally, they read the tea leaves on carbon pricing. Does the Biden administration’s aggressive stance on climate change the political chances of legislation in the U.S.?