[ravenstine]

On a topic not directly related to the article, there's a book written by a former CEO of Shell called "Why We Hate the Oil Companies" that's rather interesting. In summary, his points are that oil is not necessarily good or bad, but that the lack of effective energy policies and the inherent challenges of the field incentivize bad practices by oil companies, while simultaneously these companies fail to communicate their positive role in civilization as the media routinely use them as a punching bag. I'm not excusing what Shell is doing or has done in the past, but the book provides a nuanced take for anyone interested in the topic.

[vasco]

Energy and energy availability certainly have saved many lives and made many others much better than they would've been, but that's not really due to energy companies.

Give the ownership of oil rights to other people / companies and they'd have done the same stuff, specially after the first waves of development. Attributing all the positives of cheap energy on humanity to oil companies and their employees seems like attributing the joy of music to the record labels.

[maccard]

> I'm not excusing what Shell is doing or has done in the past, but the book provides a nuanced take for anyone interested in the topic.

I don't think you can write a comment that says the book is a nuanced take and in the same breath say you're not apologising for them.

Of course the CEO of shell's nuanced take is "they let us do it", when they spent an absolute fortune ensuring that they would be allowed to continue.

I've read the book, and it's not a nuanced take, at all. It sells a picture of "well you said you wanted it, so we just gave you what you want", and sweeps under the rug all of the other parts. For example, the research that these companies did almost 50 years ago that they made absolutely no effort to avoid the consequences of, instead burying them.

There was nothing stopping the CEO of shell divesting in the early 2000's other than greed and growth, and the only reason he wrote a book about it is because it sells.

[azan_]

Well, the reason for the hate could be that OR things like oil companies sponsoring climate change deniers and exxon hiding results of their own study which shown that continued burning of fossil fuels will have catastrophic consequences.

[viraptor]

This is a corporation heavily investing in messaging and lobbying that makes sure they get subsidies rather than fines and regulation. Yes, that kind of comment about nuance is totally excusing them.

[permo-w]

what is an effective energy policy in his eyes?