[jmward01]

I can guarantee that when the oil industry collapses these companies won't take the last million in their bank accounts and use it to properly cap wells and clean up dead and soon to be decaying infrastructure. We throw money at them to destroy the environments they drill in (practically giving them the land for free). We throw money at them when they sell it (by giving them tax breaks). We throw money at them for producing the products from it (by not charging for the externalized costs of global warming and pollution in general) and we will throw money at them as they are dying (by not forcing them to pay for cleanup before starting drilling). The golden parachutes of oil execs are already being packed and everyone can see it but, shocker, nobody is stopping it.

[Dig1t]

Why would the oil industry collapse? It seems to me that there is nearly an unlimited demand for energy on the planet. If there's extra energy somewhere, humans will find a use for it. Quality of life for humans is directly correlated with energy abundance (of all kinds, solar is included in that).

[thejohnconway]

Because it’s on track to become expensive than other sources of energy. There are plenty energy sources we don’t use because they are comparatively expensive.

[seanmcdirmid]

Burning oil directly is incredibly dirty, even though Saudi does that, it feels like a bad bet in general in terms of environmental destruction. You can refine it into gasoline, but that takes as much energy so you wouldn’t gain much.

Better to just apply it for non-energy use cases.

[WarmWash]

The big producers would do it.

Its the small guys and the fly by night mom&pop producers who leave pure environmental carnage behind.

[Fezzik]

What gives you this impression? Take a gander at all the superfund sites in the States - they’re almost all caused by 1) the government or 2) large corporations. And neither of those entities made any efforts to clean up those sites until forced to.

[WarmWash]

But they were forced to, and it cost them billions. Far more than what they saved. Megacorp is still paying for the superfund near me, despite it being deemed contained 45 years ago.

Mom and pop places that caused super funds never paid out a cent, because they were small operations that folded decades ago and never had billions anyway.

Hence my comment.

[jmward01]

Why do you think the big producers will clean up when they aren't forced to do so? Is there a history of them doing that I am not aware of?