The Myth of the 20th Century: Exxon Mobil – Peak Oil and its Consequences

Since the industrial revolution and the advent of fossil fuels in place of manual labor powering nearly all aspects of civilization from agriculture to transportation to manufacturing, human productivity and population have exploded, going from under 1 billion in 1750 to a projected population of 10 billion in 2100. In the 20th century, oil became the central resource to command national economies and armies alike, playing a central role in geopolitics to this day. But as the industry faces dwindling reserves and competing alternative technologies in the 21st century, companies like ExxonMobil stand out as an unashamed proponent of hydrocarbons, being America’s largest oil and gas company and one of its most profitable. As the primary heir to the Standard Oil legacy, the company offers a unique glimpse into what America used to be, and raises the question of how much longer that can remain the case.

Clarification: The United States is still the biggest consumer of OIL of any other nation, but China is the largest ENERGY consumer in the world: https://www.statista.com/statistics/263455/primary-energy-consumption-of-selected-countries/

— References —

• Five Easy Pieces, Rafelson (1970)
• Mad Max, Miller (1979)
• Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, Miller (1981)
• Max Max Beyond Thunderdome, Miller (1985)
• Shell Scandal Points To Exaggerated Estimates Of Oil Reserves, Blanche (2004) – https://www.countercurrents.org/peakoil-blance170404.htm
• There Will Be Blood, Anderson (2007)
• Mad Max: Fury Road, Miller (2015)
• Rockefeller family charity to withdraw all investments in fossil fuel companies, Neate (2016) – https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/mar/23/rockefeller-fund-divestment-fossil-fuel-companies-oil-coal-climate-change
• The Iranian Revolution, Myth of the 20th Century (2017) – https://myth20c.wordpress.com/2017/01/16/the-iranian-revolution/
• Petrodollar – American Political Economics, Myth of the 20th Century (2017) – https://myth20c.wordpress.com/2017/03/14/petrodollar-american-political-economics/
• Dark Energy – Peak Oil and its Consequences, Myth of the 20th Century (2018) – https://myth20c.wordpress.com/2018/07/18/dark-energy-peak-oil-and-its-consequences/
• Oil and gas discoveries are at the lowest level since 1946, Coren (2021) – https://qz.com/2107452/oil-and-gas-discoveries-are-at-the-lowest-level-since-1946/
• A third climate activist is expected to be elected to Exxon’s board, Goldman and Egan (2021) – https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/02/investing/exxon-shareholders-climate-activist/index.html
• ExxonMobil at the Crossroads, CNBC (2022) – https://www.cnbc.com/live-tv/cnbc-originals/full-episode/exxonmobil-at-the-crossroads/2045856323696
• Dutch farmers clog roads on way to anti-government protest, Furtula (2022) – https://www.agrinews-pubs.com/business/2022/07/09/dutch-farmers-clog-roads-on-way-to-anti-government-protest/
• Volume of crude oil and natural gas discoveries worldwide from 2015 to 2021 – https://www.statista.com/statistics/1291416/oil-and-gas-discovery-volume-worldwide/
• Ethanol fuel energy balance – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethanol_fuel_energy_balance

Myth of the 20th Century

If pessimism is despair, optimism is cowardice and stupidity. -Francis Parker Yockey