While millions of people are inclined to blame fossil fuel producers, auto manufacturers and drivers of oversized vehicles for growth in global CO2 emissions, two Calgary energy analysts say the real drivers are tech-enabled easy travel and custom product deliveries, and the billions of people in developing countries escaping poverty. A Dec. 3 article in C2C Journal by Steve Larke, former managing director of Peters & Co., and Adam Le Dain, an associate at Azimuth Capital Management, calls out the support for Amazon, Uber, Airbnb and “thousands of air-conditioned data centres” around the world as part of the potentially unprecedented “mass hypocrisy” that exists around energy use. The analysts point out the connection between the huge success of Airbnb and growing access to cheaper air travel, which recently hit a record of approximately 202,000 planes airborne on a single day, enough to carry the entire population of Canada. “If the ‘airline industry’ were a country, its annual increase in oil demand would rank it second globally, bested only by China,” the authors state. Stay current on industry headlines, upcoming events and gain access to specialty reports by subscribing to our free daily oil and gas e-news alert. “With a […]
