Inconvenient Chats

IC29: Will our dependency on oil ever end?

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Last episode for now! Have you ever wondered how much our society is built on oil and gas besides electricity? Will we actually ever manage to transition away from it? Is it possible for all our consumption of plastic, polyester, nylon, helium, and so much more that one does not think of immediately? It feels like an impossible mountain to climb. But we're here for the conversation, with a little bit of hope and a little bit of fear.

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Sources

  • Bruegel (March 2026), How will the Iran conflict hit European energy markets? (https://www.bruegel.org/first-glance/how-will-iran-conflict-hit-european-energy-markets#:~:text=The%20immediate%20impact%20on%20energy,through%20the%20Strait%20of%20Hormuz)
  • UNTD (March 2026), From gas to grain: Fertilizer disruptions raise risks for food security and trade (https://unctad.org/news/gas-grain-fertilizer-disruptions-raise-risks-food-security-and-trade#:~:text=+27%25-,Source:%20UN%20Trade%20and%20Development%20(UNCTAD)%2C%20based%20on,costs%20increase%2C%20pushing%20prices%20higher.)
  • Business Insider (March 2026), It's not just oil: 3 critical supply chains being upended by the war in Iran (https://www.businessinsider.com/oil-prices-supply-chains-iran-war-ai-helium-food-inflation-2026-3#:~:text=by%20the%20war.-,Helium,if%20the%20disruptions%20are%20prolonged.)
  • UNric (December 2024), From petroleum to pollution: the cost of polyester (https://unric.org/en/from-petroleum-to-pollution-the-cost-of-polyester/#:~:text=Polyester%20is%20a%20synthetic%20fiber,biodegradable%2C%20and%20it%20emits%20microplastics)
  • University College London, How much of the world's fossil fuel reserves can we afford to burn? (https://www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/how-much-worlds-fossil-fuel-reserves-we-afford-burn#:~:text=Such%20fears%20preserve%20policies%20of,to%20keep%20fossil%20fuels%20coming.)
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    Inconvenient ChatsBy Kaisa Virolainen & Jan Kleine