A commitment to sustainable development is more than a series of statements and platitudes. It requires action, and signals the start of a major cultural change in which capturing the hearts and minds extends beyond our own staff to the wider world - a world full of customers who are scrutinising us ever more, and are looking for lasting solutions. It also requires a collective will from all of us in this industry - from companies, governments and all those who allow us to operate on the playing field of oil and gas in the 21st century. Those that ignore sustainable development will not be allowed to operate. Those that embrace it will have a competitive advantage and will be contributing to the long-term sustainability of their companies, our industry as a whole and our planet.
I am speaking to you today on behalf of Shell, but also on behalf of myself and many of my colleagues. I am aware that many of you in this audience will be already embracing sustainable development - the excellent publication by OGP and IPIECA prepared for the Johannesburg WSSD which runs parallel to this conference summarises the collective efforts of the oil, gas and petroleum industry. So what I want to do today is call for all of us to work together, for none of us can do this alone.
What more could The U.S. Geological Survey believes ultimately recoverable hydrocarbon resources are some three we want? trillion barrels of oil equivalent. And the general consensus is that energy demand will be two to three times current levels by 2050. (Fig. 1: Three trillion boe headline.) Tremendous! We have a massive resource, strongly rising demand: what more could we want? I guess we all wish it were that simple. But, we all know there are many real issues today, and in the future: the growing gap between rich and poor, serious concerns about global warming, a breakdown of confidence in corporate, and even political, behaviour, and a large number of people feeling alienated and marginalized. (Fig. 2: Many feel alienated) These are just a few of the major issues that are being debated in Johannesburg. They are huge issues, with major consequences for the future of the world in which we live and work.
As an industry, we've done well in producing energy, but we haven't done so well in convincing people that we are doing it the right way. Put simply, there is a lack of trust. So increasingly the question is who will be allowed to play in this ever-globalising world? Who will be allowed? Who will be given permission? Compare this to the situation in football, soccer. I know I can trust Brazil to play exceptionally in the World Cup. And, usually win; just like this year, and four times before! Football is But while Ronaldo and his team mates were dazzling us, something else happened. Football became globalisi