Shale Metamorphosis Is Profound, But True Value May Well Be Lost

摘要

North American shale resources are so vast, so overwhelming that they have transformed the global energy landscape in a few short years. "At the time of the first Obama inauguration, fears of 'peak oil' reigned; billions were being spent to construct import terminals for liquefied natural gas; and green energy ads had dominated the airways during the 2008 Obama-McCain duel," said Deloitte analyst Joseph A. Stanislaw. "By the time of the second Obama inauguration, fossil fuel reserves had multiplied and US oil production had increased 30 percent; the liquefied natural gas import terminals had become white elephants." And globally, there have been "tectonic shifts in the realms of energy, economics and geopolitics," he said, especially as global oil giants lose leverage over nations with newfound unconventional resource wealth.