Energy

John Gibbons: Is it any wonder graduates are turning their backs on the fossil fuel industry?

In the US, the number of business school graduates choosing careers in oil or gas has fallen by over 40 per cent in the last 15 years and the pipeline of new talent is rapidly drying up

Oil is more profitable than ever: in 2022, the combined profits of ExxonMobil, Shell, Chevron, Total, BP and Equinor surged to nearly $250 billion, the highest in their history. Picture: Getty

The biggest TV show of the 1980s, Dallas, followed the fortunes of the Ewings, a family of oil tycoons in Texas, and showcased their glamorous, opulent lifestyles, as well as the wheeling and dealing and back-stabbing in the industry.

Fast forward to the 2020s and the industry is arguably more profitable than ever. In 2022, the combined profits of ExxonMobil, Shell, Chevron, Total, BP and Equinor surged to nearly $250 billion, the highest in their ...