16/07/2026 by Cameron Clarke
The CEO and chairman of oil major Chevron, Mike Wirth, has written an op-ed about how affordable and abundant energy has been behind technological and social progression.
The piece was written to mark America’s 250th anniversary, so it inevitably has a US focus. It talks about how human potential was unlocked when the very first commercial oil well was drilled by Colonel Drake in Titusville, Pennsylvania. Before long, crude oil was refined into kerosene and used instead of whale oil as fuel in lamps. It enabled industrial expansion, with early lubricant and grease products like those from Valvoline and Texaco helping machinery to operate.
Innovators went on to use this new fuel to create novel machines. The Wright brothers used it to power flight and create a whole new form of transport. Farming was transformed by powered tractors, making it much more efficient. Henry Ford revolutionised car production to offer ordinary people affordable cars that used this affordable fuel.
Energy has of course had massive implications in the rest of the world. Wirth writes about World War II when this energy played a crucial role, where:
“…the United States produced nearly two-thirds of the world’s oil and the overwhelming majority of the fuel that powered the Allied war effort. American fuel propelled the ships that crossed the Atlantic, the bombers that flew over Europe and Asia, and the tanks that rolled across North Africa.”
Wirth points to the AI (artificial intelligence) revolution presenting the biggest current challenge for the energy industry. The full article can be read on Chevron’s website.
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