Over the next five decades, even with vigorous conservation measures in industrialized regions, increasing needs for liquid fuels throughout the world may exceed the capabilities of global energy supply systems. The "energy problem," viewed in a sufficiently long-term and global perspective, is...

Oil needs and prospective supplies for the world over the next fifty years have been assessed as part of the energy studies at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Laxenburg, Austria. These analyses indicate needs of from 100 to 160 × 106 BPD (barrels per day) of...