Oil

The scramble for Africa's oil

Within a decade, the US will be heavily dependent on African oil. Little wonder the Pentagon is preparing a strategy for the region.

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Oil: We're addicted

James Buchan has been writing about oil since the 1970s. Here, at a moment when steepling prices, political tension and encroaching climate change seem to point to the terminal crisis, he offers his prognosis for the commodity that made the modern world.

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Stuff of dreams

High oil prices have given Russia renewed power, frightening the west but bringing hope to ordinary Russians. Helen Womack reports

Oil be damned

Angela Saini scrutinises the green fuel claims of London-based oil giants

Our best is not good enough

Such is our dependence on oil, we face a shock that will dwarf any crisis of the past. It's a good job the government hasn't ruled out rations - only the effort of a war economy is likely to help.

Blow, blow thou winter wind

The planet can no longer sustain our oil addiction. Renewable energies, meanwhile, hold the key to ending poverty. Why are we so slow on the uptake?

The curse of black gold

Oil is bad news for a country: far from bringing prosperity, it is the harbinger of poverty, malnutrition and oppressive government. Nick Cohen reveals why

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