Planet Oil: The Treasure That Conquered the World

From the moment we first drilled for oil, we opened a Pandoras box that changed the world forever. It transformed the way we lived our lives, spawned foreign wars and turned a simple natural resource into the most powerful political weapon the world has ever known. But when exactly did geology turn into such a high-stakes game? In this series, Professor Iain Stewart visits the places that gave birth to the earths oil riches, discovers the people who fought over its control and supply, and explores how our insatiable thirst for oil is changing the very planet on which we depend. Its a journey that will help us answer a fundamental question - how did we become so addicted to oil in little more than one human lifetime?

As we entered the 21st century, the world was guzzling oil, coal and gas like never before. Despite fears of peak oil, Professor Iain Stewart discovers that while huge technological advances are helping extend the life of existing oilfields, new unconventional oil and gas supplies like shale gas and tar sands are extending the hydrocarbon age well into the 21st century. Given theres plenty of fossil fuels still in the ground, the spectre of climate change has forced many to ask can we really afford to burn whats left? In this concluding episode, Iain Stewart argues we face a stark choice. Do we continue feed our addiction - suck Planet Oil dry - and risk catastrophic climate change, or do we go hell for leather for alternative energy sources; nuclear, renewables, to make the transition from our fossil fuel past to a low carbon future. In which case, how do we make that shift?