If
global warming accelerates, Schneiderman's logic goes,
then Exxon would be stuck with fossil fuel reserves rendered worthless by future regulations or a concomitant reduced
demand for oil.
The company expects energy
demand to grow at an average of about 1 % annually over the next three decades — faster than population but much slower than the
global economy — with increasing efficiency and a gradual shift toward lower - emission energy sources: Gas increases faster than
oil and by more BTUs in total, while coal grows
for a while longer but
then shrinks back to current levels.