As it now admits, BP “did not have the tools” to contain a deepwater oil leak. Its failure with that risk must now raise questions about its approach to other risks. Top of the list must be the threat that global oil production will fall sooner than generally forecast, ambushing oil-dependent economies with a rapidly opening gap between supply and demand. The approach of the point at which global oil supplies reach an apex, “peak oil” as it is often known, worries growing numbers of people. But, until now, BP has poured scorn on the worriers, encouraging the oil industry's effort to reassure society about peak oil. The disaster in the Gulf of Mexico casts doubt on the viability of the deepwater production on which industry forecasts depend.
英国石油(BP)如今承认，它“没有（遏止深水石油泄漏）的设备”。它未能成功应对这一风险，肯定会让人们纷纷质疑：它应对其它风险的举措是否也存在问题？其中人们最关心的，无疑是以下威胁：manbetx app苹果 石油产量的下降会比普遍预期的更早，供需缺口迅速拉大将对石油依赖型manbetx20客户端下载 体造成突然冲击。manbetx app苹果 石油供应见顶（即人们常说的“石油峰值”）之时日益临近，令越来越多的人感到担心。但迄今为止，英国石油一直对此类人嗤之以鼻，怂恿石油业努力打消社会对石油峰值的担心。此次墨西哥湾发生的灾难，让人们对深水采油的可行性产生了怀疑，而深水采油是石油业赖以作出预测的基础。