The Oil Machine

The time when we described it as “liquid gold” may be over, but our economic, historical and even emotional connection to oil is still very much intact. Oil is in everything from the products in our kitchen cupboards to our pension funds. We are deeply dependent on oil. Let’s just admit it: we’re addicts.

This urgent film examines, from a range of perspectives, an industry that has crept into every pore of our society. But this must change: this polluting machine is causing sea levels to rise irrevocably. Directors of oil companies, economists and young activists all have their say about the conflicting interests around oil. Meanwhile, drilling permits are still being issued, despite the agreements made through the Paris Climate Accords.

While the focus is on the economy of the UK and its oil fields in the North Sea, all of us—politician, industrialist and consumer alike—will think twice after seeing this film and ask ourselves how to turn the tide. And how quickly?