Oil oligopolies Shell and BP have a new plan to get more of the lovely black gold that we all need to get around – to extract it from new sources.  Unfortunately, these new sources could apparently lead to catastrophic climate change.

The new sources include tar sands and oil shale – formerly problematic to produce oil from, but now seen as an easier option than having to create massive rigs that can channel down many miles to sea beds.  The issue remains of course the turmoil seen in the Middle East, as well as the continuing price rises that we’ve all suffered recently.  This alternative source would give an opportunity to Canada and the US to have their own sources.

Unfortunately, to use these sources, the refining process can put out more than eight times the pollutants of ‘standard’ oil production, according to a report by the WWF and Co-operative Financial Services.  However, in line with current trends, both Shell and BP are showing moves to significant investment to non-standard production.

This, in my mind, is sensible.  However, it highlights exactly how separate the objectives of money and the environment can be.  What would happen if the companies invested all their cash into really alternative products to move the nation?  Well, we’ll never know.  Why would they bother when they are making record profits?  It’s bad business sense, even if it is good the world.

The estimation of 1.1 trillion barrels of oil being recoverable in the US and Canada seems quite high – it’s almost enough to get me hoping for prices to return to a £1.10 or less per litre cost.  But at what cost to the planet would this be when it could release 980 billion tonnes of CO2?  Some argue that this would push the planet well into dangerous climate levels.

What do I make of it all?  Well, there’s going to be a trade-off at some point.  Either the government will say this process is acceptable (I think this is likely, even if Obama is in power) or they’ll say it isn’t.  If it’s true that the suggested amount of CO2 will be released, we’d better be prepared for all of the many predictions we’ve been hearing about for a while – more unpredictable weather, further melting of the polar ice caps, more extreme typhoons etc.

Climate change, whether we like it or not, is a fact.  If even Clarkson can I agree it then I probably should too.  Are fuel prices too high though?  Oh yes, very much so.  For my mind, with nations such as China and India wanting more cars, these are set to rise.  What will we do?  Well, it may be damaging in the long run but perhaps ‘unconventional’ oil sources are our only option.

Hummers are, for true car lovers, a bit of a laughing stock.  They are big, cumbersome, ugly, smaller inside than they should be and terrible in terms of their fuel economy.  They are also not very cheap.  Worst of all perhaps is that they aren’t fit for purpose.  Such a vehicle should surely be good off-road, yet they are about as much as a BMW X3 - i.e. none at all.  However, they do have one thing going for them.  That thing is character.

One thing though is obvious.  Character cannot save you in today’s climate of $130+ barrels of oil and finally the Americans have woken up to the fact that they live on the same planet as the rest of us.  This means that sales are down by one third and (almost exclusively) gas guzzlers are off the menu globally.

Apparently, General Motors has confirmed that the future of the Hummer brand is hanging on a knife-edge.  Will they sell it on?  Will they keep it?  Then tension is almost too much.  Perhaps it’ll take a revamp to make the range more economical and look like the current trend for crossover coupes before it’ll be successful once again in the US.  Who knows.

Ironically, here in the apparently environmentally concerned UK and Europe sales of Hummers have gone up by 34%.  Mind you, they weren’t selling very many so that figure still only puts about 300 cars on drives.  Is that saying much then?  Well no, not really.  We’re far to sensible and enjoy our Land Rovers just too much thank you kindly.

In light of all the big American brands fault, I still like Hummer.  In the same way that I most American things.  It’s a bit too brash, bold and showy but there’s just something about it.  I’d hate to see all cars look the same and that’s perhaps one of the problems with British roads.  To those 300 people out there I’d like to say I want to see your Hummer (as it were).  Just don’t expect me to foot the bill for a refuelling when you head home.