ESG benchmarks and boom-and-bust legacy could keep oil producers walking the line

Recent under-investment could spur a new cycle of higher prices for oil, but investor reticence about sustainability could help the oil sector maintain a more sober mood this time around

Back pumping: nodding donkey wells on the Bakken shale, North Dakota
Back pumping: nodding donkey wells on the Bakken shale, North DakotaPhoto: AFP/SCANPIX