Pickens certainly has looked into the possibility of expanding supply by drilling offshore and in ANWAR and rejected it as unrealistic. I don't have access to his thinking but, no doubt, it is similar to that of Simmons and Goodstein and many others.
That's not what Pickens is saying. He's remarking that, long-term, demand is growing greater than supply. Thus, we'll have to develop alternative energy sources.
His reasoning is impeccable. And inarguable.
But he is NOT saying that, in the meantime, we should give up the pursuit of additional petroleum reserves.
Because, until those alternative energy sources are available, the world's economy is going to run on oil. T. Boone is not unfamiliar to me and he would agree with this statement, just as I am agreeing with his.
The solution posed by the New York Times editorial board would apparently be to simply shut down the economy and wait.
What would be your solution?