Joseph McMullen, Marketing Director, AVEVA, New Hampshire (U.S.)
The global energy system is not just shifting. It is being dismantled and rebuilt, piece by piece, like a jet engine, while the world keeps turning. On one side: climate urgency; on the other: economic pressures and geopolitical realities. In the middle: the oil and gas industry, moving fast enough to innovate, but not so fast the lights go out.
We have seen what happens when energy transitions are rushed. Blackouts hit major cities. Fuel prices spike overnight. Industries grind to a halt. For families, it means choosing between heating and groceries. For businesses, it is lost orders, idle plants and missed opportunities.
A low-carbon future takes more than ambition. We need power grids we have not even imagined yet, infrastructure that is still on the drawing board and technology that can scale without breaking under demand. That is a decades-long project—30 years, maybe more.
Which is why this energy transition cannot be framed as oil vs. renewables. It must be oil and renewables, working side by side until the transition is ready to stand on its own. This is not a sprint, but rather a relay that we will be running for decades. If we drop the baton, the cost will be far greater than a delay.
Decarbonization without chaos is akin to upgrading a plane while it is flying (FIG. 1). We must keep energy secure and affordable now, while building something cleaner, stronger and more resilient for tomorrow. Pragmatism is not giving up—it is how we are going to make it through.
The case for collaboration. No single company, government or region can pull off the energy transition alone. It is too massive, too complex and too urgent. It will take bold partnerships—industries sharing hard-won insights, pooling capital and scaling ideas together.
The oil and gas sector is already putting serious money on the table. ExxonMobil plans to spend up to $30 B on emissions-cutting technologies by 2030,1 enough to fund 20 offshore wind farms.
Digital platforms are beginning to connect the dots, linking industrial data across the value chain so stakeholders can collaborate in real time rather than in silos. In Norway, oil companies are partnering with offshore wind developers to share grid connections and maintenance crews. In the U.S., refiners and solar providers are testing data-sharing agreements to balance power demand in real time.
Pragmatism does not mean lowering the bar: it means building a bridge strong enough for today that can carry the weight of tomorrow. This is not a choice between sustainability and profitability. With the right tools and mindset, we can deliver both.
Why pragmatism wins
Realism over rhetoric: The oil and gas industry still supplies > 80% of global energy.2 Shut them down too fast and we risk energy shocks that hit economies and communities hard. Smarter moves—like artificial intelligence (AI)-optimized facilities and cleaner extraction—help close the gap while renewables scale. This is not about standing still. It is about moving at a pace that keeps the world running.
Energy security first. Diversity equals resilience. By keeping multiple sources in play, we reduce overreliance and keep backups ready when renewables are intermittent. In 2022, Europe’s heavy dependence on one supplier magnified its energy crisis. A pragmatic mix (gas, renewables, nuclear, storage) is a shield against both politics and weather.
Spend capital where it matters most. Not every sustainability investment delivers the same impact. Target the investments that cut emissions and operating costs. That might mean retrofitting a refinery with carbon capture before building a new solar plant, because the emissions savings kick in immediately.
Innovation in every lane. The smartest companies are not choosing between renewables and hydrocarbons. They are improving both, from AI that predicts methane leaks before they happen, to digital twins that design green hydrogen (H2) plants with zero wasted steel or concrete.
Keep public support strong. Affordable, reliable energy keeps people on board. Rushing change without infrastructure risks backlash that can stall progress for years. People will support the destination if the journey does not make life more difficult in the short term.
Jobs now, jobs later. Renewables could create 38 MM jobs worldwide.3 A pragmatic plan lets oil and gas workers transition over time, carrying their skills into new systems, from turbine maintenance to H2 storage. This is about continuity as much as change.
Flexibility as a strategy. A rigid, all-or-nothing mindset does not survive contact with reality. Flexibility lets companies pivot when technology breakthroughs, market changes or geopolitical events demand it. Such a strategy marks the difference between being prepared and being caught flat-footed.
Technology is the great equalizer. Pragmatism works best with the right tools, and technology is how we cut emissions without cutting productivity.
Real-time infrastructure data—Unified operational data exposes inefficiencies instantly, enabling solutions before such inefficiencies grow.
AI-infused software—Predicts failures, optimizes processes and adapts to changing demand without sacrificing output.
Industrial intelligence—Open, cloud-based platforms like the author’s company’s open and neutral industrial intelligence platforma deliver analytics without the heavy information technology (IT) lifting.
Picture a control room dashboard flashing an alert hours before a compressor fails, saving millions in lost revenue that results from downtime; or an AI model automatically rerouting power from a solar farm to an liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in seconds when a storm rolls in. This is not theory: it is happening in operations around the world today.
From well optimization to carbon tracking, intelligent systems are reshaping the energy value chain, making operations cleaner now and ramping faster toward tomorrow’s solutions.
Design. Build. Operate. Optimize. Decarbonize.
Design for efficiency—Spot waste before construction starts with simulations and digital twins.
Build for the future—Prefabricate with precision, ready for H2; carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS); and hybrid systems.
Operate with intelligence—Cut energy use with AI optimization and predictive maintenance.
Optimize without end—Use historic + live data to keep improving year after year.
Decarbonize through innovation—Manage legacy assets while scaling clean energy, disruption-free.
Every stage matters. A plant designed for efficiency saves millions of dollars from not having to shut down and retrofit the plant when conditions change. A system built for flexibility adapts as new fuels come online, operations tuned with AI stay competitive and every optimization frees up capital to invest in the next leap forward.
Progress over perfection. The energy transition is not a straight line. It will bend, stall and surge forward in turns. However, the opportunity is massive to decarbonize operations, diversify energy systems and build resilience for decades ahead.
A pragmatic approach does not stall innovation—it fuels it. Such an approach starts where we are and builds toward where we need to go, one smart investment at a time.
With the author’s company’s industrial intelligencea, a combination of data-driven insights, industrial AI and human expertise, oil and gas leaders do not have to choose between running profitably and sustainably. They can do both, by design. The tools and data exist, and the momentum is building. Now is the time for action.
If we get this right, the lights stay on, the air gets cleaner and the transition becomes something people feel proud of—not fearful of. That is the kind of change that lasts.
Decarbonization without chaos means crossing the bridge while building it, keeping today’s energy secure and affordable while laying the groundwork for a cleaner, more resilient tomorrow. HP
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AVEVA CONNECT
LITERATURE CITED
“ExxonMobil announces plans to 2030 that build on its unique advantages,” ExxonMobil, December 11, 2024, online: https://investor.exxonmobil.com/company-information/press-releases/detail/1178/exxonmobil-announces-plans-to-2030-that-build-on-its-unique
Fossil fuels ‘stubbornly’ dominating global energy despite surge in renewables: Energy Institute,” S&P Global, June 2023, online: Fossil fuels 'stubbornly' dominating global energy despite surge in renewables: Energy Institute | S&P Global
Ellerbeck, S., “The renewable energy transition is creating a green jobs boom,” World Economic Forum, January 13, 2023, online: How renewable energy transition is creating a green jobs boom | World Economic Forum
For more than 25 years, Joseph McMullen has worked at the intersection of industrial tech, marketing and strategy, helping leaders in oil, gas and energy bridge the gap between what technology does and what stakeholders understand. From chemical engineering to software as a service (SaaS), Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and AI, McMullen makes complex solutions easier to grasp, adopt and advocate for—internally and externally.
At AVEVA since 2001, McMullen’s career has spanned technical support, product management and various marketing roles. That breadth gives him a unique lens: how to connect innovation to impact across teams, functions and boardrooms. McMullen works as the Marketing Director for Oil, Gas & Energy / Value Chain Optimization at AVEVA.