This article is first in a series, which will explore the restrictions that governments around the world put on the exploration and production of fossil fuels, either by design or accidentally. These restrictions include corruption, armed conflicts, social unrest, the nationalisation of energy companies and the inefficiency of publicly owned energy companies compared to privately owned companies. These restrictions limit –in some countries severely – the production of fossil fuels. Without them, global fossil fuel production would be much higher and prices lower.
