Editorial: will the financial system collapse?

"If you open up a barrel, don't be surprised if people turn up with fish and a couple of shotguns"W.C. Fields (1880-1946)

According to a recent report, the world is on the verge of another bout of economic upheaval. The "carbon bubble" - a drastic over-valuation of hydrocarbon reserves held by energy companies - could be about to burst.

The beginning of April saw the 49-strong cabal of Least Developed Countries signing on to carbon emission reduction, showing the dedication of developed, developing and underdeveloped countries alike to reduce the anthropogenic causes of global warming.

With worldwide consensus on a 2C or less global temperature rise, it is estimated that as much as 70 per cent of reserves will have to remain unexploited, meaning that as much as 60 per cent of the market capitalisation of energy companies could be under threat to the tune of trillions of dollars.

In a business sphere where synthetic financial instruments number in the thousands - from Asset-Backed Securities to Zero Exercise Price Options - it is just a matter course that every barrel is brimful of waterfowl.

Will global energy companies be the tremor that triggers the seismic collapse of the financial system? Have your say

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