Speaking at the Cambridge Energy Research Associates (Cera) event in Houston, BP chief executive Tony Hayward, Royal Dutch Shell top boss Jeroen van der Veer and Mike Dola, a senior vice president with ExxonMobil, said energy efficiency could play a key role in plugging a forecast gap in energy supplies. Other industry leaders made similar calls.

But the industry also partially shifted the blame for the globe’s thirst for volatile energy supplies on consumers – both great and small.

Executives