The Falkland islands are in the news again, and it shouldn’t be surprising that renewed Argentinian interest coincides with the announcement of the oil exploration in the surrounding seas.

More than 30 years ago, the development of the oil in the North Sea and to the east of Shetland – in many ways a similar sheep and fish-dependent island group – suggested that the Falkland area might have similar riches and prompted a rapid intervention to secure the rights for future development.

It’s only recently that the technology for deep-sea drilling has matured, and it has needed a serious rise in the price of a barrel of oil to make it worth while for oil companies to become involved. However, the cost will still be enormous, with the depth of water, the weather and the need for raw materials that should come from the nearest mature economy, but won’t, even though Argentina is less than 400 miles away.

There is talk of 60 billion barrels of oil, but this is not as impressive as it might first seem. Over the last few years, the global demand has been around 85 million barrels per day, and it’s expected to reach 100 million by 2020 due to demand from Asia and global farming expansion. So by drilling this area, world supplies will be extended by much less than two years.

The slow development of such fields, and perhaps those to be discovered in the warming Arctic Ocean, added to the decline in supplies from the Middle East traditional sources, means that oil prices will rise continually over the next decade. We will need to rethink our relationship to personal car use, particularly if it is powered by hydrocarbons.

The recent T&A Transport Special outlined the congestion challenges facing the Council and made it clear that the way forward was to improve junctions, such as at Saltaire Roundabout, and to use technology to improve traffic flow, rather than build new roads.

Expenditure would be better concentrated on public transport – partly by improving the facilities and then through subsidy to reduce the cost. While a new railway station at Apperley Bridge seems probable, others at Low Moor and Manningham are less likely, as is the extension of bus lanes, segregated cycle routes and the introduction of park and ride.

The carrot to get folk out of their cars must be significantly reducing the cost of bus and rail travel, currently the highest in Europe. This will need subsidies, as with the free permits for those over 60, and reverting to full municipal control in line with European practice. Such funding should be a priority for the next national government, paid for by getting rid of Trident.