The problem is well-known – the world is desperate for diesel. Two major wars have disrupted the delivery of this indispensable industrial fuel. But as presidents beg and bargain, is there really any solution? At the start of the year, it was already clear that diesel could be a problem. The world seemed to have ample crude oil, but the capacity of refineries – which convert crude into diesel, petrol, jet fuel and all the other vital petroleum products – was relatively limited.