You are arguing the wrong side. What would be more ecological is using less oil.

You can't block supply while demand is there, because the demand will be filled by someone, only this time by someone with less oversight [from you].

You want to make a difference add more "good" supply, or reduce demand.

Bad supply will automatically go down if you do this, with no extra effort.

Supply and demand don't only flow in one direction. Oil demand is absolutely responsive to price (and thus supply), in the form of energy users turning to alternative sources of energy, focusing more on energy efficient machinery, using less energy (driving less when the cost of driving rises).

You are assuming no one else would sell them oil. This is incorrect.

The is currently enough oil supply for everyone. Reducing/removing an oil source just means the oil comes from somewhere else, but it does NOT reduce oil consumption.

No, I'm not. But I am assuming that access to the source we're talking about would have an appreciable effect on global supply. This isn't the first time this has happened: the plummet in oil prices in the last few years is in large part attributed to an increase in supply of US oil production. I don't remember the details off the top of my head but I recall reading that the drop in prices has also been accompanied by a halting of the momentum of consumer interest in things like fuel efficiency.

Extract less oil = prices go up = more incentive to look for other alternatives.

So if you want to make a difference, yes, limiting the supply is one way to do it by not extracting it in the first place.

> more incentive to look for other alternatives.

Which are still oil, just from elsewhere. The Saudis are quite happy to sell you as much oil as you want.

> limiting the supply is one way to do it by not extracting it in the first place.

I covered that - all that would happen is people would get the oil from elsewhere.

You can only induce people to pump less oil by increasing supply of other forms of energy, or by reducing demand.

If you are going to pump oil at least do it where people actually care about the environment - don't make things so hard you just push production to places with less oversight.

This only works if you're confident you can force every nation on earth to stop or slow down extraction from their oil reserves. Let me assure you, the resultant wars would be far more damaging to the environment than otherwise.

But that's not a proposal on the table, so it is a symbolic fight.

Ya, it would be more ecological if we leave modern civilization and go back to our hunter gatherer days.

Or if we just slow down a bit.