[2] Most importantly, all fossil fuels are by their very nature limited in supply; as far as oil is concerned, the resulting dilemma is best known as the question of peak oil. Fair minded and objective overview of big energy, Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2007. It provides an analysis of the various problems associated with humanity's reliance on oil and other fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas. Directed by Tom Radford, Niobe Thompson. But that could be the least of our worries; some of Roberts's most persuasive passages describe an almost inevitable future shaped by global warming, especially as rapidly industrializing countries like China begin to replicate the pollution history of the U.S. The End of Oil is a "geologic cautionary tale for a complacent world accustomed to reliable infusions of cheap energy." Paul Roberts predicts nothing so dramatic in this timely, important but uneven book. Rather, peak oil is the moment when conventional oil production can no longer be increased, regardless of price. Climate change did not raise sea levels 10 inches in the 20th century (though it may well do so in the 21st). The world's supply of oil, he argues, is soon destined to "peak," after which our civilization will somehow have to manage with ever-declining supplies. Scientists, inventors and activists present stern warnings and visionary solutions for the energy of tomorrow. We talked a little bit last month about how crude oil will fare during a Biden administration. Now that the fossil fuels' days finally seem to be numbered, it is time to consider not just what will come next, but also what it will take to get there. It's a plausible, provocative thesis. The end of oil? The worst-case oil crash predictions involve soaring gas prices, the end of globalization, widespread anarchy and the relentless exploitation of previously protected drilling sites. Access-restricted-item true Addeddate 2012-10-04 17:57:18 Bookplateleaf 0010 Boxid IA1111305 Boxid_2 Imagine what would happen if the world's supply of oil were magically to vanish overnight. After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. He has fully immersed himself in his topic and the book is chocked-full of fascinating energy facts. Not even close. You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition. A major factor for weak oil demand growth in recent years is the increasing level of … He has written about resource economics and politics for numerous publications, including the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, and Rolling Stone, and lectures frequently on business and environmental issues. Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free. Optimists, such as those in the U.S. Geological Survey and the Energy Information Agency, foresee no peak before 2035. Fellow author Joseph J. Romm, whose The Hype about Hydrogen had been published a few weeks before The End of Oil, called the book "fascinating" and "a stinging rebuke of America's myopic, do-nothing energy policy. Something went wrong. いつまで続くかわからない原油高の中、見つけたこの本。読む前に題名から想像していたのは、単にいつかは枯渇してしまう石油埋蔵量の話だと思っていました。しかし本書で取り上げている内容は広範囲です。人類の生存に不可欠なエネルギー資源を、太古の昔から現在に続くまでいかにして確保してきたか、そしてそのために大国（とりわけアメリカ）がどういう方策をとってきたか、それがどう戦争に結びついていくのかがわかりやすく書かれています。数あるエピソードの中で「何故アメリカ人が大きい車をもとめるか」についての記述には特に納得しました。. Sexy? Here, Roberts's reporting offers valuable background to the American-led war in Iraq, for he demonstrates that whoever rules the Middle East -- especially Iran, Iraq and above all Saudi Arabia -- is certain to dominate world oil decisions for the rest of the petroleum era. Contrary both to the Bush-Cheney stress on boosting fossil fuel production and environmentalists' calls for a quick shift to a solar-hydrogen economy, it is energy efficiency that could save the day. So is the end of oil upon us? There are about 5,000 oil and gas wells in our backyards. He then goes on to explain the problems that have since developed, or may develop in the future, from humanity's reliance on oil and its "geological siblings",[1] coal and natural gas. Headlines warn that Americans may soon be paying $3 a gallon for gasoline. [12], Roberts (2005, Mariner Books edition), p.5. Especially odd is how many sources go unnamed even when they offer the blandest of quotes. Paul Roberts is a regular contributor to Harper's Magazine, for which he has written about the timber industry, the auto industry, and the destruction of … We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. [4], As to the aims of the book, Roberts states at the end of the prologue: .mw-parser-output .templatequote{overflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 40px}.mw-parser-output .templatequote .templatequotecite{line-height:1.5em;text-align:left;padding-left:1.6em;margin-top:0}, I am under no illusions that this book addresses all the important aspects of the evolving energy economy, or even most of them. There was a problem loading your book clubs. With long-term global demand for oil meanwhile climbing relentlessly, sustained shortages could unleash punishing price spikes, worldwide inflation, recession and even armed conflict as nations use force to secure the black gold they cannot live without. The oil trade is therefore prone to become intertwined with international relations, although the nature of this interplay is highly controversial, with some citing oil as a reason for conflicts such as the Iraq War and others denying such claims. As Roberts makes abundantly clear, the major oil players in the world wield their enormous economic and political power in order to maintain the status quo. No. Paul Roberts is the author of The End of Oil, a finalist for the New York Public Library's Helen Bernstein Book Award in 2005. That 30-year difference is crucial. NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- At some point in the near future, worldwide oil production will peak, then decline rapidly, causing depression-like conditions or … Paul Roberts does an excellent job in not only telling about the comming troubles with oil, but doing so with an, at times, humourous style. By "the end of oil," he means not the absolute exhaustion of the planet's petroleum deposits but a subtler, though scarcely less disruptive transformation. But what will happen, Roberts asks, when the well starts to run dry? President Biden Just Dropped the C-Word. Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2015. Roberts thus dismisses as "patently absurd" the Bush administration's denials that the invasion of Iraq was about oil. Finally, some "facts" cited here are simply wrong. These were soon proved to be, if anything, too optimistic. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. Much of international politics and economics is more clear. Recent months have seen a growing crescendo of claims that a peak in oil demand may be near, or even be past. Some are actively pumping oil, others are sitting idle, … The End of Oil received a number of positive reviews from American newspapers and review publications. Please try your request again later. But just as Washington, through taxes, has forced the price of cigarettes to reflect the health costs that smoking imposed on society, Roberts argues, so could government make the market reflect the social costs of continued reliance on carbon fuels. In the meantime, control of the world's dwindling oil supply will continue to confer immense power on its owners. For decades experts and commentators have been proclaiming the end of the oil era is nigh, or that ‘peak oil’ production had been reached. Of course, they get plenty of help from the tens of millions of consumers, particularly in the U.S. and Europe, who guzzle oil as if there is an unlimited supply. Fast forward a few years, and a new version of the end of oil began to take hold. A PUMPJACK IN L.A.’S WILMINGTON NEIGHBORHOOD. Too often, Roberts provides no sourcing for statements that are either debatable (e.g., implementing the Kyoto protocol on climate change would cost the United States 2 percent of its gross national product per year) or arresting (urban air pollution kills 4 million people a year in China). [6] In fact, prices passed the sixty-dollar mark as early as June 2005,[7] Instead, my hope is to provide an introduction, a way for nonexperts to begin to think about what experts have long known: that energy is the single most important resource, that our current energy system is failing, and that the shape of the next energy economy is being decided right now—with or without our input.[5]. But there is considerable disagreement about when that will occur. After terrorists killed Western oil executives in the heart of Saudi Arabia's oil region over the Memorial Day weekend, the price of oil rose to $42 a barrel, its highest level in history. Such a shift is unthinkable under the Bush administration, but if the environmentally minded John Kerry wins in November, the outlook could brighten. In any case, the longer we wait to wean ourselves off oil, the more costly, in all respects, our withdrawal will be. To give you an idea, the largest decline in oil demand in the history of the oil … After that point, the Middle East's control will become irresistible. "Pessimists, by contrast," Roberts writes, "a group whose members include geologists, industry analysts, and a surprising number of oil industry and government officials, believe that a peak may come much sooner -- perhaps as soon as 2005." There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. Roberts finds firmer ground in his final chapter about how to escape this conundrum. To get the free app, enter your mobile phone number. Apr 2, 2021 Edoardo Campanella. Global Weirdness: Severe Storms, Deadly Heat Waves, Relentless Drought, Rising Seas, and the Weather of the Future, Designing Climate Solutions: A Policy Guide for Low-Carbon Energy, All economic activity is rooted in the energy economy, which means a substantial portion of the current world economy is linked to the production and distribution of oil. “THE Stone Age did not end for lack of stone, and the Oil Age will end long before the world runs out of oil.” This intriguing prediction is often heard in energy circles these days. Yet paradoxically, the looming danger of climate change argues for quitting petroleum as soon as possible. And the World Bank has, alas, by no means grown reluctant to finance large energy projects in the Third World. He even argues that the undeclared aim of the war was not simply to capture Iraq's oil but to permanently break OPEC's power over global supply. They are looking to diversify their economies and find other sources of energy. The Choice is Ours, Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 10, 2016. But improving the efficiency with which we use oil and other forms of energy is by far the fastest, cheapest and most far-reaching way to begin kicking the carbon habit -- and to buy us time to get real alternatives up and running. Please try again. However, as new technologies, such as shale oil extraction techniques, have been developed, production of oil has continued to climb, albeit with a tumultuous dip in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Top subscription boxes – right to your door, © 1996-2021, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. According to Roberts, a contributor to Harper's who visited Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan and interviewed a range of industry, government and private experts for this book, there is little dispute among insiders that an oil peak is inevitable someday; oil is, after all, a finite resource. When I decided to read this book, I did so with the expectation of learning something only after wading through a great degree of partisan political rhetoric. The End of Oil provides a compelling analysis of the current oil and coal dominated energy industry and a stark preview of the looming energy revolution. Wood, for example, gave way to coal during the early 19th century and coal to oil in the mid-20th. Monaldi explains that the oil market is treading into uncharted territory: “The situation right now is unprecedented. After reading this piece there is much that is more easily understood. What no one expected was that a tiny Native community living down the river from Canada's tar sands would reach out … And her recent cover story for Sierra magazine is “The End of Oil Is Near,” along with another report, “Bailout: Billions of Dollars of Federal COVID-19 Relief Money Flow to the Oil Industry.” Experts say the reaction is out of proportion with the actual risk, although there is a possibility that the Colonial Pipeline will not return to full operation by the end of the week. Brief content visible, double tap to read full content. But rising prices at the pump only hint at our true energy dilemma. Very readable....Roberts does an excellent job of presenting opinions fairly and from many pro/contra angles. Walking readers through the modern energy economy, he suggests that grim prospect may not be as far off as we'd like to think and points out how political unrest could disrupt the world's oil supply with disastrous results. It's the question of our generation: Can we find a sustainable alternative to oil? Sheik Ahmed Zahi Yamani, the longtime Saudi oil minister and a key founder of OPEC, has perhaps summed up the world oil market the most nicely. You wouldn't be reading this newspaper, at least in a print edition, because trucks would be unable to deliver copies to doorsteps and vendors. Energy is a vast topic, with millions of components interwoven in a complex and everchanging pattern that defies quick answers or simple truths. End of an Era Consider: In 2030, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, world “liquids” demand is expected to reach 117.6 million barrels per day. Published in 2004, it is Roberts' book-length debut. 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