The End of Oil: On the Edge of a Perilous New WorldHoughton Mifflin Harcourt, 2005 - 399 páginas Petroleum is now so deeply entrenched in our economy, our politics, and our personal expectations that even modest efforts to phase it out are fought tooth and nail by the most powerful forces in the world: companies and governments that depend on oil revenues; the developing nations that see oil as the only means to industrial success; and a Western middle class that refuses to modify its energy-dependent lifestyle. But within thirty years, by even conservative estimates, we will have burned our way through most of the oil that is easily accessible. And well before then, the side effects of an oil-based society--economic volatility, geopolitical conflict, and the climate-changing impact of hydrocarbon pollution--will render fossil fuels an all but unacceptable solution. How will we break our addiction to oil? And what will we use in its place to maintain a global economy and political system that are entirely reliant on cheap, readily available energy? Brilliantly reported from around the globe, The End of Oil brings the world situation into fresh and dramatic focus for business and general readers alike. Roberts talks to both oil optimists and oil pessimists, delves deep into the economics and politics of oil, considers the promises and pitfalls of alternatives, and shows that, although the world energy system has begun its epoch-defining transition, disruption and violent dislocation are almost assured if we do not take a more proactive stance. With the topicality and readability of Fast Food Nation and the scope and trenchant analysis of Guns, Germs, and Steel, this is a vitally important book for the new century. |
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... ing all this new electric load will completely overwhelm the existing elec- trical system — from power plants and transmission lines to the emerging and problematic network of energy traders . The great blackout Prologue 7.
... existing hydrocarbon technologies be adapted to new realities , or does the world require a radical new energy technology ? If so , which technology ? Newspapers and magazines and polit- ical speeches are filled with descriptions of ...
... existing hydrocarbon assets . Governments , too , fearing eco- nomic dislocation and political disadvantage , are steadily delaying any sig- nificant move away from the existing energy economy — thereby ensuring that change , when it ...
... existing energy order becomes less and less bearable — and the possibility of a disruption more undeniable . In the end , this question of disruption may be the most critical one of all not simply for policymakers and oil sheiks , but ...
... existing oil infrastructure and the complacency of the average consumer . Yet it's also true that were Western governments to begin taking steps to reduce oil demand , or at least to slow the rate at which it is growing ( by , say ...
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The End of Oil: The Decline of the Petroleum Economy and the Rise of a New ... Paul Roberts Sin vista previa disponible - 2005 |