Download or read book Peak Oil Debate written by Laurel Graefe and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 2011-04 with total page 16 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For the past half-century, a debate has raged over when ¿peak oil¿ will occur ¿ the point at which output can no longer increase and production begins to level off or gradually decline. Determining how long the oil supply will last has become even more pressing because the world¿s energy supply still relies heavily on oil, and global energy demand is expected to rise steeply over the next twenty years. This article seeks to bring the peak oil debate into focus. The author provides definitions of frequently used terms, delineating types of reserves and conventional versus non-conventional resources. She also discusses how technological innovations, gov¿t. policies, and prices influence oil production. Illus. A print on demand report.
Download or read book The Powers That Be written by Scott L. Montgomery and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2010-07-15 with total page 366 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Thirty years ago, our global energy landscape did not look remarkably different from what it does today. Three or four decades from now, it certainly will: dwindling oil reserves will clash with skyrocketing demand, as developing nations around the world lead their citizens into the modern energy economy, and all the while, the grave threat of catastrophic climate change looms ever larger. Energy worries are at an all-time high—just how will we power our future? With The Powers That Be, Scott L. Montgomery cuts through the hype, alarmism, and confusion to give us a straightforward, informed account of where we are now, and a map of where we’re going. Starting with the inescapable fact of our current dependence on fossil fuels—which supply 80% of all our energy needs today—Montgomery clearly and carefully lays out the many alternative energy options available, ranging from the familiar, like water and solar, to such nascent but promising sources as hydrogen and geothermal power. What is crucial, Montgomery explains, is understanding that our future will depend not on some single, wondrous breakthrough; instead, we should focus on developing a more diverse, adaptable energy future, one that draws on a variety of sources—and is thus less vulnerable to disruption or failure. An admirably evenhanded and always realistic guide, Montgomery enables readers to understand the implications of energy funding, research, and politics at a global scale. At the same time, he doesn’t neglect the ultimate connection between those decisions and the average citizen flipping a light switch or sliding behind the wheel of a car, making The Powers That Be indispensible for our ever-more energy conscious age.
Download or read book The Citizen s Guide to Climate Success written by Mark Jaccard and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2020-02-06 with total page 307 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Shows readers how we can all help solve the climate crisis by focusing on a few key, achievable actions.
Download or read book When Oil Peaked written by Kenneth S. Deffeyes and published by Hill and Wang. This book was released on 2010-09-28 with total page 195 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In two earlier books, Hubbert's Peak (2001) and Beyond Oil (2005), the geologist Kenneth S. Deffeyes laid out his rationale for concluding that world oil production would continue to follow a bell-shaped curve, with the smoothed-out peak somewhere in the middle of the first decade of this millennium—in keeping with the projections of his former colleague, the pioneering petroleum geologist M. King Hubbert. Deffeyes sees no reason to deviate from that prediction, despite the ensuing global recession and the extreme volatility in oil prices associated with it. In his view, the continued depletion of existing oil fields, compounded by shortsighted cutbacks in many exploration-and-development projects, virtually assures that the mid-decade peak in global oil production will never be surpassed. In When Oil Peaked, he revisits his original forecasts, examines the arguments that were made both for and against them, adds some new supporting material to his overall case, and applies the same mode of analysis to a number of other finite gifts from the Earth: mineral resources that may be also in shorter supply than "flat-Earth" prognosticators would have us believe.
Download or read book The End of Oil written by Paul Roberts and published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. This book was released on 2005-04-05 with total page 401 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “A stunning piece of work—perhaps the best single book ever produced about our energy economy and its environmental implications” (Bill McHibbon, The New York Review of Books). Petroleum is so deeply entrenched in our economy, politics, and daily lives that even modest efforts to phase it out are fought tooth and nail. Companies and governments depend on oil revenues. Developing nations see oil as their only means to industrial success. And the Western middle class refuses to modify its energy-dependent lifestyle. But even by conservative estimates, we will have burned through most of the world’s accessible oil within mere decades. What will we use in its place to maintain a global economy and political system that are entirely reliant on cheap, readily available energy? In The End of Oil, journalist Paul Roberts talks to both oil optimists and pessimists around the world. He delves deep into the economics and politics, considers the promises and pitfalls of oil alternatives, and shows that—even though the world energy system has begun its epochal transition—we need to take a more proactive stance to avoid catastrophic disruption and dislocation.
Download or read book Review and Analysis of the Peak Oil Debate written by and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 58 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The peak oil debate is concerned with the question of when global oil production will reach its historical maximum and enter a long inexorable decline. "Peakists" argue that oil production capacity is determined by geology and that global capacity will peak very soon -- within a few years to a decade. "Optimists," on the other hand, argue that economic factors overwhelm the geologic arguments and conclude that peak oil will not occur for many decades in the future. This paper reviews arguments from both sides, focusing the discussion on three topics. First, the author reviews the Hubbert theory, examine its assumptions, and notes the criticism levied by optimists. He presents the results of his own modifications to Hubbert's theory, which attempt to account for some of the critiques of optimists. In particular, he accounts for the impact of economic conditions on oil production in a simple, endogenous manner. Second, the author reviews peakist arguments that are based on declining discovery rates. Finally, he includes a section that reviews peakist concerns about Saudi Arabia's oil production in particular, as described in a book by Matthew Simmons. The author concludes from these reviews that the most alarmist of the peak oil claims are likely false. Still, he sees some convincing reasons to think that global production could peak within 20 years, with demand outstripping production indefinitely.
Download or read book The Party s Over written by Richard Heinberg and published by New Society Publishers. This book was released on 2005-08-01 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The world is about to run out of cheap oil and change dramatically. Within the next few years, global production will peak. Thereafter, even if industrial societies begin to switch to alternative energy sources, they will have less net energy each year to do all the work essential to the survival of complex societies. We are entering a new era, as different from the industrial era as the latter was from medieval times. In The Party's Over , Richard Heinberg places this momentous transition in historical context, showing how industrialism arose from the harnessing of fossil fuels, how competition to control access to oil shaped the geopolitics of the 20th century, and how contention for dwindling energy resources in the 21st century will lead to resource wars in the Middle East, Central Asia, and South America. He describes the likely impacts of oil depletion, and all of the energy alternatives. Predicting chaos unless the U.S. -- the world's foremost oil consumer -- is willing to join with other countries to implement a global program of resource conservation and sharing, he also recommends a "managed collapse" that might make way for a slower-paced, low-energy, sustainable society in the future. More readable than other accounts of this issue, with fuller discussion of the context, social implications, and recommendations for personal, community, national, and global action, Heinberg's updated book is a riveting wake-up call for humankind as the oil era winds down, and a critical tool for understanding and influencing current U.S. foreign policy. Listen to an interview with Richard Heinberg from WRPI.
Download or read book Twilight in the Desert written by Matthew R. Simmons and published by Wiley + ORM. This book was released on 2011-01-04 with total page 500 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Twilight in the Desert reveals a Saudi oil and production industry that could soon approach a serious, irreversible decline. In this exhaustively researched book, veteran oil industry analyst Matthew Simmons draws on his three-plus decades of insider experience and more than 200 independently produced reports about Saudi petroleum resources and production operations. He uncovers a story about Saudi Arabias troubled oil industry, not to mention its political and societal instability, which differs sharply from the globally accepted Saudi version. Its a story that is provocative and disturbing, based on undeniable facts, but until now never told in its entirety. Twilight in the Desert answers all readers questions about Saudi oil and production industries with keen examination instead of unsubstantiated posturing, and takes its place as one of the most important books of this still-young century.
Download or read book Snake Oil written by Richard Heinberg and published by CLAIRVIEW BOOKS. This book was released on 2014-03-24 with total page 162 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The rapid spread of ‘fracking’ (hydraulic fracturing) has temporarily boosted natural gas and oil production, particularly in the USA, but it has also sparked a massive environmental backlash in local communities. The fossil fuel industry is promoting fracking as the biggest energy development of the century, with seductive promises of energy independence and benefits to local economies. Snake Oil casts a critical eye on the oil-industry hype that has hijacked the discussion over energy security. This is the first book to look at fracking from both economic and environmental perspectives, informed by the most thorough analysis of shale gas and oil drilling data ever undertaken. Is fracking the miracle cure-all to our energy ills, or a costly distraction from the necessary work of reducing our fossil fuel dependence?
Download or read book Trends in Oil Supply and Demand the Potential for Peaking of Conventional Oil Production and Possible Mitigation Options written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2006-03-17 with total page 60 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Recent events and analyses have suggested that global production of oil might peak sometime within the next few years to the next one or two decades. Other analyses, however, conclude that oil supply can meet global demand for some decades to come and that oil production peaking is much further off. To explore this issue, the NRC held a workshop, funded by the Department of Energy, bringing together analysts representing these different views. The workshop was divided into four main sessions: setting the stage; future global oil supply and demand balance; mitigation options and time to implementation; and potential follow-up activities. This report provides a summary of the workshop including the key points, issues and questions raised by the participants, and it identifies possible topics for follow-up studies. No consensus views, conclusions, or recommendations are presented.
Download or read book Confronting Collapse written by Michael C. Ruppert and published by Chelsea Green Publishing. This book was released on 2009-12-15 with total page 266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The book that inspired the movie Collapse. The world is running short of energy-especially cheap, easy-to-find oil. Shortages, along with resulting price increases, threaten industrialized civilization, the global economy, and our entire way of life. In Confronting Collapse, author Michael C. Ruppert, a former LAPD narcotics officer turned investigative journalist, details the intricate connections between money and energy, including the ways in which oil shortages and price spikes triggered the economic crash that began in September 2008. Given the 96 percent correlation between economic growth and greenhouse gas emissions and the unlikelihood of economic growth without a spike in energy use, Ruppert argues that we are not, in fact, on the verge of economic recovery, but on the verge of complete collapse. Ruppert's truth is not merely inconvenient. It is utterly devastating. But there is still hope. Ruppert outlines a 25-point plan of action, including the creation of a second strategic petroleum reserve for the use of state and local governments, the immediate implementation of a national Feed-in Tariff mandating that electric utilities pay 3 percent above market rates for all surplus electricity generated from renewable sources, a thorough assessment of soil conditions nationwide, and an emergency action plan for soil restoration and sustainable agriculture.
Download or read book Peak Oil Prep written by Mick Winter and published by Westsong Publishing. This book was released on 2006 with total page 247 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How you can help your family, neighborhood and community prepare for Peak Oil, climate change, and economic collapse and live a more sustainable, money-saving lifestyle. A practical handbook of ideas, suggestions, and book and Internet resources.
Download or read book The Myth of the Oil Crisis written by Robin M. Mills and published by Praeger. This book was released on 2008-08-30 with total page 344 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With oil around $100 a barrel, drivers wince whenever they pull into the gas station and businesses watch their bottom lines shrink. Watch out, say doomsayers, it will only get worse as oil dries up. It's a plausible argument, especially considering the rate at which countries like China and India are now sucking up oil. Even more troubling, the world's largest oil fields sit in geopolitical hotspots like Iran and Iraq. Some believe their nations need to secure remaining supplies using military force, while others consider dwindling supplies a blessing that will help solve the problem of global warming. But wait—is it really the end of oil? Absolutely not, says geologist, economist, and industry-insider Robin Mills. There is no other book by an industry insider that effectively counters the peak oil theory by showing where and how oil will be found in the future. There also is no other book by an insider that lays out an environmentally and geopolitically responsible path for the petroleum industry and its customers. The Myth of the Oil Crisis, written in a lively style but with scientific rigor, is thus a uniquely useful resource for business leaders, policymakers, petroleum industry professionals, environmentalists, and anyone else who consumes oil. Best of all, it offers an abundance of one commodity now in short supply: hope for the future.
Download or read book Peaking of World Oil Production written by Robert Louis Hirsch and published by Nova Science Publishers. This book was released on 2007 with total page 126 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The peaking of world oil production presents the U.S. and the world with an unprecedented risk management problem. As peaking is approached, liquid fuel prices and price volatility will increase dramatically, and without timely mitigation, the economic, social, and political costs will be unprecedented. Viable mitigation options exist on both the supply and demand sides, but to have substantial impact, they must be initiated more than a decade in advance of peaking. Dealing with world oil production peaking will be extremely complex, involve literally trillions of dollars and require many years of intense effort. To explore these complexities, three alternative mitigation scenarios are analysed: scenario I assumes that action is not initiated until peaking occurs; scenario II assumes that action is initiated 10 years before peaking; scenario III assumes action is initiated 20 years before peaking. For this analysis estimates of the possible contributions of each mitigation option were developed, based on an assumed crash program rate of implementation.
Download or read book Beyond Oil written by Kenneth S. Deffeyes and published by Hill and Wang. This book was released on 2005-03-15 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With world oil production about to peak and inexorably head toward steep decline, what fuels are available to meet rising global energy demands? That question, once thought to address a fairly remote contingency, has become ever more urgent, as a spate of books has drawn increased public attention to the imminent exhaustion of the economically vital world oil reserves. Deffeyes, a geologist who was among the first to warn of the coming oil crisis, now takes the next logical step and turns his attention to the earth's supply of potential replacement fuels. In Beyond Oil, he traces out their likely production futures, with special reference to that of oil, utilizing the same analytic tools developed by his former colleague, the pioneering petroleum-supply authority M. King Hubbert. The book includes chapters on natural gas, coal, tar sands and heavy oils, oil shale, uranium, and (although not strictly an energy resource itself) hydrogen. A concluding chapter on the overall energy picture covers the likely mix of energy sources the world can rely on for the near-term future, and the special roles that will need to be played by conservation, high-mileage diesel automobiles, nuclear power plants, and wind-generated electricity. An acknowledged expert in the field, Deffeyes brings a deeply informed, yet optimistic approach to bear on the growing debate. His main concern is not our long-term adaptation to a world beyond oil but our immediate future: "Through our inattention, we have wasted the years that we might have used to prepare for lessened oil supplies. The next ten years are critical."
Download or read book World Energy Outlook 2008 written by International Energy Agency and published by International Energy Agency. This book was released on 2008 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "World Energy Outlook 2008 draws on the experience of another turbulent year in energy markets to provide new energy projections to 2030, region by region and fuel by fuel, incorporating the latest data and policies. "
Download or read book Hubbert s Peak written by Kenneth S. Deffeyes and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2008-09-29 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 2001, Kenneth Deffeyes made a grim prediction: world oil production would reach a peak within the next decade--and there was nothing anyone could do to stop it. Deffeyes's claim echoed the work of geophysicist M. King Hubbert, who in 1956 predicted that U.S. oil production would reach its highest level in the early 1970s. Though roundly criticized by oil experts and economists, Hubbert's prediction came true in 1970. In this updated edition of Hubbert's Peak, Deffeyes explains the crisis that few now deny we are headed toward. Using geology and economics, he shows how everything from the rising price of groceries to the subprime mortgage crisis has been exacerbated by the shrinking supply--and growing price--of oil. Although there is no easy solution to these problems, Deffeyes argues that the first step is understanding the trouble that we are in.
