The End of Oil: On the Edge of a Perilous New World
by Paul Roberts
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Book Summary Information
Author: Paul RobertsEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Published)
Format: Bargain Price
Published: 2005-04-05
ISBN: N/A
Number of pages: 416
Publisher: Mariner Books
Book Reviews of The End of Oil: On the Edge of a Perilous New World
Book Review: Read to Learn - Learn to Read
Summary: 5 Stars
Like a cigarette smoker addicted to nicotine, the world is addicted to oil. Paul Roberts, in his book, The End of Oil: On the Edge of a Perilous New World, gives a comprehensive and engaging analysis surrounding this global addiction that has placed humanity at an historical crossroads. The journalist argues that the world - and especially the United States - must prepare itself for a fundamental shift away from its dependence on hydrocarbons (coal, gas, oil) or else face devastating consequences to the environment and international stability. However, as Roberts warns us, changing the existing energy system in order to ensure humanity's long-term survival will become one of the most challenging enterprises of the twenty-first century.
Throughout the book, Roberts, drawing upon his extensive research and personal interviews with scientists, industry professionals, and even the Saudi minister of oil, weaves the reader through the diverse complexities of the world energy order. The topics he discusses range from a multitude of issues such as the geopolitics of oil, hydrogen fuel cells, climate control, and the global market. He starts off by exploring the evolution of energy from the primitive wood-burning societies of the past to the vastly intricate oil-dominated societies of today that shows just how humans have arrived at this very defining moment in time. Unfortunately, this "march of human progress" has come at a great cost due to the world's dependence on fossil fuels - an energy source that is finite, detrimental to the environment, and predominately supplied by an unstable batch of oil-rich "petro-states."
Thus, for Roberts, the picture for the long-term sustainability of oil is not encouraging. Even if oil does not run out tomorrow (but it will eventually), Roberts accuses governments of being in a state of denial about the inherent risks of depending on oil for their main energy source. Many governments continue to obsess over its increased production while failing to seriously look for energy alternatives - and with good reasons. For one, oil has become "the true currency of geopolitical power," writes Roberts, "In the fast-moving world of oil politics, oil is not simply a source of world power, but a medium for that power as well, a substance whose huge importance enmeshes companies, communities, and entire nations in a taut global web that is sensitive to the smallest vibrations."
Nevertheless, for this reason (and among others), Roberts is critical towards America's energy policy. He believes that the United States, one of the only nations with the power and the capabilities to initiate an end to this doom cycle, is resisting the impulse to change. He sheds light on the various causes behind this lack of action and is quick to point out the political connections between the George W. Bush Whitehouse and the oil industry (Vice President Dick Cheney at Halliburton and National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice at Chevron Oil - just to name a few). Falling in step with the neoconservative ideas that were born out of the 1970s, the Bush energy policy focused on maximizing domestic and foreign oil production while "while assiduously avoiding domestic energy initiatives that threaten the economy." Along these lines, Roberts provides a secondary framework behind the motivations for the Iraq War, as not a part of the administration's "war on terror," but a strategic move to acquire control of the second-largest oil reserves in the world.
Although he faults American foreign policy for linking its objectives to the interests of transnational oil corporations, he also faults the American consumer, which is one of the strongest points throughout his book. Roberts says that energy in the United States has literally become an "invisible commodity," charging Americans with what he calls "energy illiteracy." He writes that the average American consumer "each year seems to know less, and care less, about how much energy he or she uses, where it comes from, or what its true costs are." To Roberts, this kind of illiteracy is what drives most Americans to carelessly buy gas-guzzling vehicles, larger homes, and big-screen TVs that consume more and more energy without thinking about the carbon footprint they leave behind. In turn, this directly reinforces both the staying power of the entrenched energy order and the established norms of oil politics in America. For Roberts, however, harnessing the power of the American consumer would be an effective approach towards changing the existing world energy system and the future trajectory of U.S. foreign policy objectives.
Overall, Roberts' book is a wakeup call for America as well as the rest of the world to begin making changes to the ways we consume energy. If we choose to delay any longer, then what could be a smooth and peaceful transition to a new energy system may prove to be beyond our reach. In the end, Roberts demonstrates the potential for the future of energy, but he also exposes the vast uncertainties and incalculable risks that naturally exist in transforming the global energy order. Although a bit unnerving to the reader, this characteristic adds a certain balancing quality to Roberts' overall argument, revealing that he is neither a pessimist nor an optimist, but rather a realist (with a sense of hope) when it comes to reshaping the current world energy order. Anyone wanting to grasp the political and economic fundamentals of our current energy problems, the obstacles that face climate control today or the energy sources that will shape our future tomorrow will want to read this book.
Summary of The End of Oil: On the Edge of a Perilous New World
You live in this world. You use oil. You must read this book.
The situation is alarming and irrefutable: within thirty years, even by conservative estimates, we will have burned our way through most of the oil that is readily available to us. Already, the costly side effects of dependence on fossil fuel are taking their toll. Even as oil-related conflict threatens entire nations, individual consumers are suffering from higher prices at the gas pump, rising health problems, and the grim prospect of long-term environmental damage. In this frank and balanced investigation, Paul Roberts offers a timely wake-up call. He talks to both oil optimists and oil pessimists, delves deep into the economics and politics of oil, and considers the promises and pitfalls of alternatives such as wind power, hybrid cars, and hydrogen. A new afterword brings the book up to the minute. Brisk, immediate, and accessible, this is essential reading for anyone who uses oil, which is to say every one of us.
The situation is alarming and irrefutable: within thirty years, even by conservative estimates, we will have burned our way through most of the oil that is readily available to us. Already, the costly side effects of dependence on fossil fuel are taking their toll. Even as oil-related conflict threatens entire nations, individual consumers are suffering from higher prices at the gas pump, rising health problems, and the grim prospect of long-term environmental damage. In this frank and balanced investigation, Paul Roberts offers a timely wake-up call. He talks to both oil optimists and oil pessimists, delves deep into the economics and politics of oil, and considers the promises and pitfalls of alternatives such as wind power, hybrid cars, and hydrogen. A new afterword brings the book up to the minute. Brisk, immediate, and accessible, this is essential reading for anyone who uses oil, which is to say every one of us.
The End of Oil is a "geologic cautionary tale for a complacent world accustomed to reliable infusions of cheap energy." The book centers around one irrefutable fact: the global supply of oil is being depleted at an alarming rate. Precisely how much accessible (not to mention theoretical) oil remains is debatable, but even conservative estimates mark the peak of production in decades rather than centuries. Which energy sources will replace oil, who will control them, and how disruptive to the current world order the transition from one system to the next will be are just a few of the big questions that Paul Roberts attempts to answer in this timely book.
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. 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. And this demand shows no sign of abating--nearly half of the world's population lives without the benefits of fossil fuels and they desperately want to be among the haves. In countries such as China and India, where energy systems are already breaking down, Roberts discusses how they are looking to oil to fuel their race for development, in many cases ignoring environmental considerations altogether.
Though there is much to be pessimistic about, Roberts does uncover some positive developments, such as the race for alternative energy sources, notably hydrogen fuel cells, which could help to ease us off of our oil dependence before a full-blown energy crisis occurs. No one book could cover every aspect of what Roberts calls "arguably the most serious crisis ever to face industrial society," but The End of Oil is a remarkably informative and balanced introduction to this pressing subject. --Shawn Carkonen
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