The final energy crisis / edited by Andrew McKillop with Shelia Newman.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

McKillop, Andrew.

Newman, Shelia.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Fossil fuels.

Fossil fuels--Environmental aspects.

Power resources.

Physical Description:

325 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm

Place of Publication:

London : Ann Arbor, MI : Pluto, 2005.

Summary:

Oil, gas and coal are precious resources that define modern life. Without them, mass-produced food and clothing, and international travel and cars, become rare or impossible. Yet our reliance on fossil fuels is responsible for massive environmental damage, and increasing economic and political instability.

This book explores the crisis in fossil fuels. Control over oil resources has been a major factor in several wars. The price of oil is also key to world economic stability. Yet our supply of oil is limited. As with other fossil fuels, the more we burn, the more damage we do - the number one cause behind global warming is the increase in carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels.

The international range of contributors to this book provide a truly global perspective on the dangers inherent in our over-consumption of oil, gas and coal. They explore detailed evidence of the imminent acceleration of fossil fuel depletion and the limits of 'sustainability'. They outline the political background to the situation, not just among the world's largest consumers of fossil fuel, the US and China, but also in Europe and the developing world. Considering our future economic survival, they include a detailed examination of France and Australia. Finally, they explore the extreme costs of alternatives such as nuclear power, and outline other possible lifestyles and methods.

Contents:

Part I Depleting Energy and Bioresources: The Fossil-Fuel Key 5

1 Prediction of World Peak Oil Production / Seppo A. Korpela 11

2 The Assessment and Importance of Oil Depletion / Colin J. Campbell 29

3 Farming and Food Production Under Regimes of Climate Change / Edward R.D. Goldsmith 56

4 The Laws of Energy / Jacob Lund Fisker 74

Part II Regional Foci and Pressure Points 87

5 The Caspian Chimera / Colin J. Campbell 93

6 Dark Continent, Black Gold / Andrew McKillop 99

7 Battle of the Titans / Mark Jones 105

8 French Nuclear Power and the Global Market: An Economic Illusion / Marc Saint Aroman, Andre Crouzet 116

Part III False Solutions, Hopes and Fears 127

9 Cil and Troubled Waters / Colin J. Campbell 133

10 Oh Kyoto! / Andrew McKillop 139

11 Renewable Energy Limits / Ross McCluney 153

12 Population, Energy and Economic Growth: The Moral Dilemma / Ross McCluney 176

13 Apocalypse 2035 / Andrew McKillop 186

Part IV Partying on in the Growth Economy 191

14 The Myth of Decoupling / Andrew McKillop 197

15 Crash and Crumble: Oil Shocks and the Bourse / Andrew McKillop 217

16 The Chinese Car Bomb / Andrew McKillop 228

17 A Reply to "Global Petroleum Reserves - A View to the Future" (by Thomas S. Ahlbrandt and J. McCabe, US Geological Survey) / Colin J. Campbell 233

18 Price Signals and Global Energy Transition / Andrew McKillop 237

Part V After Oil 255

19 The Last Oil Wars / Andrew McKillop 259

20 Future Settings: Perspective for Sustainable Populations "After Oil" in France and Australia / Sheila Newman 265

21 A Projection of Future Coal Demand Given Diminishing Oil Supplies / Gregson Vaux 274

22 The Simpler Way / Ted Trainer 279

23 Musing Along / Andrew McKillop 289.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 298-311) and index.

ISBN:

0745320937

0745320929

OCLC:

60358660