Books

Day by day it becomes more evident that the Coal we happily possess in excellent quality and abundance is the mainspring of modern material civilization. As the source of fire, it is the source at once of mechanical motion and of chemical change. Accordingly it is the chief agent in almost every improvement or discovery in the arts which the present age brings forth. It is to us indispensable for domestic purposes, and it has of late years been found to yield a series of organic substances, which puzzle us by their complexity, please us by their beautiful colours, and serve us by their various utility.
...
In considering the geological aspects of the question, I endeavour to give some notion of the way in which an estimate of the existing coal is made, and of the degree of certainty attaching to it, deferring to the chapter upon Coal Mining the question of the depth to which we can follow seams of coal. It is shown that in all probability there is no precise physical limit of deep mining, but that the growing difficulties of management and extraction of coal in a very deep mine must greatly enhance its price. It is by this rise of price that gradual exhaustion will be manifested, and its deplorable effects occasioned.
I naturally pass to consider whether there are yet in the cost of coal any present signs of exhaustion; it appears that there has been no recent rise of importance, but that, at the same time, the high price demanded for coals drawn from some of the deepest pits indicates the high price that must in time be demanded for even ordinary coals.

Published in: London by Macmillan and Co., 1866. (Second edition, revised)
Available from: The Library of Economics & Liberty
Also available from: Encyclopedia of Earth (e-book)

Review by Gary F. Bennet:
One of the slides I used in my speeches contained the line, “A genius is someone who shoots at a target he cannot see and hits the bullseye.” The author of this book has done that. Indeed, as I write, the United States is trying to recover from the ravages of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the impact that they and other events have had on the supply and price of oil. As a result of the problems caused by them, gasoline prices have risen sharply in North America with the public placing the blame on avaricious oil companies as they await (hopefully) for relief at the gasoline pumps. There may be some price reductions coming in the short run, but in the long run, the author comes out with a resounding, “No!”

Oil production, Abdullah writes, has peaked and the worldwide supply of oil will continue to decrease with time. Unfortunately, demand will not. Indeed, demand for oil will increase, especially in developing nations such as China. The author presents information through excellent graphs showing a bell-shaped curve for oil production as a function of time. The peak of this curve is very close to the present time with decreasing productions being shown soon. Another graph has no peak as Abdullah predicts worldwide energy consumption for the various fuel sources.

Other sources of energy are also reviewed. Natural gas shows a similar fate to oil.

Hydrogen as a replacement for oil is discussed. However, the author notes: “One of the biggest falsehoods being promised is that hydrogen can easily be substituted for oil and natural gas as a transportation fuel. It has often been pointed out that a virtually inexhaustible supply of water exists from which hydrogen can be derived. However, the reaction that converts water to hydrogen and oxygen requires a substantial energy investment per unit of water. This energy investment is required by elementary principles of chemistry and can never be reduced.”

The author goes on to note that: “It takes 1.3 Kilo-Watt an Hour of electricity to produce hydrogen with an energy value of 1 Kilo-Watt Hour. Hydrogen from electrolysis is therefore an energy ‘carrier’ not a ‘source’ of energy like oil.”

Ethanol as an energy carrier is also discussed. Abdullah says that it takes 71% more energy to produce ethanol than the product supplies. While I cannot vouch for the 71% figure, I can agree with his assertion that there is a net energy loss in the production of ethanol. Many years ago when I was actively teaching, I began my biochemical engineering course with a discussion of ethanol production and ended the lecture with a note that there was a negative output of energy in ethanol production. The author's discussion of energy production versus consumption did not even include the agricultural energy use in grain production. The scenario is more favorable, however, in Brazil, the author notes, where ethanol is produced from sugar cane rather than from corn. “In Brazil, the cost of ethanol over the entire cycle of production, including farming, transportation and distribution is about 63 cents per gallon, which is substantially lower than the current world prices for gasoline.” However, the author's discussion only focuses on cost, not energy utilization.

In the past, I have not been a keen supporter of wind and solar power for energy production but reading this book changed my perspective on these power sources. While both sources of energy are still expensive and weather-dependent, they do supply energy from a renewable source.

Regarding solar power, Abdullah writes: “Harvesting energy from the sun can be accomplished using a range of methodologies with widely varying degrees of technological sophistication. An example of low-tech solar energy would be simple flat plate collector used in many domestic water heaters, which can provide 50% to 100% of a family's hot water requirements depending on location, demand and other factors.”

Nuclear power plants are also discussed as an energy source. Unfortunately, the author notes, “It is also estimated that the world's uranium reserves would only last about 25 years if an attempt is made to aggressively replace oil and natural gas with nuclear power for electricity generation.” Nuclear power also suffers from extremely high cost of construction as well as the public concern for the long-term radioactive waste residual storage.

The book ends on a pessimistic note (made very real by the current oil crisis of mid-2005). The author writes: “It is unlikely that all the world's governments will respond effectively to the looming crises, but this only makes it more urgent for those nations, communities and individuals who recognize Peak Oil as having a fundamental influence on their future to act swiftly and resolutely to prepare for the changed circumstances that will result when Cheap Oil runs out … IN THE NEAR FUTURE!”

Available from: Amazon Online

Billions of people around the world enjoy an unprecedented standard of living based on one thing: oil. And each year we demand more. We produce and consume energy not simply to heat, feed, move or defend ourselves, but to educate, entertain, construct our world then fill it with stuff. Everything we buy, from a McDonald's hamburger to garden furniture to cancer drugs, represents a measure of energy produced and consumed. But how can this sustain itself, when already we have burned our way through half the easily available oil? Yet the pursuit of fuel is relentless. It can shape the diplomatic, economic and military strategies of nations, perverting the cultures and politics of entire regions; it props up corrupt governments and dictators; it fosters the instability and resentments that have already spawned Muammar Qaddafi, Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden. In this devastating piece of reportage, Paul Roberts shows what is likely to happen, why the transition from oil will be complicated, traumatic and possibly dangerous, and what it will mean for our daily lives.

Available from: Amazon Online

Review by Dan Armstrong:
In spite of its tough message, there is much compassion and humanity in The Final Empire. Right away as you begin to read this work, you sense increasingly the grand perspective in Kotke's words. He is not speaking of anarchy. He is offering vital common sense. It's just that his meaning is so unavoidably political. And so much against what we have been taught all our lives: The materialistic values of civilization teach us that the accumulation of wealth is progress. The material wealth of the civilization is derived from the death of the earth, the soils, the forests, the fish stocks, the 'free resources' of flora and fauna.
The ultimate end of this is for all human species to live in giant parasitical cities of cement and metal while surrounded by deserts of exhausted soils. The simple polar opposites are: the richness and wealth of the natural life of earth versus the material wealth of people living out their lives in artificial environments. This amounts to a direct challenge to humankind. A demand for radical change. A re-envisioning of our part in the community of life and the precepts of individuality. And Mr. Kotke provides a strong argument for this case.
He traces the environmental scars of civilization through the ages.
Empire after empire, desertification of the top soil winds its way around the globe in an erosive helix from China to India to Mesopotamia to Italy to North America. As radical as it may seem at first glance, The Final Empire is a necessary and sensible primer for the recovery of the planet. It blends a critical statistical analysis of our deteriorating environment with a positivism of hope for a post-empire age and a new whole-human relation to the living community of Earth.

Available from: Amazon Online

Review by Patrick Holden, director of the Soil Association:

The Transition concept is one of the big ideas of our time. Peak oil and climate change can so often leave one feeling depressed and disempowered. What I love about the Transition approach is that it is inspirational, harnessing hope instead of guilt, and optimism instead of fear. The Transition Handbook will come to be seen as one of the seminal books which emerged at the end of the Oil Age and which offered a gentle helping hand in the transition to a more local, more human and ultimately more nourishing future.

Available from: Amazon Online

A courageous look at the world’s dwindling energy resources. Contending that the energy debate has been cast in the wrong terms, the author suggests that the problem would not be solved by asking: "What energy sources will be available to replace fossil fuels?’ but by questioning: "What populations can be supported at a decent standard by the energy sources that will be available after the transition from fossil fuels?’ Taking a brave stand, Grant suggests that with a bit of luck—we may be able to create a more harmonious balance with the rest of the biosphere, but at much lower population levels and less consumptive habits.

Available from: Amazon Online

The 20th century saw unprecedented growth in population, energy consumption and food production. As the population shifted from rural to urban, the impact of humans on the environment increased dramatically.

The 21st century ushered in an era of declines, in a number of crucial parameters:

• Global oil, natural gas and coal extraction
• Yearly grain harvests
• Climate stability
• Population
• Economic growth
• Fresh water
• Minerals and ores, such as copper and platinum

To adapt to this profoundly different world, we must begin now to make radical changes to our attitudes, behaviors and expectations.

Peak Everything addresses many of the cultural, psychological and practical changes we will have to make as nature rapidly dictates our new limits. This latest book from Richard Heinberg, author of three of the most important books on Peak Oil, touches on the most important aspects of the human condition at this unique moment in time.

A combination of wry commentary and sober forecasting on subjects as diverse as farming and industrial design, this book tells how we might make the transition from The Age of Excess to the Era of Modesty with grace and satisfaction, while preserving the best of our collective achievements. A must-read for individuals, business leaders and policy makers who are serious about effecting real change.

Available from: Amazon Online

This may be the most important book you or anyone else will read in the next fifty years. Assuming humanity survives that long. Draining the lifeblood of industrial civilization, the terminal decline of oil and gas production will spark a crisis far more dangerous than international terrorism, and just as urgent as climate change. World leaders know it, so why aren't they telling? The last oil shock is the secret behind the crises in Iraq and Iran, the reason your gas bill is going through the roof, the basis of a secret deal cooked up in Texas between George Bush and Tony Blair, the cause of an imminent and unprecedented economic collapse, and the reason you may soon be kissing your car keys and boarding pass goodbye. David Strahan explains how we reached this critical state, how the silence of governments, oil companies and environmentalists conspires to keep the public in the dark, what it means for energy policy, and what you can do to protect yourself and your family from the ravages of the last oil shock.

Available from: Amazon Online

Since oil is the primary fuel of global industrial civilization, its imminent depletion is a problem that will have profound impact on every aspect of modern life. Without international agreement on how to manage the decline of this vital resource, the world faces unprecedented risk of conflict and collapse.

The Oil Depletion Protocol describes a unique accord whereby nations would voluntarily reduce their oil production and oil imports according to a consistent, sensible formula. This would enable the task of energy transition to be planned and supported over the long term, providing a context of stable energy prices and peaceful cooperation. The Protocol will be presented at international gatherings, initiating the process of country-by-country negotiation and adoption, and mobilizing public support. To this end, this book:

provides an overview of the data concerning Peak Oil and its timing
briefly explains the protocol and its implications for the reader and for decision makers in government and industry around the world
deals with frequently asked questions and objections, and
looks forward to how the protocol can be adopted and how municipalities and ordinary citizens can facilitate the process.

Timely and critically important, The Oil Depletion Protocol is a must-read for policy makers and for all who seek to avert a Peak Oil collapse.

Available from: Amazon Online

Review from Publishers Weekly:
Edwin Black spins the history of oil's ascendancy to dominance over the global energy market into a sordid tale of conspiracy, deception and murder. This enthralling book begins in the vast forests of Cyprus, whose wood fueled the ancient Mediterranean, and extends through the Elizabethan era, in which the Hostmen guild of Newcastle exerted political influence by monopolizing the British coal supply. The central thread of this well-researched book, which draws upon a vast array of archival sources and an extensive list of secondary texts, picks up centuries later with the competition in the American automotive market between electric power and oil-fueled internal combustion. The definitive blow in favor of oil comes with WWI, which prompted increased demand for gas-powered vehicles at the very moment Thomas Edison and Henry Ford aborted plans to develop an affordable electric car. The decades-long "General Motors conspiracy" solidifies the demise of electrically powered mass transit in American cities. Through it all, Black manages to keep this complex history compelling. By the time the author makes his final, impassioned plea for a bold new solution to the world's energy crisis, he has already made his case with devastating clarity.

Available from: Amazon Online