The End of Oil: On the Edge of a
Perilous New World by Paul Roberts
Excellent And Thorough Book, Misleading Title
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 worlds 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
Personal Review: The End of Oil: On the Edge of a Perilous New
World by Paul Roberts
The title of the book makes it sound like an alarmist clamour concerned
with peak oil. This couldn't be further from the truth. It is instead a
comprehensive overview of the whole shebang: the energy crisis and the
shape of things to come. Not only oil, but other hydrocarbon fuels,
hydrogen, nuclear, wind, solar, energy efficiency and the economic
implications of all the above are discussed, in a sober and impartial
manner. Roberts does not appear to be lobbying for any particular energy
source, in fact, he details the great leaps currently made in wind farms, fuel
cells, clean coal and solar power, but is quick to point out the practical
shortcomings, economic considerations and incredible technical
challenges.
The book is rife with well-backed claims, interesting (if unsettling) facts and
cogent arguments. I also found the important history lessons on the
emergence of the hydrocarbon economy and the 1973 oil embargo very
informative and interesting (do take into account, however, that this is from
a lay reader's perspective).
Some reviewers note that the book quickly became a bit awkwardly out of
date. This is true to some extent. The "worst case" scenario where oil
reaches $50/barrel and sends the world economy plunging now seems like
a bright picture. Another case in point is where Roberts predicts that since
US interference in Iraq to "secure" oil supply caused more harm than good
through disruption, Iraqi oil exports will essentially never rise above pre-
war levels. This turned out to be wrong: it did in fact shatter that barrier in
2007.
A commendable aspect of the book is how Roberts courageously and
continuously lambastes the Bush administration, the automotive industry,
the coal lobby and other major hydrocarbon stakeholders, but at the same
time acknowledges that the massive asset inertia of the current energy
industry makes lowering emissions and improving efficiency an immense
economic and pragmatic challenge. These kinds of objective analyses
almost go as far as watering down the author's plea: sometimes the reader

may get the impression that there's enough ammunition in the book to
argue both for complacency and immediate action.
For More 5 Star Customer Reviews and Lowest Price:
The End of Oil: On the Edge of a Perilous New World by Paul Roberts 5 Star Customer
Reviews and Lowest Price!