Why Energy Conservation Fails

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Summary: Alan Caruba in Bookviews.com, January 2003
Review: An interesting book exposes the fallacies of "conserving" energy. It is a fundamental fact that energy unused is not "conserved." Why Energy Conservation Fails by Dr. Herbert Inhaber, Ph.D. (Quorum Books paperback), an economist, explains why in an interesting book that why artificial and coercive policies aimed at conserving anything simply do not work. Supplemented with detailed illustrations and calculations, he demonstrates this truth that is as certain as the law of gravity. The decades of government mandates, instituted by so-called "environmentalists", to require "saving" energy and other natural resources demonstrates that the failure to use energy is the failure to grow the economy and provide for our national needs to provide the electricity and heat for our expanding population and the creation of new jobs through industry and small businesses. The bottom line is that our improved technology provides ways to both find and use all forms of energy and natural resources. Just one example will suffice. The use of fiberglass, made from the most abundant mineral in the Earth's surface, has transformed communications and reduced the dependence on copper. Americans are beginning to reexamine the claims made by environmentalists, discovering they do not stand the test of scientific or economic facts.

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Summary: This Book was written by Cheney's henchmen
Review: Herbert Inhaber, long known as an apologist for the nuclear and fossil fuels crowd, has reappeared with this faulty and misleading analysis of energy conservation and efficiency. Inhaber demonstrates a complete lack of understanding of both the science and economics of energy efficiency and conservation, using incomplete, inadequate, and misleading data. He misreads the tremendous progress already made in improving energy efficiency nationwide -- which has led to a complete divergence of economic growth and energy use since the mid-1970s. And he misrepresents the tremendous, cost-effective potential that remains. Indeed, without the recent progress, thousands of more power plants would have been built to meet unnecessary and wasteful demands, with their associated environmental, human, and ecological impacts. Remember when the energy industry projected that we would need 1000 new nuclear plants nationwide by 2000? Well, we didn't because we became smarter, wiser, and more efficient in our energy use. Inhaber doesn't understand this -- living in the 19th century paradigm that states: more energy use must mean more well being -- a paradigm that we now know is false. Buy this book only if you want to add to your collection of books that represent false, misguided, or antiquated ideas. And it is expensive to boot!

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Summary: Excellent for students of logic and clear thinking.
Review: I bought this book as I am concerned about our nation's and the world's energy future. What a disappointment.

At first I thought this was just a poorly written book, but as I read on it got quite humorous. Silly analogies and selective use of information abound. Not to mention a positively laughable example of conveniently forgetting the data used in an earlier argument when making yet another incredible leap in logic not 3 pages later.

Should become recommended reading for anyone interested in the study of false logic and fallacious argument. Or to simply discover for oneself the lengths some will go in an attempt to manipulate facts and clear argument to fit an ideological view.

Not worth buying for any other reason.

Rating:
Summary: This Book was written by Cheney's henchmen
Review: What is gonna be the next right wing book gonna be? "Exporting American Jobs Overseas is Good for America"? Apparently thats one of the lies that the Bush Administration beleives in as well. This sad excuse for an author provides the most poorly researched conclusions I've ever seen. He seems to sound like hes still in grade school judging by the laughable argument he presents. I guess traffic lights are a bad idea too since there will always be a person who runs a red light eh?

Dont buy this book. In fact, dont even read it in a library. It'll make you sick to your stomach the lengths that these oil corporations will go to denial global warming & the harmful effect of pollution & deforestation on this country.

Our children's future DEPENDS on conservation. Instead of buying this book, use the money to pay for a electric hybrid car instead. They only cost about 18,000- as much as a standard sedan. Plus it'll pay for itself w/ its 60 mpg mileage, especially with the $3 per gallon gas prices that Pres. Bush has created.