Rating: 
Summary: a free-market view of the energy problem
Review: Vaitheeswaran writes for the Economist. The good news is that his journalistic account of the energy problem is breezy and easy to read. The bad news is that it is not so much an objective overview of the topic as it is a religious tract from the Church of the Free Market. Vaitheeswaran really pulls you into his optimistic account at times, but regularly slips in sarcastic digs at environmentalists and ecologists that remind you of his ideological bias. What really caused me to question his analysis, though, was his total dismissal of the oil geologists. I personally put much more stock in the projections of the geologists, following Hubbert, than I do in the economists, who always bring to mind Richard Feynman's skeptical view that economics & other social sciences are all voodoo.
I give this book a favorable review regardless, because it is a good introduction to a particular point of view. Without being a market dogmatist, I think Vaitheeswaran has sound points to make about the failure of energy deregulation in California, for instance. He reveals that Britain and Scandinavia (of all places!) have pursued energy deregulation with great success, and argues that it was not deregulation per se that failed, but rather a botched attempt. The first four chapters address "market forces." Vaitheeswaran makes the case that global warming is real and calls for a shift away from carbon-based fossil fuels in the second three chapters. Here, he takes a strong position in favor of carbon taxes, which will not endear him to the anti-tax Republicans, and reveals that his view, while pro-market, is more sensible than most acceptable debate in the U.S. (I do wonder, though, whether he and his editors have read much by Herman Daly and the other ecological economists, who include basic physics in their equations?)
When it comes to the last four chapters on energy technology, Vaitheeswaran has some very interesting things to say, based on his access to the corporate boardrooms. I am encouraged by the shift of Shell and BP (British Petroleum) toward renewable energy research, and no doubt the U.S. oil companies will reluctantly follow suit. The possibility of a decentralized power system, with inputs from local fuel cells, is quite astounding, and it has greater weight coming from the Economist than it has coming from the social critic and gadfly Jeremy Rifkin (see my review of his THE HYDROGEN ECONOMY). The only reason I see to criticize the Bush Administration's recent commitment to research on hydrogen vehicles is that it is a small, symbolic commitment that does not go nearly far enough.
I am by no means convinced that the "magic of the market" will bring the world a happy ending to the problem of the finite reserves of oil and natural gas, which are approaching their global Hubbert's Peak. But if markets and far-sighted corporations can be part of the solution, that's great. If we could bring the European view of markets, incorporating carbon taxes, or green taxes, to the U.S. that would be a big step in the right direction!
See my OVERSHOOT AND COLLAPSE? list for more on the topics of oil and energy.
Rating:
Summary: a free-market view of the energy problem
Review: Vaitheeswaran writes for the Economist. The good news is that his journalistic account of the energy problem is breezy and easy to read. The bad news is that it is not so much an objective overview of the topic as it is a religious tract from the Church of the Free Market. Vaitheeswaran really pulls you into his optimistic account at times, but regularly slips in sarcastic digs at environmentalists and ecologists that remind you of his ideological bias. What really caused me to question his analysis, though, was his total dismissal of the oil geologists. I personally put much more stock in the projections of the geologists, following Hubbert, than I do in the economists, who always bring to mind Richard Feynman's skeptical view that economics & other social sciences are all voodoo. I give this book a favorable review regardless, because it is a good introduction to a particular point of view. Without being a market dogmatist, I think Vaitheeswaran has sound points to make about the failure of energy deregulation in California, for instance. He reveals that Britain and Scandinavia (of all places!) have pursued energy deregulation with great success, and argues that it was not deregulation per se that failed, but rather a botched attempt. The first four chapters address "market forces." Vaitheeswaran makes the case that global warming is real and calls for a shift away from carbon-based fossil fuels in the second three chapters. Here, he takes a strong position in favor of carbon taxes, which will not endear him to the anti-tax Republicans, and reveals that his view, while pro-market, is more sensible than most acceptable debate in the U.S. (I do wonder, though, whether he and his editors have read much by Herman Daly and the other ecological economists, who include basic physics in their equations?) When it comes to the last four chapters on energy technology, Vaitheeswaran has some very interesting things to say, based on his access to the corporate boardrooms. I am encouraged by the shift of Shell and BP (British Petroleum) toward renewable energy research, and no doubt the U.S. oil companies will reluctantly follow suit. The possibility of a decentralized power system, with inputs from local fuel cells, is quite astounding, and it has greater weight coming from the Economist than it has coming from the social critic and gadfly Jeremy Rifkin (see my review of his "The Hydrogen Economy"). The only reason I see to criticize the Bush Administration's recent commitment to research on hydrogen vehicles is that it is a small, symbolic commitment that does not go nearly far enough. I am by no means convinced that the "magic of the market" will bring the world a happy ending to the problem of the finite reserves of oil and natural gas, which are approaching their global Hubbert's Peak. But if markets and far-sighted corporations can be part of the solution, that's great. If we could bring the European view of markets, incorporating carbon taxes, or green taxes, to the U.S. that would be a big step in the right direction!
Rating:
Summary: Hope, optimism and Green!
Review: Vijay argues that economic growth and prospertiy does not have to always lead to more pollution and degradation of the environment, we are not running out of fossil fuels and Saudi Arabia's dominance over world transportation infrastructure cant be easily challenged. Fuel cells, powered by hydrogen, possibly derived from fossil fuels, will be the leading edge of our independance from the middle east oil, IC engines and pollution. Putting all eggs in one basket is bad, and that is what we have done to the global transportation infrastructure with gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. And that basket is controlled by a de-facto monopoly. As if it is not bad enough, that monopoly is in the politically unstable middle east, where there is the danger of being taken over by irrational and possibly self-destructive forces. (BTW this is my belief. Though the book does not disagree, it is not the main thrust of the book). But this book fills me with optimism and hope that the situation can be, and will be changed. The way out will be/could be cleaner and greener that I had previously believed. The Age of Hydroven is dawning. And it is going to be a beautiful day. I would have preferred a few more tables and charts. So I took a star away. May be the author would publish such materials for further reading in his website( http://www.vijaytothepeople.com )or the yahoo group ( http://groups.yahoo.com/group/powertothepeople/ )
Rating: 
Summary: Power to People by Viajay V. Vaitheeswaran
Review: Vijay Vaitheeswaran's Power to People is a timely reminder about the space and scope for releasing limits to growth through innovative approaches to dealing with society's serious issues, of which energy ranks highest alongside water, as agreed upon at the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development. It is timely also because the book removes much of the woolly way of thinking that has clogged the roadway which the book vividly charts. The book has caught bull by the horn and reigned it in by suggesting how markets and technology can be combined to work well for providing power to people. Countries and communities looking for new and additional sources of power can benefit by following and adapting this roadway, more so if short of fossil fuels and yet desirous of bringing light to villages and promoting productivity, sustainable development and economic growth. At the Roman Forum, we ponder over the key messages of the book, especially after our President has read all its 358 pages -unusually without being bored. We find that the book deals with creative development by harnessing science and technology for harmony between humanity and the environment, as we profess in our mission. It demonstrates that better environment and more power are possible. The hydrogen fuel cell technology is one example. Another is that of market driven forces, which are banefully tamed in a manner that they work against the release of so much power that the planet has in its elements -polluter-pays-principle, CDM and half-baked Kyoto protocol notwithstanding. Instead, as the book points out, these forces can and should be liberated and drawn upon for providing energy in an efficient and affordable manner and yet avoiding costly subsidies that only sustain fossilized technologies and systems that have little merit on the basis of true costs and benefits -economic, environmental and social. So much cheating so far, but no more, if we heed the message about the beginning of change that should be fostered. The book is based on scientific analyses of the situation in an easily understandable manner in order to provide pragmatic solutions to the energy crisis, often aggravated by controversial concerns about carbon emissions, climate change and fossil fuel supplies. The book is objective and provocative, drawing upon extremes of opinion ranging from the Malthusian doom and gloom through to pro-activist must-oppose culture. Without dismissing anyone -neither Bjorn Lomborg nor Arundhati Roy and the likes that so many have done, he enlightens the entire arena of power paradigms, issues and conflicts of interest and yet ends up with logical solutions that can address both the problems of poverty and the environment by providing positive scenarios of power accessible to needy and all alike. CSOs as well as corporate, national and global governance can take several leaves out of the book. It is difficult to sum up this magnum opus of the year, starting from the bygone past, assessing the present on the anvil, and steering into the future energy. The vision offered by the book is one reason why this book is for all those interested in understanding and promoting policies and programs for the planet's power and prosperity in a harmoniously holistic manner. It is thus that we hereby offer a challenge to the author, the Mississauga Hydrogen cell pioneers and critics of current paradigms, among others, to pass by for a colloquium on the theme at the Roman Forum. We are prepared to have the book as a basis for disseminating our complex creative development message for reducing poverty by providing power to people in an environmentally appropriate and cost-effective manner. That could be a contribution towards achieving the most meaningful Millennium Development Goal, whether or not the UN and its UN Development Program are listening. Meanwhile, we recommend the book full five stars. Antonio Tamburrino and Maharaj Muthoo, Roman Forum, Rome (www.rforum.org) (romanforum2@virgilio.it; muthoo@rforum.org)
|
