Rating: 
Summary: Outstanding, readable, and recommended
Review: If a person wants to get an idea of what to expect from this book,
I'd say, get the hardback and look at the picture of the author on the
back inside jacket - it's *very* intense, and so is this book. I don't
have any of the credentials some of the reviewers have cited, but I've
read on this subject for many years, and I'd recommend "The End Of Oil"
very highly. It might be the best book available at this time that attempts
to cover the history of mankind's useage of energy, the entire "mainstream"
international energy paradigm at present (both fossil and renewable fuels),
and also pose short and long-term solutions as well as can be done at this
time. As there are already many fine reviews of this excellent book, I
will discuss other aspects of it I didn't see elsewhere.
A very readable aspect of "The End of Oil" is the way the author
frames a number of chapters with experiences he had traveling the world,
seeing things first-hand, and interviewing people who work directly
with energy issues. These real-life experiences are a nice complement to
the huge numbers of facts and figures he provides. As one example,
Chapter 2, "The End Of The Easy Oil," is brought to life by the author's
"on site" descriptions (from multiple trips) of the problems encountered
extracting oil in Azerbaijan, once considered a sure thing and surely a
very vital part of that country's hopes for even a small measure of
prosperity. I also compliment the author on his presentation of the
"numbers" data in a way that requires only a minimum of math and technical
knowledge.
"The End Of Oil" really tells it like it is when it comes to the apathy
of so many in the US about energy itself as well as energy's relationship
to the environment. I agree with his quotes from experts that it will take
huge environmental catastrophes to awaken people out of their complacency,
though I am still not certain the greenhouse effect is as large as is claimed.
Yet certain very obvious points stand out, and I doubt a person would
have to read the book to get the details. It's quite obvious that the
Saudi's want to protect their market share for as long as they can,
esp. given their assurances to always provide enough oil during market
disruptions, and I won't say that is trivial, and surely has taken years
of careful negotiations. It's even more obvious what the current
administration's energy policies are. And I must say, I struggle to stay
interested in the energy debate when it is so intertwined with the
capitalistic paradigm of greed, money, and endless growth, which leads to
endless conflicts about jobs vs. the environment, and where the billions of
dollars of fossil-fuel infrastructures must be protected, not only because
the overwhelming majority of politicians and policies are under the thumb of
the energy conglomerates, but also to avoid the inevitable chaos of the
unimaginable, at least at this point: an addicted civilization w/o
mind-boggling amounts of oil. So we have this endless "drama:"
environmentally, is it already too late, or can we curb CO2 emissions
before the environmental disasters get out of hand, and yet can we also
sustain economic growth, whatever our energy future, so that the
not-so-rich can generally do little more than just pay their bills while
the fat cats rake in the dollars (or Euros, or whatever it is!)?
The author is a fine writer, but I wish he had written about
well-documented suppresion of alternative technologies by oil companies
and scientists, to say nothing of billions of dollars in "black budget"
programs - surely some of these are connected to new energy sources. Also,
more "real life" discussions of the suffering and damage fossil-fuel
technologies are causing worldwide would have made the book more complete.
And in the end, as individuals we can't solve energy issues all over
the world, or stop the Chinese from buying cars, etc. Perhaps the best we
can do is to act in our own homes and in our communities to foster
alternative technologies. Home owners have some very good choices to
eliminate greenhouse gases using renewable energy sources, even to the
point of selling electricity back to the grid, though especially for
older homes these technologies are not cheap. Surely in the end the
only we way we can begin to try to solve the very complicated issues of
energy is to act locally while at the same time doggedly insisting that
the government invest in new technologies and create the volumes (for
example, government fleets of hybrids and/or hydrogen fuel cell vehicles)
that will ensure the lowest possible costs for renewable technlogies, as
was done long ago in chip manufacturing. Once the costs come down and the
engineering problems are resolved, the claims by experts, that for example,
renewable technologies can only provide 10-20% of the total world energy
needs, will hopefully be disproven.
Rating: 
Summary: A balanced view of an unbalanced world
Review: As someone who has taught courses on global energy use and the environment for more than 20 years, I have read a great many books on the linkages between energy, economics, environment, and politics. Usually such books suffer from either an obvious bias, an excess of technical jargon (especially books by economists), or a selective treatment of the subject (e.g., focusing on the promise of solar energy while ignoring prospects for new technology for coal). This book comes closest to balancing all of the topics critical to understanding the global energy situation, and given recent events in the middle east, could not have come out at a better time. I found particularly valuable the concise and lucid treatments of the status of oil supplies (distinguishing the end of the low cost era from plentiful but much more expensive sources), the science of climate change and its relationship to energy policy, the importance of growing demand in China for cars and other energy intensive products, and the prospects for alternatives to fossil fuels including the dream of the hydrogen economy. All topics are up-to-date and well referenced, and the credibility of the book is greatly enhanced by interviews with leading experts. This book is appropriate for students with widely diverse backgrounds and should find a large audience.
Rating:
Summary: In search of clean and affordable energy
Review: Energy and prosperity seem to be closely correlated. However the party cannot continue endlessly if we do not pay attention to the limited availability of fossil fuels like oil and the dangerous side effects like CO2 emissions and global warming. The book starts with focus on oil, its global distribution and consumption patterns. The important issue that emerges is the amount proven reserves held by OPEC countries and the huge political divide between OPEC and the developed world that accounts for the largest share of consumption of this progressively depleting commodity. It is interesting to note that a small variation in supply can cause a high fluctuation in oil prices in the international markets, and this is what makes OPEC the most influential player in this volatile market. On the other hand, as shown in the 80's, technological solutions to improve fuel economies of automobiles can significantly reduce oil consumption driving oil prices deep south. But then, the author explains that America is largely "energy illiterate" and gets back to life as usual once again behind the wheels of SUVs that are notorious for their appetite for gasoline. Oil companies seem to be actually encouraging consumption while the fact is that mankind cannot increase limited global oil reserves even by a drop. The already committed investments running into hundreds of billions of dollars in oil exploration, refining and downstream products need to be fully recovered financially. An increase in the price of crude above say $ 40 a barrel once again makes it economically attractive to search for oil in deeper and inaccessible terrains. The game continues, but not till we exhaust the proverbial last drop of oil.
The book then shifts to a detailed discussion on energy and compares the availability, calorific values and pollution profile of coal, oil and gas. Natural gas, seems to be emerging as a reliable and clean bridge fuel to oil, though it has its own problems of transportation and storage. That is why it is considered a "stranded asset". Hydrogen and renewables seem to be the ultimate winners in search of clean and abundant source of fuel for the next generation. The Hydrogen fuel cell however appears to have a long way to travel in terms of its cost trajectory to make it affordable for cars. The other issue is the search for the best source and process for producing hydrogen to feed these engines safely and conveniently. Advances in solar cell technologies in countries like Japan have significantly increased their efficiencies to about 40 %. Wind power is emerging as a dominant alternative in countries like Germany where small producers in remote wind farms are backed by fiscal and monetary incentives by state legislations.
Coming back to the linkage between energy and prosperity, the world's most promising economic engines of the future - China and India have started humming. They have many more cylinders lined up for power and are not so efficient when it comes to fuel efficiency and pollution norms. They too have a right to prosper and in the process consume energy. This calls for a global perspective and co-operation in solving the global issues. For example an investment of a million dollars can produce far higher marginal reductions in pollution in a Chinese thermal power plant than in a modern facility in the developed world. The book explains such issues in detail.
I would appreciate if the author can include some tables at the end of the book on important data like distribution of known oil reserves, oil production and consumption, oil prices, comparison of various energy sources in terms of cost per unit, efficiencies and emissions.
Rating:
Summary: Read it, share it, talk about it.
Review: Fantastic read!
This is a well-rounded introduction to the topic of energy, with lots of fascinating facts and a good insight into the underlying forces that must be understood and taken into account.
The last chapter tries to hit an upbeat note of hope, but left me unconvinced. The collosal short-sightedness of the government and people, the stupid, criminal selfishness and the incredible power of the oil/coal industry leaves me without hope that any meaningfull changes will happen within 10 years, especially after Bush's victory. We are doomed to crises mode and more international conflict.
True patriotism and leadership would make the western powers take the lead to usher in the new energy economy. The world will follow our example. Instead, blatant greed hiding under flag-waving and bible thumping is pushing us at full speed down a dead-end street, and we will pay for it with wars, climate disruptions and social upheaval. This book convinces me that this scenario is not 50 years away, but 10-20 years at most.
So, get this book, read it carefully. Share it with others and talk about it. Maybe the grass-roots can wake up our leaders. Heck, if Arnold, the caricature conservative, can bring in enlightened efficiency targets for California, maybe not all is lost!
Rating:
Summary: A very current look at the fossil fuel dilemma
Review: From the bitter geopolitics of climate to the very real disruption that will result from any drastic (but ultimately inevitable) change in the global energy economy, Paul Roberts covers the scary future we face without resorting to hyperbole or overpoliticization. And he pulls it all off by using the tools of old-school journalism: Facts and clean writing.This isn't a book for oil or policy experts. It's a book for the general public: That's you, and it's me, and it's the Hummer-driving dude down the street who better be ready to pay dearly at the pump. I always worry that when a really important environmental policy book comes out, it will find a home collecting dust on the bookshelves because it's too dense to enjoy. Thankfully, this book has what it takes to avoid that fate. It is envigorating, disturbing, and thorough without being dull. If, as Roberts asserts, there is a "bridge economy" that must be built to wean us from our petroleum habit, this book is surely a good cornerstone to get us started.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent overview, superbly written
Review: I was very impressed with this book. As a journalist who is deeply interested in the broader issues related to our oil dependency, I found Roberts' book entirely informative and superbly written. Roberts has done his homework and, somewhat unusual for many authors on the subject, he can write. I follow some of the broader macroeconomic issues related to oil, and have long looked for another in-depth analysis of where we stand now given declining production and increased instability in the Middle East, as well as the rapid rise of 21st century economies like China and India. He is right to heighten our awareness of the demands these countries will put (are putting!) on world oil markets, and he is right to suggest that America should have a better coordinated renewable energy policy. I've already recommended this book to friends and colleagues.
Rating:
Summary: Overwhelming evidence that Americans need to change
Review: Imagine living in a third world country where a great percentage of your day consists of gathering twigs and sticks or animal dung to use for in preparing the food and keeping your family warm during cold weather. Are you aware that one and a half billion people around the world exist in such abominable circumstances? You can be pretty sure that such people must out of necessity carefully weigh the merits of every ounce of the energy they consume each day. Now contrast this with the way that we in the United States utilize our energy resources. The U.S. Constitution guarantees every American the freedom to be foolish. And there is no doubt that a large percentage of us are.
Here in the land of the 30 minute shower, oversized SUVs that get 10 miles to the gallon and houses three times the size of the ones we grew up in, we Americans are squandering energy at an ever increasing rate. In "The End of Oil", Paul Roberts argues that this must change....and soon. During the energy crisis of the mid 1970's most Americans began to slowly but surely wean themselves away from oil. Jimmy Carter, not a particularly effective President but a man with considerable moral authority convinced the American people that conservation was both the moral and the patriotic thing to do. The people followed the Presidents lead and in an incredibly short time cut back their consumption of oil dramatically. But market forces took hold and oil prices plummeted. Suddenly there was a glut of oil on the market again. Gradually we got back to our old habits and subsequent administrations actually encouraged our short-sightedness. Roberts argues that the present administration continues to lead us down a dangerous path. By totally dismissing conservation, failing to fund R&D for alternative fuels and encouraging increased production and consumption of fossil fuels, our government is setting us up for disaster.
According to Paul Roberts, the world is rapidly depleting stocks of fossil fuels. Within the next 10-20 years the world is likely to reach peak production of oil. Once that happens the world could be in for a very rough ride. The oil that remains will be increasing harder to get to and as a result considerably more expensive. Add to that the rapidly increasing demand in places like China and India and suddenly we have a much bigger problem to deal with. Are not the people of China and India and other such nations entitled to their fair share of the worlds resources? And even if many Americans couldn't care less about people halfway around the world do they not worry about their own children and grand-children? And what about the increased pollution that comes from our continued reliance on fossil fuels? It seems to me that we are taking an awful lot for granted here.
In his incredibly well-research book, Roberts discusses the myriad facets of this most complicated problem. Learn all about the current status and the prospects for alternative fuels like hydrogen, wind and solar among others. A good bit of the book also delves into the politics of energy and who the important players are. On a personal note I can tell you that as a result of reading "The End of Oil" I am even more acutely aware of the energy I personally consume. I am 53 years old. Before I leave this earth I hope to see one of two things occur....the Red Sox win the World Series or a President with the intestinal fortitude to tell Americans the truth and lead us on these important issues. I am not optimistic on either count.
Rating:
Summary: "Best single book ever produced about our energy economy"
Review: It's a bizarre psychological fact that Americans and their media obsess over bad news until it bores them -- then move on without doing anything about it. Paul Roberts' book makes a balanced and persuasive case that this is simply not an option when it comes to the supply of energy. (In the New York Review of books, expert Bill McKibben called The End of Oil "the best single book ever produced about our energy economy and its environmental implications.") This book is a one-stop guide on not just oil, but all issues related to global energy. For every gloomy statistic on our dwindling supply of oil and voraciously growing appetite for it, Roberts provides straightforward guidance on alternatives to explore and policies to initiate. If you are wondering about hybrid cars, hydrogen fuel cells, natural gas, wind farms, solar cells, and other options in the energy debate, Roberts presents the state of the art and the latest thinking. This book is also beautifully written. Roberts, a correspondent for Harper's magazine, takes the reader with him everywhere he goes, whether staring into the deepest abyss in Saudi Arabia to inside heated political debates. A thorough, scholarly and lively work of scholarship, journalism and policy analysis -- a must read for anyone who realizes that talking about changing habits is not enough.
Rating:
Summary: Worth reading!
Review: Must say, it's pretty hard to see where some of the more negative reviewers are coming from. Anyone with no private ax to grind should feel immensely grateful to Paul Roberts for his work of synthesis. This is a fascinating, lively read, and remarkably balanced. As the author intends, it provides "a way for non-experts to begin to think about what experts have long known: that our current energy system is failing, and that the shape of the next energy economy is being decided right now--with or without our input." A huge plus of the book is the dozens of interviews, with U.S. government agency officials, industry analysts, geologists, and foreign commentators--from the Saudi oil minister to Russian politicians. Books like this often promise an insider's view--this one delivers. One message that comes through loud and clear is that there is still time to find a solution to the end of oil and to make the transition to the next energy economy. Still, Roberts shows how imperative it is to start now--not ten or twenty years down the road, when the system is in crisis. "Energy poverty is not some future problem that may or may not materialize, but one that is occurring right now and will generate widespread instability and conflict if it is not immediately addressed." Every thinking American should read this book--and pay heed.
Rating:
Summary: great overview of oil and energy
Review: Paul Roberts has put together a piece of reporting to do his profession proud. This is not just a book about oil, it covers energy as a whole. You can quibble with this or that detail (and I will), but this is an excellent introduction, the best single book on energy now available for ordinary citizens.
Roberts synthesizes the information he gathers superbly. The viewpoint he conveys is more optimistic than Heinberg's excellent THE PARTY'S OVER (see my review) but more urgent and pessimistic than Economist reporter Vaitheeswaran's POWER TO THE PEOPLE (see my review). Roberts has no utopian libertarian illusions about business, but realizes that business is inevitably going to be part of the solutions that emerge, and so he gives careful thought to the role of corporations and industries.
Roberts does not explain how oil geologists use Hubbert's Curve to estimate oil reserves, and this is a weakness compared to Heinberg, Goodstein (OUT OF GAS -- see my review), or the oil geologists themselves, Deffeyes (HUBBERT'S PEAK) or Campbell (THE COMING OIL CRISIS). But he doesn't base his analysis on the over-optimistic estimates of the U.S.G.S. or Exxon Mobil, so this is not a major shortcoming. A bigger problem is that he doesn't mention or apply EROEI analysis (energy return on energy invested). If he did, he might be more pessimistic, and for this crucial physics application, Heinberg and Goodstein are quite valuable.
Based on everything he learned in his reporting, Roberts concludes THE END OF OIL with recommendations for U.S. energy policy. Here are his three major proposals:
1) The government should move immediately and aggressively to boost natural gas supplies. Gas will only serve as a bridging fuel, and might last two or three decades.
2) The government should implement a "carbon penalty," not in the form of a carbon tax, but rather a carbon trading system, a cap-and-trade regime. He suggests a delayed start and low starting costs that would rise over time, giving industry a clear timeline so it can plan to make the needed transition to non-carbon energy sources. Along with the carbon penalty, a well-funded R&D program would be needed to develop coal gasification and carbon sequestration. Roberts sees this as politically necessary in order to coopt the powerful coal industry, which could otherwise block the needed changes.
3) Finally, the government needs to launch an all-out drive to reduce Americans' high consumption of oil and energy. Raising auto fuel efficiency is the obvious place to start, and does not have to be based on radical new designs, at least not at first. The details of Roberts's proposal takes into account the fierce resistance of the automobile industry, and is based on incentives, just as with the coal industry.
All of these steps are just part of a bridging strategy to a renewable energy economy. Roberts doesn't do justice to all of these possibilities, but presents fascinating glimpses into research on hydrogen, fuel cells, and solar energy, particularly the advances in solar that have been made in Germany. It is true that he neglects the promise of biofuels -- he mentions the category, but doesn't devote any space to it.
Fossil fuels are on the way out, whether we like it or not -- they are not renewable, and so once extracted in a frighteningly short few years, that's it. For more on renewable energy, including solar, wind and biomass fuels, see Hermann Scheer's THE SOLAR ECONOMY (see my review), and Howard Geller's ENERGY REVOLUTION (see my review).
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