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The Last Oil Shock
Book about peak oil and the coming energy descent.
304 pages, Paperback
First published April 5, 2007
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85 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
June 1, 2008
The last thing I needed to do was read yet another book about Peak Oil. I've been reading extensively about it since 2003. But I promised the publisher I would read it. So I finally did.
I'm glad I carried out my promise.
The Last Oil Shock is an excellent book. David Strahan has written an informative, insightful and, yes, even entertaining book that delves into the history and causes of Peak Oil, the various "cures" put forward by oil companies and others in Big Energy and Big Politics, and the likely ramifications of both Peak Oil and its alleged—should I say "threatened"?—cures.
The book has a slight UK-centric approach which is a refreshing change from the USA-centric perspective of most other books on the subject. American readers should not be deterred. There's just enough of the British situational viewpoint to understand how universal the problem is, and the uniqueness of the various flavors that energy depletion offers from country to country.
Strahan is first of all a superb journalist. He is objective in his facts, backs up his statements, and offers both breadth and depth in his account of Peak Oil. But Strahan also has a position; one which enhances, rather than obscures, his objectivity. His wry, even biting, sense of humor and his observation of the energy predicament's ironies and, alas, frequent hypocrisies, come through in a manner that allows his facts to be enjoyable digested all the way through the book.
I highly recommend reading The Last Oil Shock.
I'm glad I carried out my promise.
The Last Oil Shock is an excellent book. David Strahan has written an informative, insightful and, yes, even entertaining book that delves into the history and causes of Peak Oil, the various "cures" put forward by oil companies and others in Big Energy and Big Politics, and the likely ramifications of both Peak Oil and its alleged—should I say "threatened"?—cures.
The book has a slight UK-centric approach which is a refreshing change from the USA-centric perspective of most other books on the subject. American readers should not be deterred. There's just enough of the British situational viewpoint to understand how universal the problem is, and the uniqueness of the various flavors that energy depletion offers from country to country.
Strahan is first of all a superb journalist. He is objective in his facts, backs up his statements, and offers both breadth and depth in his account of Peak Oil. But Strahan also has a position; one which enhances, rather than obscures, his objectivity. His wry, even biting, sense of humor and his observation of the energy predicament's ironies and, alas, frequent hypocrisies, come through in a manner that allows his facts to be enjoyable digested all the way through the book.
I highly recommend reading The Last Oil Shock.
November 8, 2011
Grim but fascinating reading. I knew something about this subject already but the author brings out some very interesting analysis like:
- the denialism at the time of Hubbert and how the language is similar today
- the current actions of oil companies taking greater and greater risks to secure the dwindling non-OPEC supplies
- the exaggerations of OPEC and their motives for doing so
- the actions of China in securing their energy supplies
- the Iranian situation
- the gross failure of economic theories to take account of the real value of energy
- the effects on agriculture, travel and the vast amounts of modern goods made out of oil based materials
The little comfort offered by the book is in inviting the reader to reduce their energy dependency as far as possible and therefore reduce their exposure to the inevitable oil shock. It also offers some broader systems that could help, one of the most sensible being a personal carbon trading scheme which would give individuals a real cash incentive to reduce their energy consumption.
Mostly the book is eye opening in reading between the headlines in understanding the current world situation.
- the denialism at the time of Hubbert and how the language is similar today
- the current actions of oil companies taking greater and greater risks to secure the dwindling non-OPEC supplies
- the exaggerations of OPEC and their motives for doing so
- the actions of China in securing their energy supplies
- the Iranian situation
- the gross failure of economic theories to take account of the real value of energy
- the effects on agriculture, travel and the vast amounts of modern goods made out of oil based materials
The little comfort offered by the book is in inviting the reader to reduce their energy dependency as far as possible and therefore reduce their exposure to the inevitable oil shock. It also offers some broader systems that could help, one of the most sensible being a personal carbon trading scheme which would give individuals a real cash incentive to reduce their energy consumption.
Mostly the book is eye opening in reading between the headlines in understanding the current world situation.
September 9, 2008
Interesting to learn how the oil industry puts a blind eye towards the fact oil is a limited resource. After reading the book I have learnt a lot I did not have a clue about before, and still I work for an seismic exploration company and thought I knew some of the business, so I can only imagine the ignorance in other groups (or the opposite as you never know the knowledge of the people).
The absolute most important message of the book - the last oil shock is bound to happend before 2020, and this will mean the production of oil can no longer increase which will make the world forced to change, causing a lot of troubles most likely in the wake.
A well written book which is serious enough to be part of an university course curriculum.
The absolute most important message of the book - the last oil shock is bound to happend before 2020, and this will mean the production of oil can no longer increase which will make the world forced to change, causing a lot of troubles most likely in the wake.
A well written book which is serious enough to be part of an university course curriculum.
September 22, 2018
من بداية قراءتي في هذا الكتاب فهمت أمراً عظيماً كان يحيرني ويحير الكثير منا، وهو لم تفعل أمريكا ما تفعله؟ لم غزو العراق؟ لم أفغانستان؟ لم هذه الحروب؟ ولكني الآن فهمت .... إنه ليس الاقتصاد
ولكنها السيطرة واستراتيجية للبقاء! بل وبالنسبة لأمريكا بالذات هو لبقاء سيطرتها العالمية فبدون النفط يتوقف العالم! عملياً على الأقل. فهي لحظة فارقة عندما يصبح الطلب أكثر من العرض، وهي لحظة المعركة الفاصلة، فدائماً نسمع عن حروب الماء التي لم تحدث أبداً، ولكن حروب النفط هذه حية وجارية الآن
ففي هذا الكتاب والذي يتحدث عن شيء مثل انهيار العالم بنضوب النفط حيث كل شيء تقريباً يعتمد عليه وما هذه النهضة الصناعية العالمية إلا بفضله. فإذا وصلنا لهذا اليوم فإن القوة والسيطرة في العالم ستكون لمن يضع يده على النفط
ولكن لم لا نرى ذلك اليوم وتلك اللحظة الخطيرة؟ خاصة وإن الموضوع قديم والتنبؤات جاءت وثبت بطلانها؟ ببساطة لوجود تعتيم من كبار شركات النفط العالمية وتطمين للشعوب والحكومات أن كل شيء على ما يرام وإنما هذه أفكار تشاؤمية قديمة. كذلك وجود اكتشافات جديدة من مصادر غير عادية، هذه الاكتشافات لم تغير شيئاً سوى تاريخ النضوب ولكنها دعمت موقف الرافضين للفكرة
ولكن عندما تتأمله وتستقرئ ما يحدث تجده واقعاً ولهذا يجب الاستعداد. ربما الاحتباس الحراري نعمة تجبر الناس للبحث عن مصادر بديلة لتجنب النضوب المفاجئ
~~~~
بحث ممتاز قام فيه الكاتب باستقراء جيد للموضوع وهو بلا شك قوي ولكن لم ينل نصيبه من النشر بسبب ما ذكرت أعلاه. سهل القراءة رغم وجود الكثير من التحليلات المملة. قفزت قليلاً في آخر الكتاب لعدم اهتمامي ولكونها معلومات قديمة
~~~~
استحق ثلاث نجوم فقط لانتهاء الصلاحية وعدم وجود تحديثات في النت من قبل المؤلف الذي يبدو مهمِلاً لعمله الرائع وبحثه الكبير
ولكنها السيطرة واستراتيجية للبقاء! بل وبالنسبة لأمريكا بالذات هو لبقاء سيطرتها العالمية فبدون النفط يتوقف العالم! عملياً على الأقل. فهي لحظة فارقة عندما يصبح الطلب أكثر من العرض، وهي لحظة المعركة الفاصلة، فدائماً نسمع عن حروب الماء التي لم تحدث أبداً، ولكن حروب النفط هذه حية وجارية الآن
ففي هذا الكتاب والذي يتحدث عن شيء مثل انهيار العالم بنضوب النفط حيث كل شيء تقريباً يعتمد عليه وما هذه النهضة الصناعية العالمية إلا بفضله. فإذا وصلنا لهذا اليوم فإن القوة والسيطرة في العالم ستكون لمن يضع يده على النفط
ولكن لم لا نرى ذلك اليوم وتلك اللحظة الخطيرة؟ خاصة وإن الموضوع قديم والتنبؤات جاءت وثبت بطلانها؟ ببساطة لوجود تعتيم من كبار شركات النفط العالمية وتطمين للشعوب والحكومات أن كل شيء على ما يرام وإنما هذه أفكار تشاؤمية قديمة. كذلك وجود اكتشافات جديدة من مصادر غير عادية، هذه الاكتشافات لم تغير شيئاً سوى تاريخ النضوب ولكنها دعمت موقف الرافضين للفكرة
ولكن عندما تتأمله وتستقرئ ما يحدث تجده واقعاً ولهذا يجب الاستعداد. ربما الاحتباس الحراري نعمة تجبر الناس للبحث عن مصادر بديلة لتجنب النضوب المفاجئ
~~~~
بحث ممتاز قام فيه الكاتب باستقراء جيد للموضوع وهو بلا شك قوي ولكن لم ينل نصيبه من النشر بسبب ما ذكرت أعلاه. سهل القراءة رغم وجود الكثير من التحليلات المملة. قفزت قليلاً في آخر الكتاب لعدم اهتمامي ولكونها معلومات قديمة
~~~~
استحق ثلاث نجوم فقط لانتهاء الصلاحية وعدم وجود تحديثات في النت من قبل المؤلف الذي يبدو مهمِلاً لعمله الرائع وبحثه الكبير
June 4, 2010
A book that everyone should read. The fact that Oil is running out affects almost every single aspect of modern life. When its gone, so many things will change. Even before it runs out, the costs will become so exponentially expensive that everyday commuting, shopping, holidays etc will be out of the range of everyone but the richest. The theories behind Peak Oil are so well established, I find it amazing that more is not being done by the worlds governments. But perhaps the current crisis’s in the middle east are linked?
The style of the writing is a little irritating, perhaps not scientific enough for me (the author is a self confessed sciencephobic), which is why I rated it lower than I might have. The economic theories are interesting, and as someone who has no education or understanding of basic economic principles, I found these sections easy to follow.
The style of the writing is a little irritating, perhaps not scientific enough for me (the author is a self confessed sciencephobic), which is why I rated it lower than I might have. The economic theories are interesting, and as someone who has no education or understanding of basic economic principles, I found these sections easy to follow.
September 23, 2016
The author's concrete solutions are weak, and weakly argued. But that takes nothing away from the book's remarkable achievement of helping to illustrate the magnitude of the challenges we face around transportation fuels.
The version I read (loaned to my by a neighbor) was four years old. I would love to see an update by the same author, given the big changes wrought by the great recession - in the U.S. alone, we've since seen peak VMT (vehicle miles traveled), massive commitment to engine efficiency upgrades via two new rounds of CAFE standards, big upticks in transit ridership, the emerging recognition of of investments in bicycling infrastructure as a key strategy, the end of SUVs and shrinking of cars and triumph of 4-cyclinder motors. Plus, the whole tar sands / gas fracking / deepwater horizon / ANWAR debate.
The version I read (loaned to my by a neighbor) was four years old. I would love to see an update by the same author, given the big changes wrought by the great recession - in the U.S. alone, we've since seen peak VMT (vehicle miles traveled), massive commitment to engine efficiency upgrades via two new rounds of CAFE standards, big upticks in transit ridership, the emerging recognition of of investments in bicycling infrastructure as a key strategy, the end of SUVs and shrinking of cars and triumph of 4-cyclinder motors. Plus, the whole tar sands / gas fracking / deepwater horizon / ANWAR debate.
October 3, 2012
keren tapi yaoloh capeknyaaaa.
font-nya kecil, struktur kalimatnya panjang2, dilengkapi dg segala grafik dan data statistik yg langsung bikin keinget Macroeconomics-nya Gregory Mankiw.
analisanya detail sekali, tiap bab sangat2 padat dg angka dan data.
persis kaya baca paper ilmiah dimana pembahasannya panjang lebar tapi pas kesimpulan tinggal selembar. bab terakhirnya berisi langkah2 teknis dg referensi berbagai macam link sebagai tautan bantuan untuk doomsday preparation.
kapan2 yakin bakal dicari deh :p
font-nya kecil, struktur kalimatnya panjang2, dilengkapi dg segala grafik dan data statistik yg langsung bikin keinget Macroeconomics-nya Gregory Mankiw.
analisanya detail sekali, tiap bab sangat2 padat dg angka dan data.
persis kaya baca paper ilmiah dimana pembahasannya panjang lebar tapi pas kesimpulan tinggal selembar. bab terakhirnya berisi langkah2 teknis dg referensi berbagai macam link sebagai tautan bantuan untuk doomsday preparation.
kapan2 yakin bakal dicari deh :p
August 10, 2012
Frábær bók sem ALLIR ættu að lesa, því þetta er málefni sem kemur okkur öllum við. Margir gera sér sennilega ekki grein fyrir því en það er bara tímaspursmál hvenær olíubirgðir heimsins fara niður fyrir gróðvænlegt vinnslumark, og þá erum við öll í djúpum skít. Þessi bók fjallar um þetta mál á lifandi og skemmtilegan hátt og tekst einhvern veginn að vera bæði fræðandi og hræðandi á sama tíma, en um leið mjög skemmtileg aflestrar.
Read
June 7, 2008This book should be a must read for every american. It tells the true story of why we are in Iraq and gives a necessary education (backed up by factual documents) in the global struggle for resources. Most people have no idea how much trouble we're in!
June 7, 2008
Clear, easy to read and fairly easy going for a book about the coming end of the oil age. Everyone should read this book. Gordon Brown clearly hasn't.
April 3, 2009
The fell down of the oil price, didnt support the premises of this book ...
July 4, 2009
Very interesting. A global perspective that's very thorough. Gives loads of information/statistics with a straight forward interpretation.
August 6, 2011
Yes, this certainly gives food for thought. Something you have to read in this day and age, even if just to increase awareness of today's world economic systems.
October 23, 2011
Very informative,
March 27, 2009
Incredible story of the petroleum man. Get ready kids. Peak oil is here! Couldn't put it down.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews