Geodestinies : The Inevitable Control of Earth Resources over Nations and Individualsgreenspun.com : LUSENET : Running on Empty - The Coming Petroleum Exhaustion Dieoff : One Thread |
Geodestinies : The Inevitable Control of Earth Resources over Nations and Individualsby Walter Lewellyn Youngquist
This book is a "must read". After a slow start reviewing some basics of minerals, the book's heart consists of chapters covering:
- petroleum/fossil fuels
- alternatives - non-renewable
- alternatives -renewable
- water
- topsoil
These chapters are the books core value. Youngquist tries to be as balanced and un-excitable as possible. But the messages comes through loud and clear: there's no substitute for oil. His understated writing style just makes the message all the more chilling.
Some points he makes and documents ('run out' below means no longer economically recoverable):
- petro going to run out long before end of 21st century
- will become very expensive (in effect rationed) before it runs out
- agriculture depends on oil
- nuclear and coal are the most likely general alteratives for electricity generating
- electricity is far from the only "substituion" problem
- electric car is basically a myth
- it will be extremely hard to find ANY substitute for gas used in very heavy machines such as airplanes, construction equipment, farm machines
- all alteratives have heavy ecological price tag
- public is too sanguine about 'alternatives' magically appearing
A must-read !!
-- scott (lynx5_5@hotmail.com), March 02, 2000
One more thing (actually there are many more things in the book): Youngquist also delivers a fascinating analysis of why so- called "oil shale" is a non-promising future source of petro.
-- scott (lynx5_5@hotmail.com), March 02, 2000.