@article{352113,
      recid = {352113},
      author = {Hallett, Steve, and Wright, John,},
      title = {Life without oil : why we must shift to a new energy  future /},
      publisher = {Prometheus Books,},
      address = {Amherst, N.Y. :},
      pages = {435 p. :},
      year = {2011},
      abstract = {"We have spent the last two centuries building a  civilization on coal and the last century building it  bigger still on oil. Fossil fuels have been the wellspring  of our complex, glorious modern world, but they are about  to run out. By the end of the 21st century, our oil and  natural gas supplies will be virtually nonexistent, and  limited coal supplies will be restricted to only a handful  of countries. Environmental scientist Steve Hallett and  veteran journalist John Wright make abundantly clear that  we are at the crest of a remarkable two-hundred-year glitch  in the history of civilization and are about to embark on  the decline. Experts may argue about whether peak oil  production has already arrived or will come in a decade or  two, but in any case, as Hallett and Wright show, we must  plan for a future without reliance on oil. But successful  planning depends on a realistic assessment of the facts  about our current situation. To that end, they describe how  the petroleum interval of the last century, on which our  civilization is based, fits in to the larger history of  civilization. They describe the fate of civilizations and  empires of the past that have come and gone based on their  vital connection with the environment. Turning to an even  longer timeframe, the authors make a compelling case that  the key determinant of our global economy is not so much  the invisible hand of the marketplace but the inexorable  laws of ecology. When it comes to the long term, nature  will impose limits beyond which our economy cannot go.  Despite increased emphasis on renewable and environmentally  friendly energy sources, our current obsession with growth  is ultimately unsustainable. The authors foresee the coming  decades as a time of much disruption and change of  lifestyle, but in the end we may learn a wiser, more  sustainable stewardship of our natural resources. This  timely, sobering, yet constructive discussion of energy and  ecology offers a realistic vision of the near future and  many important lessons about the limits of our  resources."--Publisher's description},
      url = {http://library.usi.edu/record/352113},
}