Books and Resources

Information is power.  Jared Diamond wrote in "Guns, Germs, and Steel" that Europeans conquered the New World in part because new waves of miners, farmers, and soldiers had access to accounts written by those who came before them.  Explorers pave the way, and we are best served by basing our actions on the information and wisdom they provide.

The Finite World recognizes that it can't provide every piece of information you might ever want.  That's where books and other fine websites come in.

To find a book, check out the reviews below or search Powell's.  For a fine list of online resources, click here.

Click Here to learn why I recommend Powells instead of Amazon, B&N, etc.

Book Reviews

Beyond Oil: The View from Hubbert’s Peak
By: Kenneth S. Deffeyes
Published in 2005
Bottom Line: At its heart, Beyond Oil is a series of lectures delivered by a man with a deep passion for geology and the future of energy mined from the ground. If you want to get a better grasp of what the future holds in store for fossil fuels, Hubbert’s Peak, or unconventional sources like oil sands or shale oil, Beyond Oil is a good bet.
Buy Now

Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future
By: Bill McKibben
Published in 2007
Bottom Line: Deep Economy argues that even in the United States, growth isn't all its cracked up to be.  We aren't happier and on the whole, we aren't becoming richer either.  For an alternative, McKibben says we need to look toward our local communities.  While Deep Economy’s technical arguments are incomplete, I found his moral arguments against our consumerist, growth oriented society compelling.
Buy Now

..........................................................................

The Age of Oil: The Mythology, History, and Future of the World's Most Controversial Resource
By: Leonardo Maugeri
Published in 2007
Bottom Line: The Age of Oil offers an interesting and informative view of the history of oil, and a measured and optimistic vision of its future.  This book is in many ways the antithesis of Beyond Oil, a classic Hubbertian analysis.  Both works are informative and well researched, and each is colored by its author’s convictions about what the future holds.  If you want to know about the history of oil, you could do a lot worse than the first portion of this book.  The second half offers the best argument for the “cornucopian” peak oil viewpoint that I have read.  The book's value is justified by this portion alone.
Buy Now

..........................................................................

Online Resources

Plan B 3.0 - Mobilizing to Save Civilization - By Lester R. Brown.  Written in 2008, this book identifies many ecological and resource problems our civilization currently faces and proposes solutions for each.  It is availible for full PDF download.  You can purchase a hard copy of it here.

..........................................................................

Farmer in Chief: An Open Letter to the President-Elect - Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore's Dilemma (pictued left), In Defence of Food, and other books wrote this nine page letter to the President-Elect (before Obama's election).  If you don't have the time to read The Omnivore's Dilemma, this will provide a good primer for food policy and what might be done to fix it.  Here's a list of some other articles Pollan has written.

..........................................................................

Introduction to Peak Oil Theory - A collection of articles by The Oil Drum editor Gail E. Tverberg (a.k.a. “Gail the Actuary”).  This is a good introduction to peak oil theory, specifically that which believes worldwide oil production will peak in the next few years.

..........................................................................

Cooling It! No Hair Shirt Solutions to Global Warming - by Gar W. Lipow -  From the author's website: "This is an optimistic book about a gloomy subject - the need to reduce fossil fuel usage to fight global warming. We have technological substitutes available for oil, gas and coal now - at comparable market prices.  Slowing global warming is no longer a technical problem (if it ever was).  It is structural, institutional, social, and political." You can download a PDF version, read it online, or buy a copy.  View chapter summaries are here.

..........................................................................

Winning the Oil Endgame - byAmory B. Lovins, E. Kyle Datta, Odd-Even Bustnes, Jonathan G. Koomey, and Nathan J. Glasgow - This book plots a roadmap for getting the United States, "completely, attractively, and profitably off oil" by 2025.  They write that this will be good for American business and save the United States $130 billion a year by 2025.

..........................................................................