Product Description

This book explores myths surrounding the global consumption of oil.With oil prices rising, drivers wince whenever they pull into the petrol station and businesses watch their bottom lines shrink. Predictions suggest that the situation will only get worse as oil dries up. It's a plausible argument, especially considering the rate at which countries like China and India are now using oil. Even more worrisome, the world's largest oil fields sit in unstable, geopolitical hotspots like Iran and Iraq. Some say we need to secure remaining supplies using military force, while others consider dwindling supplies a blessing that will help solve the problem of global warming. But is it really the 'end of oil'? Absolutely not, says geologist, economist, and industry-insider Robin Mills.According to the author, many ideas about petroleum depletion and its consequences are not just grossly overstated but plain wrong. Calmly and persuasively, he argues that: the supply of oil and gas is much larger than imagined by the pessimists; seeking political, military, or commercial control of oil supplies is unnecessary, self-defeating, and exorbitantly expensive; oil is merely one convenient source of energy; opportunities exist to decrease the global consumption of oil radically while maintaining a healthy economy; the environmental impact of fossil fuels is the most serious problem the world faces today. But a portfolio of solutions can solve it.There is no other book by an industry insider that effectively counters the 'peak oil' theory by showing where and how oil will be found in the future. There also is no other book by an insider that lays out an environmentally and geopolitically responsible path for the petroleum industry and its customers. "The Myth of the Oil Crisis" is a uniquely useful resource and it offers an abundance of one commodity now in short supply: hope for the future.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #284496 in Books
• Published on: 2008-08-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 336 pages

Review
"Starred Review Geologist, economist, and petroleum industry insider Mills makes an intelligent case for oil's continuing role as a major, growing energy source. A Herculean task, one would think, given public sentiment on the matter. Mills manages it by first neatly dividing opposing viewpoints into five camps: geologists (those who espouse peak oil theory), economists (the markets will work it out), militarists (use power to secure energy supplies), environmentalists (fossil fuels: no), and no-Luddites (fossil fuels, consumption, and materialism: no). He then conquers their positions with lively, exhaustive sourced arguements to say that there may be more conventional oil than reported, "colossal" unconventional sources, and plentiful energy substitutes. Mills shows deep understanding of the complexity of the issue, and while promising no easy fixes, he is yet hopeful: "gloomy predictions do not resemble the real world and take no account of human integrity.""-Library Journal

About the Author
Robin M. Mills is an oil industry professional with a background in both geology and economics. Currently, he is a project evaluation manager for Dubai Energy.

Customer Reviews

Thought provoking - an important book
I very much recommend this book to anyone interested in, or worried about, energy issues. The author is an industry insider (which he acknowledges up front) but the book is very far from being an apologia for the oil industry. It is a dense and fact-heavy read which is closely argued. The core arguments are as follows:

- the Hubble theory of 'peak oil' is just that, a theory, and not a scientific truth

- there are major weaknesses in the Hubble theory and there are significantly greater hydrocarbon resources than is commonly thought

- oil is not about to run out and even if it did it would not result in the collapse of civilized society

- gas and coal can be used to susbtitute for many (if not all) applications of oil

- even so, the threat of climate change means that diversification away from, and more sensible usage of, hydrocarbons is important and necessary

- there are huge opportunities for such diversification and efficiency

The book is a powerful and intelligent riposte to the doom-laden, apocalyptic genre of 'peak oil' literature.

Many environmentalists won't like it one bit but they will find it hard to argue with the facts laid out in the book - and they should remember that the author is a confirmed believer in anthropogenic global warming and its dangers.

However, read with an open mind the books shows how a calm, rational approach to energy issues is much more sensible than much of the polemical hyperbole written on the subject.

It deserves to be read widely.