Half Gone: Oil, Gas, Hot Air And The Global Energy Crisis.
(Jeremy Leggett)
Jeremy Leggett's Half Gone would be a captivating read if it were fiction. The fact that it is very much based on real life and the modern world in which we live, DEMANDS that it be read. In Half Gone the author attempts to open our eyes to the suicidal path on which humanity is headed. A well read academic who previuously consulted for large OIL corporates, and then jumped ship to become chief scientist for Greenpeace, Legget´s book tells the story of the Blue Pearl and its most priveledge inhabitant - Man. More precisely it chronicles mankinds addiction to fossil fuels, particularly OIL ;and the implications for us all if we do not go some way to break the habit. He first tackles the question of OIL depletion. How much oil is there out there, how much might there be and when will it run out? Although clearly holding his own views Leggett sets out in laymans terms the views of the optimistic "late toppers" and more pessimistic "early toppers". Regardless of the position one takes, some facts are indisputable: fossil fuels are a finite resource and their consumption is projected to increase as the worlds population grows and its energy requirements increase. Eventually Oil will run out, and we will need to secure alternative resources. So how many centuries do we have? Cold. Decades? Warmer..... Years? Probably. And by the way isn´t it getting hot in here? Q: So why haven´t we got a viable plan B ? A: because we are addicted to OIl and like a true addict mankind has been in collective denial. Oil licks the very fabric of our society and lubricates world geopolitics. Legget with decades of experience in the industry, opens our eyes to what should be clear for us to see. He explains how we became addicted and how our habit, if unchequed, will lead to economic and environmental disaster. Yes, you see, even if we had enough oil to keep on going for the next 100 years, which it is unlikely that we do; this ignores the environmental impact our addiction has had. Global warming - that crack-pot hypothesis touted by those unreliable tree hugging hippies. But hang on, melting ice caps and glaciers, recent extremes of weather across the globe, record hurricanes and an unprecedented level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. All against a backdrop of record oil prices. Just a coincidence? About as coincidental as a nicotine addict developing a smokers cough. But what of it, can we like the smoker go cold turkey? Can we reduce the risks to those of a non smoker? Nobody knows...but just as with the smoker it would probably be wise to cut down and if possible stop. Even then the damage may have been done. The news is not all gloom though. We have technologies that can help us dig our way out of this mess. But we need to wake up, we need to recognise our addiction and do something about it. To find out what and how read the book. Leggett´s anecdotal style is informative and engaging. His arguments cogent and at times unsettling. Shock tactics rarely help for the smoker. It may not help with our addiction to Oil, but it has opened this readers eyes. Leggett is not a tree hugging unwashed environmentalist. He is is an insider who is blowing the whistle on an industry that underpins the very foundations of the way we live and the way we think. Its time to wake up. Read this book and form your own opinion. By all means disagree, but let us not stick our heads in the sand any longer. I only wish that a problem shared were a problem solved.
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