The Party's Over: Oil, War and the Fate of Industrial Societies by New Society Publishers

	Title: The Party's Over: Oil, War and the Fate of Industrial Societies Purchase Item Manufacturer: New Society Publishers List Price: $17.95 Our Price: $8.75
Customer Reviews:
The Party's Over: Oil, War and the Fate of Industrial Societies by New Society Publishers Understand what energy is all about!
This book covers the topic of how energy has been the most important factor in the evolution of civilization. And how civilization now, is threatened by the depletion of its main source of energy, oil. I got into Heinberg's work after watching The End of Suburbia, where he makes several appereances and quotes ideas from this book. My interest was mainly end of oil and energy alternatives, Party is Over goes all the way back to the beginnings, which is good, but sometimes you feel overwhelmed by so much information. Anyways the facts are good to know and definitely reinforce the concept and value of energy, mainly oil. If you are interested in having a strong fundamental understanding of energy and civilization this is definitely a book you should read. Heinberg really knows what he is talking about, all his arguments are supported with a lot of scientific evidence. I really admire Richard Heinberg's work, but Ive got to say I liked Power Down better, check it out after checking this one, or if you wanna save some money and time just get Power Down.
The Party's Over: Oil, War and the Fate of Industrial Societies by New Society Publishers Chicken Little Is On the Loose
Heinberg, like most Malthusians, views the world as a static system and it doesn't work that way. Let's all congregate back here in 10 years or so and see what the facts are. I'll bet the "Peak Oil" theorists will have moved their peak date back considerably.
The Party's Over: Oil, War and the Fate of Industrial Societies by New Society Publishers Cassandra or not, it doesn't matter
Everyone with a spreadsheet program and Internet access can make his own predictions. Just take the publications of various energy organizations like BP, Shell, Energy agencies regarding available reserves and resources of oil, oil sand, oil shale, gas, coal, uranium and convert them into usable kWh. Then take the worldwide consumption of kWh, as well as consumption per head, and add population growth and economic growth. Project into the future. Oil peak might be bad, but fuel can be created from other sources like gas (GTL - gas to liquid) or coal (CTL - coal to liquid). It all doesn't matter, if you take the kWh or the usable energy content in all resources into account. This excel table will be very enlightening. And it only takes a few hours to make, including the Internet search. Then you can start thinking - if the fossil energy is gone in 20-40 years, how to replace it? And when to start innovation and how long does implementation take. Just think back 20-40 years and about the changes in that time span. THEN you can start panicking or working on solutions for yourself, your family, your community. You can't change the world.
The Party's Over: Oil, War and the Fate of Industrial Societies by New Society Publishers The best book about peak oil
Peak oil and its implications for the future of our society should be THE issue of the upcoming presidential campaign, more important than medicare and SS reform, Iraq, global warming or overpopulation. All these issues are tertiary to how peak oil will change the way you live and if you read no other book this or any other year, read Richard Heinberg's "The Party's Over." His book is a sober assessment of the role of fossil fuels in the history of the world and how that world will change with the inevitable decline of those fuels. He uses a powerful ecological perspective at the outset showing how energy flows influence organisms, populations and societies in a highly readable explication festooned with examples and analogies. He chooses to take the word of geologists not oil executives and politicians as to when the world hits Peak Oil, that point when world oil production is no longer increasing and starts turning down.It is that point where half of the worlds oil has been consumed and in every year thereafter, less will be available. This book could be the most important book you will ever read because it will alter how you view pusillanimous politicians, your investments, how you live or where you will live, what role alternative energy should play, and what we can do to start the discussion on how we should shape our society to cope with this, the most important issue of the 21st century. I will be buying many more copies to send to friends and relatives. Google "peak oil" for more resources and examine Richard Heinberg's web site.
The Party's Over: Oil, War and the Fate of Industrial Societies by New Society Publishers Excellent!
I really enjoyed reading this book since Heinberg always keeps to the facts. That is, he maintains a very calm tone considering the formidable nature of the reality facing us. Although there are many excellent reviews of this book out there I will write down a few of mt feelings about it. He reviews the peak oil reality in a very straight-forward manner - very easy to understand. In fact, I would recommend his chapters to those who are new to the topic. He then reviews the options. It is here that the book shines since he never seems to get angry, preachy or arrogant as Kunstler is sometimes. Given the immediacy, apathy and the lack of general change this is very good. This is a book that I would recommend to someone wanting to learn about this topic. Better, it is a book you cam loan to those who are somewhat open and who you don't want to scare (too much). Recommended...
The Party's Over: Oil, War and the Fate of Industrial Societies by New Society Publishers Product Description
The world is about to run out of cheap oil and change dramatically. Within the next few years, global production will peak. Thereafter, even if industrial societies begin to switch to alternative energy sources, they will have less net energy each year to do all the work essential to the survival of complex societies. We are entering a new era, as different from the industrial era as the latter was from medieval times. In The Party's Over, Richard Heinberg places this momentous transition in historical context, showing how industrialism arose from the harnessing of fossil fuels, how competition to control access to oil shaped the geopolitics of the twentieth century and how contention for dwindling energy resources in the twenty-first century will lead to resource wars in the Middle East, Central Asia and South America. He describes the likely impacts of oil depletion and all of the energy alternatives. Predicting chaos unless the United States-the world's foremost oil consumer-is willing to join with other countries to implement a global program of resource conservation and sharing, he also recommends a "managed collapse" that might make way for a slower-paced, low-energy, sustainable society in the future. More readable than other accounts of this issue, with fuller discussion of the context, social implications and recommendations for personal, community, national and global action, Heinberg's updated book is a riveting wake-up call for human-kind as the oil era winds down, and a critical tool for understanding and influencing current US foreign policy. Richard Heinberg, from Santa Rosa, California, has been writing about energy resources issues and the dynamics of cultural change for many years. A member of the core faculty at New College of California, he is an award-winning author of three previous books. His Museletter was nominated for the Best Alternative Newsletter award by Utne in 1993.