2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Nice attempt, September 30, 2006
This review is from: Over a Barrel: A Simple Guide to the Oil Shortage (Hardcover)
Tom Mast has written this book as a basic primer for the layperson. This book, however, is overly simplified and is slightly dated. A revision is in order. New sections need to be updated on cellulosic ethanol, the public's cultural bias such as "not a windmill farm / solar panel farm in my neighborhood"
Nice attempt to distill a highly complicated topic for the general public, but it needs to be updated.
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Reads like a rhetoric on overdependence than cogen analysis of energy useage, June 8, 2006
This review is from: Over a Barrel: A Simple Guide to the Oil Shortage (Hardcover)
Over a Barrel starts with two underlying assumption.
1) That we have optimistically only a decade and half of oil reserves to adequately meet our energy needs (after that our oil supply will be lower than our current demand).
2) That we do not have a viable energy alternative and is unlikely that we will have one when oil does run out, given our current rate of technological development.
While it is true that oil is not a renewable resource, Mast does not mention the advancements in oil recovery techniques that allow us to revisit abandoned wells for recoverable oil. He also does not adequately acknowledge our efforts to manufacture more energy efficient consumer and industrial products. Mast dismisses all forms of hydrocarbon-based fuels as being environmentally unfriendly--hence unacceptable. He correctly points out that using electricity or hydrogen requires a primary energy source.
His treatment of nuclear, wind and solar energies is not thorough, and he ignores other, more esoteric, energy alternatives (e.g., thermal gradients).
Mast's cursory treatment of alternative sources of energy does not equip the reader to evaluate viable energy alternatives. Our market-based economy endures because it focuses our resources on goods and services that matter most to us. Funding for alternative energy sources will come when private enterprise sees possibilities for profits. In this regard, Mast efforts contribute to starting a dialogue on alternative energy sources.
Why do we pay a premium for SUVs that we know they are gas-guzzlers? Can we satisfy our needs (real or perceived) with alternatives that are more energy efficient?
Mast does not acknowledge our psychological needs that influence our buying behavior. The discussion is simplistic and sometimes condescending. Hence, the proposed solutions are general guidelines that ignore the socio-cultural aspects of our lifestyles.
Several assertions are peppered throughout the book in both the discussion and figures (e.g., fig 14, pg 63) with which one could take issue. While these assertions eliminate the need to present careful and perhaps complex analysis, they alienate the reader from internalizing the subsequent conclusions and calls for action.
Armchair Interviews says: In general, Over a Barrel reads more like a rhetoric on our overdependence on oil rather than a cogent analysis of our energy usage.
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A no-nonsense, bare- facts tell-all book written for the everyman, August 9, 2006
This review is from: Over a Barrel: A Simple Guide to the Oil Shortage (Hardcover)
Over A Barrel: A Simple Guide To The Oil Shortage by petroleum industry expert Tom Mast is a no-nonsense, bare- facts tell-all book written for the everyman. Why are gasoline prices so high, what are the detrimental effects of an increasing oil shortage, and what must America do about it? Over A Barrel presents chilling statistics - such as that our transportation industries are 97% dependent on oil-based fuels, and in sixty years, 80% of current oil resources will have disappeared. American need for oil makes the nation increasingly beholden to hostile oil-producing governments, and puts future generations at risk for increasing impoverishment in the wake of a rising trade deficit, among other woes. Over A Barrel emphasizes the need to get proactive, not reactive - the time to start investing in alternative energy sources is now, for a cleaner and more independent future. Above all, it is time for the federal government as surely as for innovative entrepreneurs to invest time, energy, and money into alternative fuels. Highly recommended.
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