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Julian Darley
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High Noon for Natural Gas: The New Energy Crisis Paperback – September 1, 2004

by Julian Darley (Author), Richard Heinberg (Author)
3.4 out of 5 stars 15 ratings

Blackouts, rising gas prices, changes to the Clean Air Act, proposals to open wilderness and protected offshore areas to gas drilling, and increasing dependence on natural gas for electricity generation. What do all these developments have in common, and why should we care?

In this timely expose, author Julian Darley takes a hard-hitting look at natural gas as an energy source that rapidly went from nuisance to crutch. Darley outlines the implications of our increased dependence on this energy source and why it has the potential to cause serious environmental, political, and economic consequences. In High Noon for Natural Gas readers can expect to find a critical analysis of government policy on energy, as well as a meticulously researched warning about our next potentially catastrophic energy crisis.
Did you know that:

  • Natural Gas (NG) is the second most important energy source after oil
  • In the U.S. alone, NG is used to supply 20% of all electricity and 60% of all home heating
  • NG is absolutely critical to the manufacture of agricultural fertilizers
  • In the U.S. the NG supply is at critically low levels, and early in 2003 we came within days of blackouts and heating shutdowns
  • Matt Simmons, the world's foremost private energy banker, is now warning that economic growth in the U.S. is under threat due to the looming NG crisis?
Read more
Previous slide of product details
  1. Print length
    266 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Chelsea Green Publishing
  4. Publication date
    September 1, 2004
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 0.8 x 9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1931498539
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1931498531
Next slide of product details

Editorial Reviews

Review

Choice-
Darley, an environmental researcher in the UK, offers a fresh look at a fuel that is widely misunderstood. Although it is essentially methane, natural gas has been considered a waste byproduct, a prime fuel, a major source for fertilizer, a political football, and a short- or a long-term solution for the energy problem. The author assesses each of these conflicting views and shows the economic, environmental, and political dilemmas that must be reconciled. The electric power industry embraced gas to rid itself of the problems inherent with coal. Environmentalists were impressed with how clean natural gas burned. Economists liked the low relative costs. These are all flawed conclusions, and this author's thesis is that a massive worldwide conservation effort is the only viable future course of action. Given the world's political jumble, he is not hopeful. Extensive notes are included. Summing Up: Recommended. All levels.

(J.C. Comer, emeritus, Northern Illinois University)

"What's that hissing sound? Worried about oil running out? Don't look now, but natural gas is next on the endangered hydrocarbons list."--Salon.com

From the Publisher

Blackouts, rising gas prices, changes to the Clean Air Act, proposals to open wilderness to gas drilling and increasing dependence on natural gas for electricity generation. What do all these things have in common, and why should we care?

In this timely expose, author Julian Darley takes a hard-hitting look at natural gas as an energy source that rapidly went from nuisance to crutch. Darley outlines the implications of our increased dependence on natural gas and why it has the potential to cause serious environmental, political, and economic consequences. High Noon For Natural Gas is a critical analysis of government policy on energy, as well as a meticulously researched warning about our next potentially catastrophic energy crisis.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Chelsea Green Publishing
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 1, 2004
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ First Edition
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 266 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1931498539
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1931498531
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.8 x 9 inches
  • Best Sellers Rank: #2,436,505 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.4 out of 5 stars 15 ratings

About the author

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Julian Darley

Julian Darley

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Julian Darley is a British environmental philosopher who researches and writes about non-market and non-technology-based responses to global environmental degradation. He is also engaged in piloting such responses.

In order to further both dissemination of ideas and pilot projects, Julian runs an Internet broadcasting station (GlobalPublicMedia.com, develops OpenSource web database sites for non-profits and civil society organisations, and is currently writing a book on how and why we need "global relocalisation" of the economy, society and culture.

Julian has an eclectic education: an MSc in Environment and Sociology from University of Surrey, UK, which led to a published thesis examining the coverage of complex environmental issues in current affairs programmes at the BBC; an MA in Journalism and Communications from the University of Texas at Austin, culminating in a thesis about the elimination of television; and a BA in Music & Russian.

Julian uses his wide range of skills from previous careers as laboratory scientist, musicologist, film-maker, language teacher, translator, software architect, and environmental policy advisor to further all of his work.

Julian is currently investigating how to bring to the forefront of public attention such critical resource issues as oil peak and depletion, fish stock destruction, and manifold water problems. Suggested policy responses are informed by a wide range of critical analyses from disparate disciplines, such as philosophy, cultural studies, sociology, ecology, music, governance, evolutionary psychology, and politics.

For more information visit the Post Carbon Institute Web site.

Photo © Darren Bernaerdt

Customer reviews

3.4 out of 5 stars
15 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book informative and well-researched, with one review highlighting its global perspective on gas supply. They appreciate its readability.

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Content qualityReadability
4 customers mention "Content quality"3 positive1 negative

Customers find the book informative and well-researched, with one customer noting it provides a global perspective on gas supply.

"...It is very informative, understandable, well written, and well researched with copious endnotes...." Read more

"Darley gives a wonderful overview of the Natural Gas industry and how it works. He does not get too technical or bogged down in details...." Read more

"...Unfortunately, this book was lacking on details of the natural gas business...." Read more

"...Still, there is some good content...." Read more

3 customers mention "Readability"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book worth reading.

"...This book is definitely worth reading, at least so you will know what the future holds for Americans, Canadians, and the rest of the world." Read more

"...the implications for our western urbanised energy-dependant society, a worthy and very useful discussion which readers will do well to note...." Read more

"...I found the time spent reading this book well used...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Dr. Ian H. Lavering
    3.0 out of 5 stars One Gas Peak or Two?
    Reviewed in the United States on June 2, 2005
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    High Noon For Natural Gas, The New Energy Crisis by Julian Darley, Chelsea Green Publishing Company, Vermont, ISBN 1-931498-53-9, 266 p.

    Like the topical focus on the age of peak oil production, Julian Darley's analysis seeks to educate the reader with regard to a declining natural gas supply. However, as the reader will note very quickly in the preface, the shortage of natural gas being highlighted is currently being experienced in North America, although a broad global shortage is also suggested in the next decade or so.

    While the books discussion of world gas reserves supports Julian Darley's thesis, the underlying implication of declining gas production is not one that I would care to support. Darley suggests that because a global peak in oil discovery occurred in the 1960s and the oil production peak is likely to occur in the current decade; a similar peak in gas discovery was evident around 1965-70 and will result in an imminent peak in world gas production. In my mind, the evidence for a unique worldwide gas discovery peak in the mid to late 1960s is debatable; in North America it may have been evident. One reason I suggest for this difference is that not all parts of the world have been equally explored compared to North America, much less so for gas than for their oil potential.

    Unlike oil, which has been highly traded around the globe, gas has not been a highly traded commodity, not until recent decades at least. Hence the commercial incentive for gas development has been slower to develop, slower and longer term than the incentives for oil development and production. Even now, a major spot market for LNG has yet to develop on a global scale, unlike oil. Hence, in my view, there are many areas of the globe outside North America (including my part of the world) where natural gas is currently known to be present, yet it has not yet been utilised in commercial operations. One would hope that even if Julian Darley's view on global gas scarcity is close to the mark, then any known, but undeveloped reserves, are a very attractive investment in the medium to long term.

    Another reason I suggest for the unlikely occurrence of a single peak in global gas production, after the single global oil peak, is that gas production for any major project typically covers a long time frame, and has traditionally required guaranteed marketing arrangements, something oil production has not readily required to the same degree since the major price rises of the early 1970s. Therefore, it may be that we experience several repeated peaks in global gas production after the unique global oil peak. The reasons for this relate to the ebb and flow of energy demand and how much oil demand is gradually moved into the main long-term substitute, natural gas. In my view, I do not think we will see a unique gas peak, it is more likely to be a plateau or even a very a monocline (for the geologically minded).

    While much of the remainder of Julian Darley's book covers the likely effects of current and previous measures in North American energy and policy its not as comprehensive on these issues as the well worn pages of my copy of Paul MacAvoy's Energy Policy, An Economic Analysis, Norton, 1983, 216 p. However, what Julian has done is to link the peak argument applicable to oil to that of its closest long-term substitute, natural gas; a linkage I suggest is arguable. However, he has also generously gone on to take up with what are the implications for our western urbanised energy-dependant society, a worthy and very useful discussion which readers will do well to note.

    The book is more for the greener reader rather than the hardheaded energy futurist but a worthy addition to the growing literature on energy peaks.

    Dr Ian Lavering

    Adjunct Professor

    MBT Program UNSW
    49 people found this helpful
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  • Redlinesnut
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Very Informative, Worthwhile Read
    Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2005
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Darley gives a wonderful overview of the Natural Gas industry and how it works. He does not get too technical or bogged down in details. Keeps the flow of the read focused on the "big picture". Although he has a "wee-itty-bit" of a liberal lean to his perspectives, the overall content is generally focused on fact and well accepted economic principles. I found the time spent reading this book well used. Darley was rarely verbose and delivered a lot of insight into the Natrual Gas industry as source of energy for today and the future.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • D. Watson
    4.0 out of 5 stars Great analysis of gas supply and demand, but unrealistic solution
    Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2006
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    I recommend this book to anyone interested in peak oil and gas. I've read many books on "peak oil", but this is the first one I've seen about "peak natural gas." It is very informative, understandable, well written, and well researched with copious endnotes. One of this book's strengths is that it takes a global perspective on gas supply. Although Darley's warnings are directed primarily to the United States and Canada, he goes into global supply and demand, country by country and region by region, in a way that few other books do.

    If any Republicans who still like Bush read this book, they may be turned off by Darley's politics. Some Bush loyalists might even call Darley anti-American for being strongly critical of the Bush regime, its foreign policies, and its energy policy. But to right-wingers who say, "America, love it or leave it," remember, this author is not American, he's British! Bush is not his president, so he has no obligation to support Bush, his policies, or the policies of other American administrations. I think this is an advantage, because it gives Darley the independence to speak freely about America from an outsider's perspective, the way the world sees us, as few Americans are able to do.

    My main criticism of this book concerns its suggested solutions to the problem of peak oil and gas. I once criticized a peak oil book by a different author for putting too much emphasis on coal and nuclear power as the solution, ignoring solar and wind, but this book goes too far in the opposite direction! Darley simply writes off coal as too dirty to use and nuclear as too dangerous to use, devoting only about a page to each one. Renewable energy and conservation will be very helpful, true, but Darley is dreaming if he believes that when America is freezing in the dark with no oil or gas, we're going to leave all our coal in the ground, not burn it, just because it's dirty! That is unrealistic. I'm an environmentalist, but face it, there's no way we will abandon both nuclear power and coal. The only way we will avoid burning more coal is to use nuclear power, and the only way we will avoid using more nuclear power is to burn coal. This book is definitely worth reading, at least so you will know what the future holds for Americans, Canadians, and the rest of the world.
    21 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • MacGregor
    5.0 out of 5 stars Sense or Nonsense
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 13, 2007
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    This review is submitted to counter balance the only other review submitted by Robin Mills. Julian Darley's 'High Noon' is excellent and should be read by anyone who is genuinely interested in peak fossil fuels regardless of whether they be oil, gas or coal. One of his most compelling arguments is that it folly to overinvest in gas energy for what will only be a short supply solution, when much of that investment could instead be directed at permanent solutions as in renewable energy supplies.

    Whether one likes it or not the world is destined to run out of non-renewable enrgy resources and without those we currently cannot sustain the present world population. The argument is not 'if' it is 'when'. For those who are retired already there may not be much of a problem. To those who are still in education, there is nothing more sure than that there will not be enough resources to provide a good quality of life for a world population forecast to exceed 10 billion in their lifetimes.

    The old, big business, the rich and politicians do not wish to admit to the threat, if the yopung wish to believe them then indeed they will have nothing to complain about later in life. If it sounds like common sense to suggest that the world should 'slow' down, then young people should be cautious of those who suggest speeding up will cure the problems caused by speeding up.

    For every 5000 people writing about peak fossil fuels and global warming, there are another 5,000 writing saying exactly the opposite, either saying there is no problem or that all problems can be cured by technology, especially uncosted technology. Julian Darley is one to take notice off. The real threat to young people is that every little will be done before a crisis realises by which time it will be too late to take the meanures necessary to avoid catastrophy.
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