Description

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Science tells us that an oil crisis is inevitable. Why and when? And what will our future look like without our favorite fuel?

Our rate of oil discovery has reached its peak and will never be exceeded; rather, it is certain to decline—perhaps rapidly—forever forward. Meanwhile, over the past century, we have developed lifestyles firmly rooted in the promise of an endless, cheap supply. In this book, David Goodstein, professor of physics at Caltech, explains the underlying scientific principles of the inevitable fossil fuel shortage we face. He outlines the drastic effects a fossil fuel shortage will bring down on us. And he shows that there is an important silver lining to the need to switch to other sources of energy, for when we have burned up all the available oil, the earth's climate will have moved toward a truly life-threatening state.

With its easy-to-grasp explanations of the science behind every aspect of our most urgent environmental policy decisions, Out of Gas is "a handbook for the future of civilization" (Booklist).

About the Author

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David Goodstein, former vice provost and Frank J. Galloon Distinguished Teaching and Service Professor at the California Institute of Technology, is the author of Out of Oil and Feynman's Lost Lecture, among other works.

Praise For…

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An eye-opener…[Goodstein] never preaches, but neither does he pull any punches.
— San Francisco Chronicle

Should be read and reread by anyone who expects to live past 2010.
— Rick Smalley, Nobel laureate and Hackerman Professor of Chemistry, Rice University

Goodstein's predictions are based on a sophisticated understanding of physics and thermodynamics, and on a simple observation about natural resources. I hope Goodstein is wrong…if he's right, I'm sorry for my kids. And I'm especially sorry for theirs.
— Paul Raeburn - New York Times Book Review