Hubbert's peak : the impending world oil shortage /

Deffeyes's authoritative and explicit assessment of the imminent global energy crisis relates so well to the current geologic, technologic, and economic elements in the world petroleum supply that it belongs in most academic and public library collections. Deffeyes, an experienced oil geologist, geology professor (Princeton), and petroleum economist, explains that global oil production will decline significantly after reaching an inevitable peak within the next decade. His methods and insights are associated with "Hubbert's Peak," a concept originating from the work of M. King Hubbert, an outstanding geologist whose innovative research accurately predicted the peaking of US oil production in the early 1970s. This small and delightfully readable book is intended to provide an intelligent readership with an understanding of the temporal and dimensional aspects of oil fields, the tools and techniques of oil exploration and recovery, and an appreciation for the importance of the coming supply peak and subsequent shortage. Where technical terms and physical-mathematical relationships are given, they are fully explained, along with references, in an ample footnotes section. Recommended for students of political science, economics, science, and technology. General readers; upper-division undergraduates through faculty. W. C. Peters emeritus, University of Arizona