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The End of Oil
''The End of Oil: On the Edge of a Perilous New World'' is a non-fiction book by American journalist and author Paul Roberts. Published in 2004, it is Roberts' book-length debut. It provides an analysis of the various problems associated with humanity's reliance on oil and other fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas.
== Synopsis ==
Though ''The End of Oil'' is not a chronological history of humanity's use of fossil fuels, Roberts begins by recounting how Thomas Newcomen, in 1712, presented the first large steam engine, and thus helped spark the Industrial Revolution. He then goes on to explain the problems that have since developed, or may develop in the future, from humanity's reliance on oil and its "geological siblings",〔Roberts (2005, Mariner Books edition), p.5〕 coal, and natural gas. While there is a chapter on hydrogen as a possible alternative to oil (not as an energy source, but as an energy carrier), the book is not focused on any one solution to the problems it lays out.
According to Roberts, oil faces three major dilemmas.〔For an example of how Roberts allocates the various challenges that the oil economy faces to the three dilemmas described in this paragraph, see Roberts (2005, Mariner Books edition), p.68: "Yet as we have seen, oil is approaching a threshold, a tipping point, in its dominance. Questions about long-term supply, pollution, and political stability now pose a permanent challenge to the apparently eternal, unchanging oil economy."〕 Most importantly, all fossil fuels are by their very nature limited in supply; as far as oil is concerned, the resulting dilemma is best known as the question of peak oil. Further, much of the oil consumed by affluent countries such as the United States is extracted in countries that are rather unstable politically, such as some of the members of the OPEC. The oil trade is therefore prone to become intertwined with international relations, although the nature of this interplay is highly controversial, with some citing oil as a reason for conflicts such as the Iraq War and others denying such claims.〔See the article on the Iraq War for a discussion.〕 Finally, since the burning of fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide that was previously locked in the ground, humanity's reliance on oil may contribute to global warming.〔See the article on global warming for a discussion.〕
As to the aims of the book, Roberts states at the end of the prologue:
抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』
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