READ

World demand for oil continues to increase unabated—and in a dramatic fashion—as both population and worldwide economic expansion grow. In contrast, oil production is expected to peak in the coming decades and Deffeyes argues that peak production has already occurred. (Production peaked in the United States in 1970.)

Beyond Oil: The View from Hubbert’s Peak explores an array of topics pertaining to the oil industry. Many themes encompass Deffeyes’ research ranging from the economic relations of oil to the logistics of its cultivation. Deffeyes applies these themes into his conclusions about informative and preventative measures to bring about change upon the world’s oil dependency.

Themes in Beyond Oil:

• Importance of Oil: petrochemicals, heating, and transportation.
• The limited supply of oil.
• Oil’s liability in the middle of world dependency.
• Sources of oil and its cultivation.
• Oil production methods.
• Economic reliance on the oil industry.
• Politics surrounding oil.
• Environmental hazards that follow oil use.
• Alternative options to oil.