Friday, December 31, 2010

My 2010 Reading List

Books read in 2010. Book title, author, and date completed.

1. Big Coal by Jeff Goodell 2-05-10

Reviewed in detail on my energy blog - Book Review: Big Coal

2. Julian Comstock: A Story of 22nd-Century America by Robert Charles Wilson 3-29-10

Reviewed in detail on my energy blog - Book Review: Julian Comstock

3. The Oil Depletion Protocol by Richard Heinberg June 17, 2010

As I read this book, I kept thinking “Yes, this plan would probably work if you could get government around the world to follow it.” The basics of the plan is to have all countries commit to reduce their oil consumption by a small percentage each year. I think the problem is going to be exactly the same as in getting countries to agree to reduce carbon emissions. Some will, some won’t. The fast-growing developing countries like China and India will never agree to it because of the perceived negative impact on their economic growth. Further, there are great incentives for countries to cheat on the their consumption; that may give them advantages over countries going through economic contraction as a result of reduced oil use. The bottom line is that I just don’t think in the real world it can be executed successfully.

4. Power Hungry by Robert Bryce October 1, 2010

Reviewed in detail on my energy blog.

5. The Impending World Energy Mess by Robert L. Hirsch, Roger H. Bezdek, and Robert M. Wendling. December 4, 2010

Reviewed in detail on my energy blog: Book Review: The Impending World Energy Mess