Hubbert's Peak: The Impending World Oil Shortage

About this book

In 2001, Kenneth Deffeyes made a grim prediction: world oil production would reach a peak within the next decade--and there was nothing anyone could do to stop it. Deffeyes's claim echoed the work of geophysicist M. King Hubbert, who in 1956 predicted that U.S. oil production would reach its highest level in the early 1970s. Though roundly criticized by oil experts and economists, Hubbert's prediction came true in 1970.

In this updated edition of Hubbert's Peak, Deffeyes explains the crisis that few now deny we are headed toward. Using geology and economics, he shows how everything from the rising price of groceries to the subprime mortgage crisis has been exacerbated by the shrinking supply--and growing price--of oil. Although there is no easy solution to these problems, Deffeyes argues that the first step is understanding the trouble that we are in.

Contents

Preface to the 2008 Edition ix Acknowledgments xv CHAPTER 1: Overview 1 CHAPTER 2: The Origin of Oil 14 CHAPTER 3: Oil Reservoirs and Oil Traps 40 CHAPTER 4: Finding It 70 CHAPTER 5: Drilling Methods 88 CHAPTER 6: Size and Discoverability of Oil Fields 113 CHAPTER 7: Hubbert Revisited 133 CHAPTER 8: Rate Plots 150 CHAPTER 9: The Future of Fossil Fuels 159 CHAPTER 10: Alternative Energy Sources 176 CHAPTER 11: A New Outlook 186 Notes 191 Index 205

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Biography

Kenneth S. Deffeyes is professor emeritus at Princeton University. Prior to teaching, he worked alongside M. King Hubbert at the Shell Oil research laboratory in Houston.