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Book Review: Half Gone by Jeremy Leggett |
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Half Gone – Oil, gas, hot air and the global energy crisis -
Jeremy Leggett
Portobello Books Ltd
, 2005
Half Gone stands apart from other peak oil books in combining an account of
the impending peak (which Leggett estimates will occur 2006-2010) with
that other fossil-fuel ugly sister, global warming. At first glance one
might think that the arrival of the former might reduce or delay the
latter, but Leggett points to the possibility of a peak-oil driven dash
for coal increasing carbon emissions and hastening climate
catastrophe. His book is essentially a heartfelt plea to respond to
peak oil with climate-friendly alternative energy rather than resorting
to coal.
Leggett is in an unusual position to survey both peak oil and global
warming. In his former career as a geologist at Imperials College's
Royal School of Mines he taught students how to find oil and consulted
for oil firms. Environmental concerns later drove him into the arms of
Greenpeace where he became their climate change lobbyist, sitting on
the sidelines of the Kyoto negotiations and observing first hand the
dirty tricks of the fossil fuel lobby. Leggett’s personal experience
with all aspects of the subject matter enlivens the text through
numerous anecdotes and character sketches of the main figures in the
peak oil and climate change worlds.
The book opens with a brief prologue in parable form describing the
formation of oil and its use by humankin. The meat of the book begins
with an accessible, concise and often colourful account of peak oil. It
covers the essential points of the subject with economy and humour and
would be a great introduction to the subject for someone coming to it
for the first time. The second part of the book covers global warming,
how this issue interacts with peak oil and what we might do to stave of
disaster. This part of the book I found marginally less
satisfying, possibly because it is hard to do justice to such as
complex subject as climate change in the space available. Even so, the
accounts of the climate change negotiations gave an illuminating
insight into the vested interests in the fossil fuel industry and how
they react to a threat to their business. It certainly drove home the
obstacles that will be thrown in the way of an attempt to implement any
kind of Oil Depletion Protocol.
In dealing with the global warming and peak oil issues Leggett has
great optimism that fossil fuels can be replaced by the combination of
conservation and alternatives such as wind, solar and tidal power,
including hydrogen for energy storage. Leggett has certainly put his
money where his mouth is as he is now CEO of a solar energy company. He
cites impressive examples of what can be done when the will is there,
such as the small UK town of Woking which reduced emissions by 77%
using a combination of renewables andlocal combined heat and power
generation. Despite his optimism on this score, Leggett is of the view
that in the short term nothing will plug the gap due to declining oil
supplies and that some form of energy and economic crisis is
inevitable. He sees the future outcome as critically dependent on
whether we can resist the temptation to turn to coal in the dark days
ahead.
Half Gone can be recommended on a number of levels. It is a great
introduction to peak oil, a chilling insight into the politics of climate change, and above all it's fun to read.
Personally I would have liked a more critical account of the energy
alternatives, but it is hard to escape Leggett’s primary conclusion
that to fall back on coal in a big way would be to invite climate
disaster. As I write the Asia Pacific Partnership on Clean
Development and Climate conference has just finished. This fossil-fuel
heavy “Kyoto alternative” is putting its faith in carbon capture and
storage and would at best result in a ‘mere’ doubling of carbon
emissions by 2050 even if it works. Perhaps Leggett’s nightmare is just
around the corner.
Sherry Mayo
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