The Coming Oil Shortage

About the Book

The price of oil is at an all-time high. Is the world running out of petroleum? Is the hydrocarbon age finally over? The answer to these questions are “no” and “not yet.” But there are problems particularly over the short- and near-term. Within a few years demand for oil will exceed supply driving up prices still further and leaving the world’s economies scrambling for answers. The causes are various, and short of a prolonged world depression, energy solutions will come only by mid-century. Demand, thanks in large part, to the rapidly developing economies of Asia, China, and India, in particular, is increasing at a greater rate than supply, which is constrained by a variety of political and technical, and environmental factors. What about alternatives, both renewable and non-renewable? The public believes many like solar and wind are right around the corner. For the most part, they are not. There is no silver bullet and solutions will be decades in the making and require imagination and money to bring about. The Coming Oil Shortage explores the problem and assesses proposed solutions. Above all, choosing the right approaches require a well-informed public.

About the Author

Dr. Roger FontaineÕs career includes being a journalist, foreign affairs analyst, senior National Security Council officer under President Reagan, and a university professor specializing in foreign policy with regional emphasis on Latin America and Asia. He holds a Ph.D. in International Relations from the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) of Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Fontaine is based in Arlington, Virginia.