First published 2011
Daniel Yergin examines the forces reshaping global energy in this sequel to his Pulitzer Prize winner The Prize. He travels from Beijing's crowded streets to the Caspian Sea shores, investigating how energy drives political and economic transformation worldwide. Yergin explores the oil market's inner workings, price surges, and the scramble for former Soviet resources. He addresses critical questions about oil depletion, potential US-China conflicts over resources, and Middle Eastern instability's impact on supply. The book covers nuclear power and coal's turbulent histories, electricity's development, and natural gas's "shale gale." Yergin traces climate science's evolution from nineteenth century Ice Age concerns to today's central environmental issue. He chronicles renewable energy's revival through wind, solar, and biofuels, plus the electric car's comeback. The work presents diverse characters and stories that reveal principles for building flexible energy security systems for coming decades.
Genres: history, business, politics, economics, environment, non-fiction, 21st-century, academic
Vibes: informative, investigative, thought-provoking
Tropes: global-perspective, investigative-journalism
Setting: Beijing, Caspian Sea
Period: 21st Century
805 pages · Hardcover · Penguin Press