The Global Energy Handbook describes world energy from its initial production to its end-use consumption. The handbook is unique in that it does this using a clear and consistent set of energy units, the BTU. For many people energy information might as well be written in a foreign language. In most articles energy terms such as megawatts, barrels of oil and gallons of gasoline are so intermixed the reader cannot see what’s happening at the global level.
The handbook, compiled mainly from Internet and current media sources, is organized and presented in a way that can easily be followed by those with and without technical backgrounds. The handbook is unique in that it is does not address the usual subjects of energy technology, global warming or “ways to save energy” – the literature being rife with this sort of information.
Upon gaining a feeling for the global energy flow process, the reader will begin to question the conventional wisdom on energy conservation, efficiency and the alternative energy sources that routinely appears in the media. Numerous What If examples are given to illustrate why the conventional wisdom has been unable to reduce or even slow down global energy consumption. Two of the examples given in the handbook are:
What if everyone in the world drove a fuel-efficient automobile?
What if every household in the world switched to fluorescent bulbs?
You will be surprised and dismayed by what these examples tell us about the difficulty of saving energy at the global level. They will make clear the meaning of two key phrases used throughout the handbook:
“Energy does not hold still while we try to fix it.” and
“We have been looking at energy through the wrong end of the telescope.”
This handbook should be of great value to students of the energy and environmental sciences, to those in the media reporting on energy issues and to average citizens who just want to better understand the flood of energy information coming their way.
