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Customer Reviews (12)

Dissappointed
I can only say that I was a bit dissappointed with the depth of material in the book. I feel I could find far more relevant info on the web. It's a great subject that deserved a deeper probing IMHO.

OK
Even though I believe that this book is on an important subject, I thought that the material was overly brief and only stated what others have said without proof. Seemed really short on background facts and technical reasoning.

Very informative!
One good thing about this book is that the author does not need 300 pages to explain the Oil/Agriculture relation. What I liked most of this book is the explanation on the evolution of agriculture to these days, making clear that Oil is an important contributor to production performance, due to the use of fertilizers, pesticides and of course the energy derived from it in Industrial Agriculture. I agree with the author that we are beginning a transition to a new way of living, not pleasant, due to the fact that oil depletion will make difficult to attain a sustainable agriculture, even a sustainable civilization with the population numbers we have. The effects are visible, inflation and food crisis.
Most people think that technology will remedy the situation, but if you read more about energy you will realize the future's precarious situation. Governments in the world need to put an eye on it and start doing energy projects, particularly Nuclear. India must control its population growth also. I have my opinion on Cuba but considering all this is a very informative book.

Crisis in Agriculture
I bought this book by Mr. Dale Allen Pfeiffer even after reading his horrible book "The End of the Oil Age."I don't care who this author hates, blames or votes for.I did buy Eating Fossil fuels and I must say that I am glad I did.It's a good work!It's professional.It's well written and in this book the author is not foaming at the mouth political.All liberal democrats leaning to the left just love Cuba and it's redistributing of wealth and the Cuban miracle.The Cubans decided to get up and grow vegetables rather than starving to death.Really, you guys give them too much credit for doing what's necessary to eat.Overall, I liked Mr. Pfeiffer's book.It's well done.Regards, Keith Renick, Peachtree City, Ga.

We Need to Bring Back the Victory Garden
I wish I had read this book last year, I would already have prepared a vegetable garden to plant this spring. I know about Peak Oil, etc. but this book really got my attention. It provides a clear explanation of how dependent our food supply is on fossil fuels. Higher and higher food prices are in store for us, soon. And that's before we start to see food shortages. The agricultural land in the U.S. can only support about 200 million people, and we have almost 300 million. Plus this agriculture is heavily dependent on oil (to run the irrigation pumps, harvest, process and transport the products), and natural gas (to make fertilizer..who knew?). In a politically unstable world of rising fuel prices, not to mention a future without those fuels, do we really want to rely on imported food to feed our nation? Or go to war over food? This book outlines the problems and has an action plan and extensive list of resources to help solve the problems. Yes! There are things you can do to avert this crisis, whether you live in the city, suburbs, or country.
Spade up those (organic) Victory Gardens, folks, and learn how to provide and preserve at least some of your own food. Support your local food producers. This year. You'll be glad you did. ... Read more

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This series will make readers wonder what might happen if particular events occurred. Grounded in fact, each book assesses the possibility or threat of an event, from melting ice caps to a fuel shortage. Each book also offers suggestions on how to respond to these environmental and ecological challenges before it's too late. ... Read more

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Fossil Fuels and Biofuels is a Heinemann title. ... Read more

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Suppose someone claimed that we are NOT running out of petroleum. . . .Or that life on Earth began below the surface, in the dark airless pores of our planet's rocky crust. Or that oil and gas -- so-called "fossil fuels" -- are not the product of biological debris. You might expect to hear statements like these from an author of science fiction. But what if they come from a renowned scientist, someone who has been called "one of the world's most original minds"?In THE DEEP HOT BIOSPHERE, Thomas Gold sets forth truly controversial and astonishing theories: First, he proposes that Earth supports a subterranean organic domain of greater mass and volume than the biosphere -- the total sum of living things -- on its surface. Second, he proposes that the organisms inhabiting this Deep Hot Biosphere are not plants or animals but heat-loving bacteria that survive on a diet of hydrocarbons -- natural gas and petroleum. And third and perhaps most amazingly, he advances the stunning idea that most hydrocarbons on Earth are not "fossil fuels" but part of the primordial "stuff" from which Earth itself was formed some 4.5 billion years ago.The Deep Hot Biosphere may seem difficult to believe at first glance, but its theories are supported by a growing body of evidence, and by the indisputable stature and seriousness Thomas Gold brings to any scientific enterprise. In this book we see a brilliant and boldly original thinker, increasingly a rarity in modern science, as he develops revolutionary conclusions about the fundamental workings of our planet, the origins of life on Earth, the nature of earthquakes, and even the likelihood of life on -- or within -- other planets. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (38)

A Legacy To Mankind - The Deep Hot Biosphere
Absolutely The Deep Hot Biosphere is a precious legacy not only for science but for mankind.
Thomas Gold's work can be considered as a light that illuminates our thoughts and lead us to a better understanding of the true nature of hydrocarbons and their evolution on Earth and beyond. One of the important developments is to rethink the true nature of earthquakes that could save lives if the ideas are studied and developed with current technology.

Plausible, convincing theory
Thomas Gold is a maverick. But his theories are well-buttressed with calculations and such evidence as we have been able to obtain to-date. I really wish he'd devoted more to the spontaneous arising of self-sustaining life forms out of organic molecules. That's the Holy Grail of biology - how did life start. The best that Gold offers is "auto-catalyzing" molecules with no concrete examples. That said, however - the book is a fascinating read and has completely revamped my understanding of our planet. Highly recommended. Be warned however - it will tax your memories of chemistry classes.

An Interesting Read
Keep in mind that the "Peak Oil" crowd has been predicting the end of oil for a very long time and we know how that has worked out.Whether Professor Gold is a plagiarist or not matters little - the science is what matters.Can the West expect an honest appraisal of hydrocarbon abiotic origins, or will vast sums of money pollute the science as it has climate research.Perhaps the Russian oligarchs will school the West, or are already doing so.What we do know is that, in science, nothing is "settled" and we cannot afford to close minds and reject any idea.If there is money to be made in the deep, hot biosphere, some enterprising capitalist will be there - now if we could just deal with the environmentalists who will inevitably proclaim that exploring the deep biosphere will lead to ecological catastrophe...

Life abounds in unlikely places?
This is a marvelously readable and accessible book positing the theory that microbial life lives deep in the earth's crust, feeding off methane that percolates up from the earth's interior.

The idea is well supported with evidence that supports his view.His theory appears to meet the Occam's Razor requirement for the simplest explanation be be true. If correct, the theory provides an abiogenic explanation for fossil fuels, veins of metals and possibly for a deep, hot origin of life.

This book supports the theory that life can originate far more widely than generally believed using the surface conditions model (sunlight and water) and thus may be present on other bodies of the solar system, including the moon and Mars.To me this is a great potential test of the theory and is particularly relevant for Mars now that methane has been detected in the atmosphere.The current debate is whether this is abiogenic or biogenic (created by methanogens), but Gold's hypothesis would suggest that the methane's origin is almost irrelevant, life may be below the surface feeding on the methane. If Gold is correct, we might expect to see macro presence of oil and coal seems, exposed on crater walls and valley cliffs.Analyzing this material, if found, for metabolic and structural products would indicate the presence of life.In other words, the "search for water" approach adopted by Nasa, while appropriate for surface based life, might be missing the real picture by searching in the wrong place.

This book is a real eye opener for those of us who were educated to belief that the evidence for carbon fuels favored a surface biogenic source. Highly recommended.

Creative Thinking
Thomas Gold was a creative thinker and scientist who has added much to the world's knowledge.While there is no conclusive evidence that oil and natural gas are residue from the earth's formation, exist in virtually unlimited quantity and will continue to percolate upward from great depths, Gold reasons logically from the evidence we do have to conclude that this is the case.And the evidence he cites is more plentiful than you might imagine: from giant tube worms living near geologic vents completely cut off from the sun's energy in the deep ocean, to an exploratory well drilled in non-sedimentary rock in Sweden that turned up small quantities of petroleum, Gold reasons logically and creatively to form a theory that makes sense.Living creatures, however simple, thriving at great depth and high temperatures is an important clue. Petroleum contains biologic molecules that have served as proof that oil is the result of deposited plant material originating on the surface that has been converted to oil by heat and pressure as these sediments are folded beneath the earth's tectonic plates.But if there is abundant biologic activity in the form of microbes and bacteria living naturally up to 200 kilometers beneath the surface, and relying on primordial hydrocarbons for food, then the ballgame is fundamentally changed. Gold follows this logic into other areas, such as the origin of life on the surface, where the implications are equally revolutionary.If you are wedded to the concept of oil and natural gas as limited resources, and the theory that all life originated with photosynthesis on our planet's surface, this book will shake your world.
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More and more people believe we must quickly wean ourselves from fossil fuels - oil, natural gas and coal - to save the planet from environmental catastrophe, wars and economic collapse. Professor Jaccard argues that this view is misguided. We have the technological capability to use fossil fuels without emitting climate-threatening greenhouse gases or other pollutants. The transition from conventional oil and gas to their unconventional sources including coal for producing electricity, hydrogen and cleaner-burning fuels will decrease energy dependence on politically unstable regions.In addition, our vast fossil fuel resources will be the cheapest source of clean energy for the next century and perhaps longer, which is critical for the economic and social development of the world's poorer countries. By buying time for increasing energy efficiency, developing renewable energy technologies and making nuclear power more attractive, fossil fuels will play a key role in humanity's quest for a sustainable energy system. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Good Research But Lack of Economic Theory
Jaccard makes some strong arguments throughout the book. Clearly a lot of research has gone into the data.
However, Jaccard makes a lot of assumptive statements, not backed up by enough economic theory. The book swings between being from an ecologist's point of view and an economic stance, but Jaccard makes his thoughts know when he jokes that economists "don't know they are lying", and that economics' "abstract models get in the way of seeing reality".
Further more, there is no mention of the Hotelling Principle that is key to this area of energy and natural resource economics.
A good read if you are wanting to know more about fossil fuels, but a bit disappointing if you are wanting to learn more than the scaremongering propaganda that you read in a newspaper.

Why the solution to energy consumption is not limited to finding an alternative to fossil fuels
"Sustainable Fossil Fuels: The Unusual Suspect in the Quest for Clean and Enduring Energy" tackles the task of explaining why the solution to energy consumption is not limited to finding an alternative to fossil fuels. The author argues that there is evidence that the world has untapped resources and an energy reserve supply of fossil fuels to last perhaps 800 years (for gas and coal), and that rising prices of precious fuel resources should not be assumed to mean the end of stored fossil fuel energy is imminent. Considering the options of renewable energy, nuclear power, and energy efficiency, the author states:" The end (goal) is a low impact and low risk energy system that can meet expanded human energy needs indefinitely and do this as inexpensively as possible, without succumbing to cataclysmic forces at some future time...it is unjustifiable to rule out fossil fuels in advance of a holistic comparison that considers critical decision factors. These factors include cost... the human desire to minimize the risk of extreme events...to ensure adequate and reliable energy supplies free from geopolitical turmoil, and to sustain values, institutions and lifestyles (p. 355)." Jaccard believes that fossil fuels are likely to continue to provide a significant resource to the global energy system during a gradual transition to a sustainable global energy system, perhaps over a period of more than a century. "Sustainable Fossil Fuels" makes a convincing argument for thorough review of the cost of energy sustainability, leading to an unprejudiced reconsideration of continuing the mixed use of fossil fuels. A handy chapter reading guide suggests the best way to read the book, considering the following key questions: What is energy sustainability (Chapter 1)? Is our current energy path sustainable (chapter 2)? Chapter 3: The prospects for clean, secondary energy, Chapter 4: The usual suspects: efficiency, nuclear and renewables, Chapter 5: The unusual suspect: how long can fossil fuels last - and does it mater? Chapter 6: Can we use fossil fuels cleanly - and what might it cost? and last, Chapter 7: Sustainable energy choices: comparing the options. "Sustainable Fossil Fuels" is a convincing argument for the continued judicious planned use of fossil fuels while seeking alternative sustainable energy choices. It is enhanced by a bibliography of 22 pages and many graphs and charts and footnotes. References are made to pertinent web sites for further information as well.

Clean fossil fuel - an oxymoron?
Given all the talk of "peak oil" in the media, it appears that the public has accepted the message that we are running out of all manner of fossil fuels. Regardless, high pump prices aren't viewed as signs of increasing scarcity, but rather of increased collusion among big oil companies.

This book provides a very useful compendium of energy industry information, and argues convincingly that fossil fuels will not run out for quite some time. The information the book contains would go far to dispelling a lot of fossil fuel "urban myths" if energy consumers took the time to read it.

Other recently released books on energy and climate change encourage readers to "stick it" to big oil and big coal by going "off-grid", etc., and don't sufficiently explore how these same companies can play a role in a more sustainable energy future.

While fossil fuels may never be viewed as "clean" by the public, they will certainly endure for centuries as Jaccard attests. This book is a useful read for those interested in learning how to make fossil fuel-based economies more sustainable, using more facts and less media hyperbole.

Extraordinary tour of our imminent choices
Complete. Here and now. Solid. It takes the reader on a 360 degree loop, at least for the next 100 years. Professor Jaccard evidently knows how to deliver a class. Good economic analysis, just three things I wanted to mention:

1. The book needs a relative sense of the urgency for policy that fosters carbon capture -with its corresponding research of possible CO2 leaks- a starting point, if not the cornerstone of his proposal.
2. Idem 1 but for legislation that promotes the adaptation of new technologies (ingenuity) to replace the vanishing fossil fuels. These technologies are intrinsically linked to the success of the proposal as a whole.
3. I wasn't very convinced on the transportation front. If combustion from "Status Enhancement Vehicles" represents almost half of the total anthropogenic-related pollution, shouldn't we be focusing more on them? The current technologies are mentioned and explained, but transportation is key in our urban societies and needs a push from governments if a transition is to take place in the short run. Taxing private vehicle owners (Yes, like smokers!)could be a means to promote and build alternative clean transportation and at the same time curb driving.

I understand that the book cannot cover all the issues at hand. In 361 pages, it addresses and explains with surprising clarity our current situation and possible solutions. Worth every page.

Unsustainable sustainability
Jaccard's book is a good survey of many of the issues and problems surrounding energy use.But he pays lip service to some critically important issues.

Despite a few brief glimpses outside, Jaccard takes the usual economist's "closed system" approach and couples it with the usual technotopian idea that humans have the ingenuity to find technological fixes for virtually any problem.In talking about the future impact of human activity on the natural world, Jaccard comments that "any individual unavoidable hazards can be ones from which the system could recover within a reasonable time, either from natural processes alone or in concert with human remediation efforts" (p. 355)

A BBC News report that states that, due to human activity, "organisms are disappearing at something like 100 to 1,000 times the background levels' seen in the fossil record."( http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4563499.stm )This loss of biodiversity has a direct impact on human health and wealth.To date, "natural processes" and "human remediation efforts" have not managed to bring back any extinct species.

Jaccard promotes the idea of "zero emission" fossil fuels at the point of use, but neglects the fact that large quantities of fossil fuels and resources are required by the operation of, and even production of, the machinery and infrastructure required to produce those fuels.He talks about the expansion of "clean" nuclear energy, but again neglects the emissions from mining, processing, and transporting fuel, storing and safeguarding spent fuel, and the construction of power plants and machinery.More importantly, Jaccard fails to mention the social irresponsibility of leaving behind toxic mine tailings and wastewater, spent fuel, and power plants that are decommissioned after their relatively short life span.Despite protocols and regulations, these will pose a hazard to future generations for thousands of years.

As a further example of "closed system" thinking, Jaccard talks about the expansion of "renewables," including solar and wind power, again without mentioning how dependent upon fossil fuels these energy sources are t present, for materials, production, and maintenance.

Finally, Jaccard neglects to mention that the growth he predicts depends heavily upon so many other resources, many of which are becoming increasingly scarce, and which rely on the current relatively cheap and abundant fossil fuels for extraction, processing, and production.

Despite the title of his book, Jaccard does briefly acknowledge that fossil fuel use, even in the manner he promotes, is not indefinitely sustainable, and would require enormous efforts and will to reduce GHG emissions, let alone solve all the other waste stream and resource issues.Indeed, almost appearing as repentance at the last minute, Jaccard's very last sentence acknowledges that a "sustainable fossil fuel future does not guarantee a sustainable human presence on this shrinking planet." (p. 361)

So much for sustainability. ... Read more

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A detailed look at energy sources, how their power is harnessed and used. ... Read more

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This book explains how fossil fuels like coal, gas and oil are burned to make electricity. It shows how pollution from fossil fuels can be controlled; why oil is regarded as 'black gold'; and how you turn coal into gas to provide energy. ... Read more

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The latest research on the principles of flame properties is presented in this detailed book on combustion theory. A review of combustion chemistry and measurement techniques is included and there is also coverage of heterogeneous combustion and homogeneous combustion. ... Read more

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Scientists tell us we need to cut carbon emissions immediately to forestall effects of global warming. Reducing fossil fuel use is the key, and energy experts are hard at work devising solutions. Engineers create remarkable clean energy technologies. Energy policy analysts invent carbon credits and renewable portfolio standards. Fossil energy industrialists promise new, "clean" technology. Renewable energy industrialists compete to develop the magic bullet for transportation fuel or power generation. Every idea is designed to change the nation's energy sector to one that is clean and sustainable for the future.

But what is this energy sector we have and how did it come about? Design professionals, planners, elected officials, and community leaders are under tremendous pressure to find solutions to climate change. They need a broader view of America's relationship with energy to gain perspective on how new ideas might work. Energy in America tells this story, emphasizing that energy use has always been based on cultural factors as well as technology.

Energy in America relates how coal, oil and natural gas built the nation from its beginning and created today's consumer culture. It continues with the rise of the electric utility industry and its influence on American society. Finally, it explores the 1970s, when America woke to conservation and efficiency, and the renewable energy industries were born. It concludes with a look at the future possibilities for community energy planning and current trends in sustainable energy policy. The book features a comprehensive energy timeline from 1775 to the present. Each chapter provides primary web sources, and the book contains a complete index.
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An exploration of the role of fossil fuels in the world today. It covers the uses of this form of energy, how fuels were formed, how they were discovered, and how their use is changing. It also examines how energy can be transformed from one state to another and the conservation of energy. Each book in the series emphasises renewability and sustainable development of the world's energy resources. The same concepts are covered int he parallel series "Energy for Life" which is aimed at a younger reading level. ... Read more