The Natural Gas Revolution: At the Pivot of the World's Energy Future - Hardcover

Kolb, Robert W.

3.92

13 ratings by Goodreads

9780133353518: The Natural Gas Revolution: At the Pivot of the World's Energy Future

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0133353516 ISBN 13: 9780133353518

Publisher: Pearson FT Press, 2013

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Robert W. Kolb reveals how new gas resources are transforming the global energy industry, redistributing economic and geopolitical power in stunning ways. Kolb’s The Natural Gas Revolution explains the new promise of natural gas to stimulate economies and enrich human life — and objectively assesses the major environmental risks that accompany fracking, horizontal drilling, and today’s massive new LNG infrastructures. He places natural gas in broader context, clearly and carefully explaining what it will really mean to global economics, geopolitics, investors, the environment, and consumers. He explains the key technologies that have enabled access to huge new natural gas sources, and illuminates the remarkable implications of larger, more widely distributed, and more environmentally-friendly hydrocarbon resources. You’ll find thoughtful and objective answers to questions such as: Will natural gas permit a more orderly transition to solar and other renewables? Will “fracking” and horizontal drilling poison the aquifers cities depend on for clean drinking water? Will “fracking” increase earthquake risks? Next, Kolb explains how the natural gas revolution is roiling world energy markets, predicts their response to today’s wild price imbalances, and identifies surprising implications — for example, a potentially faster transition to cleaner transportation. He concludes by identifying nations and regions that may achieve unexpected energy independence from current suppliers — and even become exporters. This book will be indispensable to anyone interested in the latest developments in energy, international relations, and global business: citizens, investors, and policymakers alike.

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From the Back Cover:

“This book is a ‘must read’ for anyone working in or interested in the natural gas industry. Kolb’s discourse is eloquent and very insightful as he takes the reader through history up to present day of the natural gas revolution. The book is a pleasure to read!”

–BETTY J. SIMKINS, Professor of Finance and Williams Companies Professor of Business, Spears School of Business, Oklahoma State University

“In this crisp and compact book, Robert Kolb pulls together the fast, world-changing transformation in energy across the globe. As dessert, we get a delicious treat of maps and charts that make the new picture visually clear. If you want to understand how your world may change, read this book.”

–STEVE LEVINE, Author of The Oil and the Glory

“...a very comprehensive scan of the gas landscape with associated shifts from unconventional developments.”

–MATTHEW HULBERT, Chief Political Advisor, Saudi Aramco

A natural gas revolution is transforming the global energy industry, redistributing economic and geopolitical power in stunning ways. New gas resources promise a massive economic stimulus, and the enrichment of human life worldwide–if we can manage their serious risks. Now, for the first time, Robert W. Kolb places “unconventional” natural gas in a broader context, explaining what it really means. He offers thoughtful, objective, and clear explanations of the technologies, their risks and advantages, and above all, their impact–on politics, global finance, the environment, and you.

Thanks to stunning technological advances in natural gas exploration, the United States is about to become a reliable, consistent net exporter of energy. This is an extraordinary, completely unexpected transformation. What’s more, natural gas is about to transform the rest of the world as well—upending economic and political relationships that have lasted for generations. Kolb illuminates both the promise and peril of “unconventional” natural gas, exploring the implications of larger, more widespread, and more environmentally friendly hydrocarbon resources. Will natural gas permit a more orderly transition to solar and other renewables—or prevent it? Will “fracking” and horizontal drilling poison the aquifers that cities depend on for clean drinking water? Will fracking increase earthquake risks? Whether you’re a citizen, investor, business decision-maker, or policymaker, you need to understand the colossal changes now underway. In The Natural Gas Revolution, Robert W. Kolb tells the whole story. Writing in plain English for non-experts, Kolb thoughtfully explains where natural gas exploration stands now, where it’s headed, and what it will mean to you.

BEYOND THE HYPE: UNDERSTAND THE TECHNOLOGY

How fracking, horizontal drilling, and Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) transport really work

THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATIONS: A THOUGHTFUL ASSESSMENT

From aquifer risks to climate change: a complete environmental balance sheet

SPECIFIC IMPACTS ON EVERY LEADING ECONOMY

Implications for the United States, UK, China, Japan, Germany, France, Italy, BRIC nations, OPEC, and beyond

BEYOND NATURAL GAS: THE NEXT ENERGY REVOLUTIONS

Previewing the coming revolutions in shale oil and methane hydrates

About the Author:

Robert W. Kolb holds two Ph.D.’s from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (philosophy 1974, finance 1978) and has been a finance professor at five universities. He is currently a professor of finance at Loyola University Chicago, where he also holds the Considine Chair of Applied Ethics.

Kolb's recent writings include Futures, Options, and Swaps 5e , and Understanding Futures Markets 6e, both co-authored with James A. Overdahl. Recent edited volumes are: Lessons from the Financial Crisis: Causes, Consequences, and Our Economic Future, Sovereign Debt: From Safety to Default, and Financial Contagion: The Viral Threat to the Wealth of Nations, both published by Wiley. Kolb's most recent books are The Financial Crisis of Our Time (2011) and Too Much Is Not Enough: Incentives in Executive Compensation (2012), both published by Oxford University Press and both selected for the Financial Management Association's Survey and Synthesis Series.

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