[skiwi]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'E')nergy, the most vital commodity on the planet, dominates our lives. It drives economies, makes rich nations richer, and underpins the lifestyles of those fortunate enough to have access to it. With contributions from leading scientists, politicians, industrialists, and energy experts around the world, Power Play examines every aspect of the Energy game: the basic raw materials: coal, gas and oil, where they originate, how we acquire them, who controls them, how we use them, and, ultimately, how they may have to change in the not-too-distant future. In pursuit of this Power Play travels worldwide from Paris to Beijing, across the deserts of Arabia and into the heart of Manhattan beneath the permafrost of Siberia and on to the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic to piece together a portrait of the world’s most dynamic commodity. Belatedly, we have come to realize that the excessive use of fossil fuels may be taking the world to the brink of catastrophe. If global warming is real, then the threat it poses is increasing daily. Power Play takes a close-up look at the world of oil and gas, one of the richest and most powerful of global industries. The political muscle it wields is formidable. Governed by real politics, in this world the financial stakes are unimaginably high and moral niceties sometimes relegated to a back seat. But we may be reaching a parting of the ways with an energy source that powered us through most of the 20th century. Looking to the future, Power Play considers the alternatives on offer: nuclear, hydrogen, solar, water, and wind power. Can they effectively replace reliable old stalwarts? Will the drive through the 21st century be just as productive, yet healthier and cleaner than in the past?