Adapting to the End of Oil: Toward an Earth-Centered Spirituality Americans, who burn more fossil fuels than any other country, will have a hard time adapting to the end of cheap oil. This book explains how our materialistic values evolved to make us such wasteful consumers and how corporations profi t at our expense. The bad news is that rising prices of oil may bankrupt our economy unless we learn how to reduce our energy use. The good news is that earth-centered values are being affi rmed by increasing numbers of people. The book shows how earth-centered spirituality can help us live more modestly on the earth and preserve the climate.

With its easy-to-grasp explanations of the science behind every aspect of our most urgent environmental policy decisions, "Out of Gas" is a handbook for the future of civilization.

Since the early 1970s, experts have recognized that petroleum pollutants were being discharged in marine waters worldwide, from oil spills, vessel operations, and land-based sources. Public attention to oil spills has forced improvements. Still, a considerable amount of oil is discharged yearly into sensitive coastal environments. Oil in the Sea provides the best available estimate of oil pollutant discharge into marine waters, including an evaluation of the methods for assessing petroleum load and a discussion about the concerns these loads represent. Featuring close-up looks at the Exxon Valdez spill and other notable events, the book identifies important research questions and makes recommendations for better analysis ofâ€"and more effective measures againstâ€"pollutant discharge. The book discusses: Inputâ€"where the discharges come from, including the role of two-stroke engines used on recreational craft. Behavior or fateâ€"how oil is affected by processes such as evaporation as it moves through the marine environment. Effectsâ€"what we know about the effects of petroleum hydrocarbons on marine organisms and ecosystems. Providing a needed update on a problem of international importance, this book will be of interest to energy policy makers, industry officials and managers, engineers and researchers, and advocates for the marine environment.

According to author Hicks, the U.S.--and the world--is facing the end of its oil-based economy. But the coming oil crisis doesn't have to have entirely negative implications. He shows readers the potential upside to the end of oil and how this event can actually be a positive for investors.