Seventy percent of the oil America uses each year goes to transportation. That means that the national oil addiction and all its consequences, from climate change to disastrous spills to dependence on foreign markets, can be greatly reduced by changing the way we move. In Transport Beyond Oil, leading experts in transportation, planning, development, and policy show how to achieve this fundamental shift. The authors demonstrate that smarter development and land-use decisions, paired with better transportation systems, can slash energy consumption. John Renne calculates how oil can be saved through a future with more transit-oriented development. Petra Todorovitch examines the promise of high-speed rail. Peter Newman imagines a future without oil for car-dependent cities and regions. Additional topics include funding transit, freight transport, and nonmotorized transportation systems. Each chapter provides policy prescriptions and their measurable results. Transport Beyond Oil delivers practical solutions, based on quantitative data. This fact-based approach offers a new vision of transportation that is both transformational and achievable.

The growing threat of global warming, air and water pollution, and rising energy costs are a few of the many problems that result from our current over-reliance on petroleum-based transportation fuels. Alternative transportation fuels, in conjunction with an array of other energy-related strategies, have the potential to help mitigate these problems -- if public policy prioritizes those fuels that can deliver the greatest benefit for the environment and the American people.

Transport Revolutions: Moving People and Freight without Oil sets out the challenges to our growing dependence on transport fuelled by low-priced oil. These challenges include an early peak in world oil production and profound climate change resulting in part from oil use. It proposes responses to ensure effective, secure movement of people and goods in ways that make the best use of renewable sources of energy while minimizing environmental impacts.Transport Revolutions synthesizes engineering, economics, environment, organization, policy and technology, and draws extensively on current data to present important conclusions. The authors argue that land transport in the first half of the 21st century will feature at least two revolutions. One will involve the use of electric drives rather than internal combustion engines. Another will involve powering many of these drives directly from the electric grid - as trains and trolley buses are powered today - rather than from on-board fuel. They go on to discuss marine transport, whose future is less clear, and aviation, which could see the most dramatic breaks from current practice.With its expert analysis of the politics and business of transport, Transport Revolutions is essential reading for professionals and students in transport, energy, town planning and public policy.

Completely revised and updated, the third edition of this bestseller discusses the concept and ongoing development of using methanol and derived dimethyl ether as a transportation fuel, energy storage medium, and as a chemical raw material to replace fossil fuels. The contents have been expanded by 35% with new and up to date coverage on energy storage, methanol from biomass and waste products, as well as on carbon dioxide capture and recycling. Written by the late Nobel laureate George Olah, Alain Goeppert and G. K. Surya Prakash, this is an inspiring read for anyone concerned with the major challenge posed by environmental problems including global warming and ocean acidification due to massive increase in fossil fuel use. The book provides a comprehensive and sustainable solution to replace fossil fuels in the long run by chemical recycling of carbon dioxide through renewable methanol utilizing alternative energy sources such as solar, wind, hydro, geothermal and nuclear. The Methanol Economy is being progressively implemented in many parts of the world.

The world is currently consuming about 85 million barrels of oil a day, and about two-thirds as much natural gas equivalent, both derived from non-renewable natural sources. In the foreseeable future, our energy needs will come from any available alternate source. Methanol is one such viable alternative, and also offers a convenient solution for efficient energy storage on a large scale. In this updated and enlarged edition, renowned chemists discuss in a clear and readily accessible manner the pros and cons of humankind's current main energy sources, while providing new ways to overcome obstacles. Following an introduction, the authors look at the interrelationship of fuels and energy, and at the extent of our non-renewable fossil fuels. They also discuss the hydrogen economy and its significant shortcomings. The main focus is on the conversion of CO2 from industrial as well as natural sources into liquid methanol and related DME, a diesel fuel substitute that can replace LNG and LPG. The book is rounded off with an optimistic look at future possibilities. A forward-looking and inspiring work that vividly illustrates potential solutions to our energy and environmental problems.

First released in 2007, the bestselling Transport Revolutions argued that land transport in the first half of the 21st century will feature at least two revolutions. One will involve the use of electric drives rather than internal combustion engines. Another will involve powering many of these drives directly from the electric grid - as trains and trolley buses are powered today - rather than from on-board fuel. Now available for the first time in paperback and updated with the most recent data, it sets out the challenges to our growing dependence on transport fuelled by low-priced oil. These challenges include an early peak in world oil production and profound climate change resulting in part from oil use. It proposes responses to ensure effective, secure movement of people and goods in ways that make the best use of renewable sources of energy while minimizing environmental impacts. Synthesizing engineering, economics, environment, organization, policy and technology in a detailed yet highly readable style, Transport Revolutions is essential reading for anyone working, studying or interested in transport and the environment.