"Colin Campbell is renowned for his lucid earlier work, 'The coming oil crisis'. Eight years on, events have proved his analysis right. Now, he argues that the oil crisis has come. The familiar technical explanation of the crisis is carefully made again : essentially, that there is no more oil to be found. That fact is beginning to manifest itself in heightened competition for the remaining resource ; which is why America invaded Iraq ; why Central Asia is in turmoil ; why oil is persistently priced above $50/barrel (and why Goldman Sachs think $100 a barrel is not too unlikely in the near future). The problem - of an oil-less world - is beyond the grasp of politicians. They can fiddle with ideas about renewables or hydrogen but they, along with most of humanity, have not really grasped that it is the oil economy that enables about a 7 billion world population to be sustained. A wholly new world is imminent. It is not likely to be very pleasant. Dr Campbell outlines our grim future." -- book cover.

"This book is about the world's endowment of oil. It is a very important subject, considering that cheap oil-based energy has been the lifeblood of the world's economy over the best part of this century." -- P. 5.

A water crisis on our immediate horizon is destined to hurt, even kill, millions of children, and the window of opportunity to do something about it is rapidly closing. There is, however, a glimmer of hope that could turn into rays of sunshine. Water is a commodity, and we have just come through some painful times dealing with the shortage of another commodity—energy. For those who lived through the "energy crisis," this book offers a brief trip down memory lane.

The oil industry is the world’s largest commercial enterprise. Its extent is global; international issues are consistently influenced by considerations of oil production and consumption, while the international communications networks of the larger oil companies rival those of many nations. In this, the eighth edition of Oil and World Power, published in 1986, Peter Odell explains the complexities of this gigantic empire and its influence on the world. The far-reaching chapters discuss the U.S.A, the Soviet Union, O.P.E.C., Japan and the oil-consuming countries of the developing world. Evaluating the changing patterns of oil supply and the dramatic fall in oil prices in 1986, Odell proposes a number of forward-thinking conclusions surrounding the relationship between oil in global politics and economic development. This is an exceptionally interesting and relevant work, of great value to those with an interest in the oil industry, global power and international economic development.