High Noon for Natural Gas

While much is known about the growing pressures on petroleum supplies, far less is known about natural gas. Julian Darley convincingly demonstrates in this important book, the long-range future for gas is equally bleak as that for oil. This invaluable book arrives at a critical juncture.

—Michael Klare, author of Resource Wars: The New Landscape of Global Conflict

What's that hissing sound? Worried about oil running out? Don't look now, but natural gas is next on the endangered hydrocarbons list.
—From the Salon.com review

Blackouts, rising gas prices, changes to the Clean Air Act, proposals to open wilderness and protected offshore areas to gas drilling, and increasing dependence on natural gas for electricity generation. What do all these developments have in common, and why should we care?

In this timely expose, author Julian Darley takes a hard-hitting look at natural gas as an energy source that rapidly went from nuisance to crutch. Darley outlines the implications of our increased dependence on this energy source and why it has the potential to cause serious environmental, political, and economic consequences. In High Noon for Natural Gas readers can expect to find a critical analysis of government policy on energy, as well as a meticulously researched warning about our next potentially catastrophic energy crisis.

Did you know that:

• Natural Gas (NG) is the second most important energy source after oil;
• In the U.S. alone, NG is used to supply 20% of all electricity and 60% of all home heating;
• NG is absolutely critical to the manufacture of agricultural fertilizers;
• In the U.S. the NG supply is at critically low levels, and early in 2003 we came within days of blackouts and heating shutdowns;
• Matt Simmons, the world's foremost private energy banker, is now warning that economic growth in the U.S. is under threat due to the looming NG crisis

About the Author

Julian Darley

Julian Darley is a British environmental philosopher who researches and writes about non-market and non-technology-based responses to global environmental degradation. He is also engaged in piloting such responses.

In order to further both dissemination of ideas and pilot projects, Julian runs an Internet broadcasting station (GlobalPublicMedia.com, develops OpenSource web database sites for non-profits and civil society organisations, and is currently writing a book on how and why we need "global relocalisation" of the economy, society and culture.

Julian has an eclectic education: an MSc in Environment and Sociology from University of Surrey, ...

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