Energy and the Missing Resource A View from the Laboratory [Paperback]

This 1989 book provides a nontechnical analysis of present and future energy resources and their potential development to meet future demand.Contrary to the prevailing impression that an energy crisis is inevitable, this study argues that future energy sufficiency actually depends on long term technical development and international cooperation.Contrary to the prevailing impression that an energy crisis is inevitable, this study argues that future energy sufficiency actually depends on long term technical development and international cooperation.The prevailing impression in popular discussion of future energy supply is that a crisis will occur, sooner or later, owing to the exhaustion of present resources. In this formative and thought-provoking book, a leading energy researcher demonstrates that sufficient energy resources are available to meet all energy needs for the foreseeable future. However, this does not remove the threat of an energy supply crisis. What is lacking--the missing resource--is the knowledge of how to use these resources in a practical and environmentally acceptable manner. Dostrovsky argues that long-term technical development will be needed to ensure future energy sufficiency, and that international cooperation on technical research, environmental impact, and energy use is needed now to avoid a succession of energy crises in the future.List of figures and tables; Preface; 1. Introduction; 2. Fossil fuels; 3. Nuclear energy; 4. The role of nuclear power; 5. Renewable energy resources; 6. Demand and substitution; 7. The missing resources; Appendices; Bibliography; Index. An excellent detailed review of the history and prognosis of world energy sources and demands...a superb primer for any serious student of world energy problems. Choice