Summary
Supplies, distribution, and use of energy began to have profound political, economic, social, and environmental effects in the United States and throughout the world in the second half of the 20th century. Today, the quest for oil and other sources of energy not only continues to influence the endlessly contentious politics of the Middle East but to affect nations’ relationships everywhere. Energy props up some governments and multinational businesses and makes others fall. The quest for new energy sources and the byproducts of energy use have made major contributions to the pollution of the planet and, many experts believe, to the climate change called global warming. These effects are expected to increase dramatically in the new century as the demand for energy grows in developing as well as developed countries and the supplies of energy sources, especially fossil fuels, dwindle.
Virtually every aspect of the energy situation is hotly debated. Can new technology help alternate energy sources such as solar power play a greater role in meeting the world’s energy needs or reduce those needs by designing more efficient vehicles and appliances? Will competition for energy cause new wars or economic collapses? What form and degree of regulation can best provide energy for everyone at fair prices? How can the environmental effects of supplying and using energy be controlled?
Energy Supply discusses these questions and more in a highly effective format. It will be of use not only to students, teachers, librarians, and journalists but also to those directly or indirectly involved in energy issues, such as legislators, environmentalists, and every member of the general public who drives a car or turns on a light.
Specifications
5 graphs. Index. Appendixes. Annotated bibliography. Glossary. Chronology.
About the Author(s)
Lisa Yount graduated from Stanford University with a degree in English and creative writing. She has written or edited 40 books, nine of which have won awards or have been included on “most recommended” lists. She has made a specialty of writing about biomedical issues. Her books for Facts On File include Animal Rights, Physician-Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia, Patient’s Rights in the Age of Managed Health Care, and Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Revised Edition, among others.