Burn out
The endgame for fossil fuels
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 9924686 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Miriam R Aczel (0000-0002-9819-7512, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2017 |
| Volume | 93 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 982-983 |
| Publication date | 2017-07-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Affairs (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0020-5850 • E-ISSN: 1468-2346 |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1093/ia/iix108 |
| OpenAlex | W2729906832 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
Dieter Helm's Burn out is an important contribution to the conversation on the coming ‘energy revolution’ and its likely impact on global economies. Until 2014, we appeared to be facing a global energy crisis driven by skyrocketing oil prices and insatiable energy demand. Dropping oil prices and technological developments are signs that the age of fossil fuel is ending, according to Helm. Helm identifies three ‘predictable surprises’ that are the most likely ‘to shape the energy sector as a whole, thus affecting geopolitics and the corporate landscape’ (p. 13). The first has already occurred: ‘the end of the commodity super-cycle and with it the crash of oil, coal, and now gas prices from the end of 2014’ (p. 15). He concludes that although the age of fossil fuels is not over, the demand may—and must—decrease, if we are to avoid ‘dangerous climate change’ (p. 36). The second predictable surprise is that ‘the survival of the oil, gas and coal companies ... is not compatible with mitigating climate change’ (p. 38). The ‘conventional approach [to climate change] has not lowered global emissions’ and fossil fuel companies have ‘barely noticed a pinprick on their asset values and profits because of climate change policies’ (p. 40). Helm shows that gas will not provide a long-term solution to climate change and ultimately will need to be phased out like both coal and oil
Asset (computer security · Business · Climate change · Coal · Economics · Economy · Fossil fuel · Global warming · Greenhouse gas · Natural resource economics · Peak oil · Surprise · Waste management · Ecology · Engineering · Global Energy and Sustainability Research
| Unique citing works | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,38 |
| Citation span | 2018 - 2021 (4) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 3 |