I know how hard it is for a newcomer to get his or her mind wrapped around all this energy and environmental stuff. The sheer volume of information and sources (some with a very pointed, albeit unstated agenda), plus the technical nature of much of the information add up to quite a challenge.
That’s why I’ve decided to try something a little different, beginning with this post. Below I’ll give you my personal list of “must read” authors, with some explanation of why each person is on the list. My plan is to repost this list from time to time as I add or delete people from my list, assuming I get sufficient feedback from readers, which I hope you’ll either leave as a comment on this post or e-mail to me directly. I read this stuff compulsively, and I know I can’t keep up with all the authors I should be following, so you can help me in this area, too.
I suggest that for some of these authors you set a Google alert to keep track of their work, which appears in various publications as individual articles, not regular columns.
So, without further ado, the alphabetical list of authors (with a pair of bonus sites thrown in for good measure):
Kjell Aleklett
Why: Aleklett is currently president of ASPO (Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas), and has been writing about oil and natural gas issues for years. He’s also a professor in physics at the Department of Physics and Astronomy, Global Energy Systems Group (former Uppsala Hydrocarbon Depletion Study Group) at Uppsala University. You can see his bio and contact information here.
Where: His blog, Aleklett’s Energy Mix, plus occasional posts on the ASPO site.
Dave Cohen
Why: He has a track record of writing exceptionally well about our oil situation.
Where: Cohen posts an article every Wednesday at the ASPO-USA site.
Jim Hansen
Why: From his Wikipedia entry:
James E. Hansen (born March 29, 1941 in Denison, Iowa) heads the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York City, a part of the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, Earth Sciences Division. He is currently an adjunct professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Columbia University, and also serves as Al Gore’s science advisor. Hansen is best known for his research in the field of climatology and his testimony on climate change to congressional committees in the 1980s that helped raise broad awareness of the global warming issue.
Hansen is also the most conspicuous example of a scientist who is not afraid to speak plainly about where the data says we’re headed. This causes many people, especially global warming deniers, who don’t like his conclusions to label him as “alarmist”.
Where: His site, plus numerous other publications.
Jim Kingsdale
Why: Kingsdale is a very pragmatic, knowledgeable analyst writing about energy topics, mostly oil. He has a track record of cutting straight through the BS and finding, and then analyzing, the core issues.
Where: His site, Energy Investment Strategies
Michael T. Klare
Why: From his Wikipedia entry:
Michael T. Klare is a Five Colleges professor of Peace and World Security Studies, whose department is located at Hampshire College, defense correspondent of The Nation magazine, and author of Resource Wars and Blood and Oil: The Dangers and Consequences of America’s Growing Petroleum Dependency (Metropolitan). Klare also teaches at Amherst College, Smith College, Mount Holyoke College, and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Klare also serves on the boards of directors of Human Rights Watch, and the Arms Control Association. He is a regular contributor to many publications including The Nation, Tom’s Dispatch, Mother Jones, and is a frequent columnist for Foreign Policy In Focus.
I’ve read the two books mentioned above, and while Klare very often says uncomfortable things, I can’t argue with his conclusions.
Where: The Nation (link searches for his name on the magazine’s site) plus various other sites and publications on an irregular basis.
Paul Krugman
Why: An economist who gives economists a good name, even in the peak oil crowd, which is saying a lot. Sadly, he doesn’t write exclusively on energy and environmental issues.
Where: His NY Times columns
Bill McKibben
Why: McKibben is one of the most passionate, informed, and dedicated writers covering environmental issues today. He’s also working with 350.org, a project to raise awareness of the need to reduce atmospheric CO2 to 350 parts per million. (It’s not clear from the site if he’s simply working with this project or if it’s “his” operation.)
Where: McKibben frequently writes for various high-profile publications such as The New York Times, The Atlantic Monthly, Harper’s, Orion Magazine, Mother Jones, The New York Review of Books, Granta, The National Geographic, Rolling Stone, and Outside. He is also a board member and contributor to Grist Magazine.
Joe Romm
Why: Romm was Acting Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy in Bill Clinton’s administration, and he’s a tireless advocate for taking action on climate issues. He strongly favors using smarter public policy to get the most out of current technologies and institutions. He’s written several books, most notably The Hype About Hydrogen.
Where: Climate Progress
Matt Simmons
Why: Probably the most frequently interviewed and quoted guy on oil issues, at least in the mainstream financial press. He runs Simmons & Company International, an investment banking in the energy sector, and is the author of Twilight in the Desert, one of the “must read” oil books.
Where: Simmons is all over the mediasphere, but you can find his presentations here.
Bonus entry: EnergyCollective
Why: A blog-of-blogs site featuring writers (including some guy with the probably fictitious name “Grinzo”) covering energy and environmental issues.
Where: The Energy Collective
Bonus entry: RealClimate.org
Why: RC is “the” site for climate science. It’s run by real climate scientists, not a bunch of bloggers sitting around in their Star Trek pj’s. It also features an exceptionally high level of commentary from the readers.
Where: RealClimate.org
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