Do countries fight wars for oil? Given the resource's exceptional military and economic importance, most people assume that states will do anything to obtain it. Challenging this conventional wisdom, The Oil Wars Myth reveals that countries do not launch major conflicts to acquire petroleum resources. Emily Meierding argues that the costs of foreign invasion, territorial occupation, international retaliation, and damage to oil company relations deter even the most powerful countries from initiating "classic oil wars." Examining a century of interstate violence, she demonstrates that, at most, countries have engaged in mild sparring to advance their petroleum ambitions. The Oil Wars Myth elaborates on these findings by reassessing the presumed oil motives for many of the twentieth century's most prominent international conflicts: World War II, the two American Gulf wars, the Iran–Iraq War, the Falklands/Malvinas War, and the Chaco War. These case studies show that countries have consistently refrained from fighting for oil. Meierding also explains why oil war assumptions are so common, despite the lack of supporting evidence. Since classic oil wars exist at the intersection of need and greed—two popular explanations for resource grabs—they are unusually easy to believe in. The Oil Wars Myth will engage and inform anyone interested in oil, war, and the narratives that connect them.

Since the beginning of the US shale gas revolution in 2005, the development of unconventional oil and gas resources has gathered tremendous pace around the world. This book provides a comprehensive overview of the key geologic, geophysical, and engineering principles that govern the development of unconventional reservoirs. The book begins with a detailed characterization of unconventional reservoir rocks: their composition and microstructure, mechanical properties, and the processes controlling fault slip and fluid flow. A discussion of geomechanical principles follows, including the state of stress, pore pressure, and the importance of fractures and faults. After reviewing the fundamentals of horizontal drilling, multi-stage hydraulic fracturing, and stimulation of slip on pre-existing faults, the key factors impacting hydrocarbon production are explored. The final chapters cover environmental impacts and how to mitigate hazards associated with induced seismicity. This text provides an essential overview for students, researchers, and industry professionals interested in unconventional reservoirs.

Reviews shale reservoir characteristics and cut-offs used in ranking development opportunities and selecting specific completion intervals. The included information is concise and practical as it is primarily intended for those directly engaged in shale evaluation and development activities. The book expands upon topics the author covers in three industry short courses that have been conducted for hundreds of industry professionals in a dozen different countries.

Unconventional energy sources have gained and will continue to gain an increasing share of energy systems around the world. Today, hydrogen is recognized as a non-polluting energy carrier because it does not contribute to global warming if it is produced from renewable sources. Hydrogen is already part of today's chemical industry, but as an energy source, its rare advantages can only be obtained with the help of technologies. Currently, the fuel cell is considered the cleanest sustainable energy. With the development of fuel cells, hydrogen-based energy generation becomes a reality. Hydrogen Fuel Cell Technology for Stationary Applications is an essential publication that focuses on the advantages of hydrogen as a primary energy center and addresses its use in the sustainable future of stationary applications. While highlighting a broad range of topics including cost expectations, production methods, and social impact, this publication explores all aspects of the implementation and dissemination of fuel cell technology in the hope of establishing a sustainable marketplace for it. This book is ideally designed for fuel cell manufacturers, architects, electrical engineers, civil engineers, environmental engineers, advocates, manufacturers, mechanics, researchers, academicians, and students.

This book is a call for action to face up to climate change. McManners argues that that there is a way out of the world's climate emergency which needs much greater realism than the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The changing climate is leading to record temperatures and increasing frequency of storms, but this is just the commencement of dangerous consequences to come. It has become abundantly clear that a bold approach is needed to pull back from catastrophe. People like Greta Thunberg should be admired for speaking up, and we should understand why organisations such as Extinction Rebellion exist. However, protest without a clear agenda for change has little lasting impact. The case for action is overwhelming, argued eloquently by David Attenborough and other environmentalists. The world's response must be real action, not empty promises. This book provides the manifesto that protesters and environmentalists need. It states clearly the need to close down fossil fuel without delay. Individuals making change within their own lives will make little difference. The solution is to demand even bigger changes which apply to all. Read this book. Support the manifesto. Face Up to Climate Change NOW.

When Fracking Comes to Town traces the response of local communities to the shale gas revolution. Rather than cast communities as powerless to respond to oil and gas companies and their landmen, it shows that communities have adapted their local rules and regulations to meet the novel challenges accompanying unconventional gas extraction through fracking. The multidisciplinary perspectives of this volume's essays tie together insights from planners, legal scholars, political scientists, and economists. What emerges is a more nuanced perspective of shale gas development and its impacts on municipalities and residents. Unlike many political debates that cast fracking in black-and-white terms, this book's contributors embrace the complexity of local responses to fracking. States adapted legal institutions to meet the new challenges posed by this energy extraction process while under-resourced municipal officials and local planning offices found creative ways to alleviate pressure on local infrastructure and reduce harmful effects of fracking on the environment. The essays in When Fracking Comes to Town tell a story of community resilience with the rise and decline of shale gas production. Contributors: Ennio Piano, Ann M. Eisenberg, Pamela A. Mischen, Joseph T. Palka, Jr., Adelyn Hall, Carla Chifos, Teresa Cordova, Rebecca Matsco, Anna C. Osland, Carolyn G. Loh, Gavin Roberts, Sandeep Kumar Rangaraju, Frederick Tannery, Larry McCarthy, Erik R. Pages, Mark C. White, Martin Romitti, Nicholas G. McClure, Ion Simonides, Jeremy G. Weber, Max Harleman, Heidi Gorovitz Robertson