The St. Gallen Management Concept could be termed the DNA of the Integrated Business Model that is developed and detailed by Oliver D. Doleski. The practical St. Gallen Management Concept offers a good conceptual framework for the development of change, and increasingly dynamic change, which is now more than ever the key factor shaping business actions. The complexity arising from this very dynamism is becoming a defining characteristic of today's markets. Traditional methods and business models can deliver less than ideal results in this difficult environment. New approaches to business development are needed. To master complexity, these approaches must fully integrate all of the many and diverse aspects and demands of normative, strategic and operational management.

As industrial, commercial, and residential demands increase and with the rise of privatization and deregulation of the electric energy industry around the world, it is necessary to improve the performance of electric operational management. Intelligent Energy Demand Forecasting offers approaches and methods to calculate optimal electric energy allocation to reach equilibrium of the supply and demand. Evolutionary algorithms and intelligent analytical tools to improve energy demand forecasting accuracy are explored and explained in relation to existing methods. To provide clearer picture of how these hybridized evolutionary algorithms and intelligent analytical tools are processed, Intelligent Energy Demand Forecasting emphasizes on improving the drawbacks of existing algorithms. Written for researchers, postgraduates, and lecturers, Intelligent Energy Demand Forecasting helps to develop the skills and methods to provide more accurate energy demand forecasting by employing novel hybridized evolutionary algorithms and intelligent analytical tools.

In 1989, the International Labor Organization stated that all indigenous peoples living in the postcolonial world were entitled to the right to prior consultation, over activities that could potentially impact their territories and traditional livelihoods. However, in many cases the economic importance of industries such as mining and oil condition the way that governments implement the right to prior consultation. This book explores extractive conflicts between indigenous populations, the government and oil and mining companies in Latin America, namely Mexico, Peru and Bolivia. Building on two years of research and drawing on the state-corporate and environmental crime literatures, this book examines the legal, extralegal, illegal as well as political strategies used by the state and extractive companies to avoid undesired results produced by the legalization of the right to prior consultation. It examines the ways in which prior consultation is utilized by powerful indigenous actors to negotiate economic resources with the state and extractive companies, while also showing the ways in which weaker indigenous groups are incapable of engaging in prior consultations in a meaningful way and are therefore left at the mercy of negative ecological impacts. It demonstrates how social mobilization-not prior consultation-is the most effective strategy in preventing extraction from moving forward within ecologically fragile indigenous territories.

As an essential component for economic growth, energy has a significant impact on the global economy. The need to meet growing energy demand has prompted cutting-edge innovation in clean technology in an attempt to realise environmental and cost objectives, whilst ensuring the security of energy supply. This Handbook offers a comprehensive review of the economics of energy, including contributions from a distinguished array of international specialists. It provides a thorough discussion of the major research issues in this topical field of economics.Themes addressed include the theory of energy supply, demand and policy, empirical modelling of energy demand, holistic energy models, an analysis of coal, gas, electricity, oil and the 'markets' within which they operate, and a discussion of the current key energy policy issues. The topics of pricing, transmission, regulation, security, energy efficiency, new technologies and climate change are also discussed. The International Handbook on the Economics of Energy presents a comprehensive overview of the state-of-the-art research making it an indispensable reference for researchers, advanced students, practitioners and policy-makers alike.

The modern financial system was developed to support the rapid economic growth that took off about 200 years ago with the phenomenal amounts of cheap energy made available through the exploitation of fossil fuels. As a result, its viability is completely dependent upon the continuation of that growth. Unfortunately, the more recent fossil fuel discoveries, especially for oil, have tended to have lower production levels than earlier ones. In addition, greater amounts of energy are required to extract the fossil fuels leading to less net energy available for society. The Energy Return On Investment (EROI) for oil has fallen from 30:1 in the 1970's to 10:1 today. Thus, newer energy finds produce lower extraction rates and more of the energy provided is offset by the energy used in the extraction processes. The result has been economic stagnation or even contraction, with growth in China and India etc. only possible due to the extensive use of local coal reserves, and recession-induced drops in OECD country energy use. Renewable sources of energy will not be able to expand fast enough to replace the 87% of energy supplies provided by fossil fuels, and apart from hydro and wind, tend to have very low EROI rates. They are also critically dependent upon the cheap energy infrastructure provided by fossil fuels. The phenomenal amounts of path-dependent energy infrastructure will also greatly inhibit any move away from fossil fuels.

Without continued economic growth there will not be the extra output to fund loan interest payments, nor the revenue and profit growth to support share price/earnings multiples. The financial system acts as a time machine, creating asset prices based upon perceptions of the future. As an increasing percentage of investors come to accept the future reality of at best, financial asset prices will fall to reflect a realistic future. The resulting crash will remove the underpinnings of the banking, brokerage, mutual fund, pension fund, and insurance industries. The comfortable futures of many will be shown to have been based upon a mirage of future growth that will not take place. With the financial system acting as the critical coordination system of the global economy, its crash will also intensify economic problems. Written by a retired financial industry executive with over 25 years of experience, this book describes how the crisis will affect different regions and industries to help identify the career and investment choices which may provide a relative safe harbour.

The vital importance of energy and the challenges associated with it necessitates the efficient structuring of energy markets and well-designed policies. This book presents an economic analysis of the main effects of liberalizing the electricity and natural gas markets across Western Europe. It is based on a state-of-the art detailed numerical simulation model that takes account of the interlinkages between different energy markets. Short-run and long-run effects are identified and the robustness of results is tested. Separate chapters discuss climate policy, renewable energy and the role of Russia. A key finding is that liberalization lowers energy prices and increases consumption, particularly in the electricity markets where prices fall by 25 per cent on average in the short run. Effects are somewhat stronger in the long run, as investment options are utilized.The welfare benefits of liberalization are considerable in the long run. However, liberalization increases emissions of CO2. The welfare costs of fulfilling Western Europe's Kyoto obligations depend highly on the policies implemented, but are at least as large as the benefits of liberalization. This book centres on the effects of the liberalization of European energy markets, given that the liberalization process proceeds as the EU has proposed it. The process thus far has been slow, not least because of considerable resistance from key agents in the market, and the final outcome is not clear. Graduate students and researchers in energy economics, numerical economic modeling and operational research will warmly welcome Liberalizing European Energy Markets. It will also appeal to both energy policymakers and management in the energy industries of Europe.

People rarely stop to think about where the energy they use to power their everyday lives comes from and when they do it is often to ask a worried question: is mankind s energy usage killing the planet? How do we deal with nuclear waste? What happens when the oil runs out? Energy: The Basics answers these questions but it also does much more. In this engaging yet even-handed introduction, readers are introduced to:

• the concept of energy and what it really means
• the ways energy is currently generated and the sources used
• new and emerging energy technologies such as solar power and biofuels
• the impacts of energy use on the environment including climate change

Featuring explanatory diagrams, tables, a glossary and an extensive further reading list, this book is the ideal starting point for anyone interested in the impact and future of the world s energy supply.

This book studies policymaking in the Latin American electricity and telecommunication sectors. Murillo's analysis of the Latin American electricity and telecommunications sectors shows that different degrees of electoral competition and the partisan composition of the government were crucial in resolving policymakers' tension between the interests of voters and the economic incentives generated by international financial markets and private corporations in the context of capital scarcity. Electoral competition by credible challengers dissuaded politicians from adopting policies deemed necessary to attract capital inflows. When electoral competition was low, financial pressures prevailed, but the partisan orientation of reformers shaped the regulatory design of market-friendly reforms. In the post-reform period, moreover, electoral competition and policymakers' partisanship shaped regulatory redistribution between residential consumers, large users, and privatized providers.

Many people wonder: Are we really running out of oil, or is it all a ruse to drive prices up? Is nuclear power safe and economical? Is solar energy really the key to providing plenty of carbon-free energy? Do we have enough natural gas or coal to make any loss of oil production irrelevant? In Power Plays: Energy Options in the Age of Peak Oil, energy expert Robert Rapier helps readers sort through energy hype, doom and gloom, and misinformation to understand what really matters in energy, and how it impacts individuals, investors, businesspeople, and policy makers worldwide. The book covers the overall global energy situation, the particular risks for the U.S. with its present energy mix, the energy outlook for the developed world and emerging economies like China and India, what peak oil really means, and the present and likely future of natural gas, coal, oil, nuclear power, and alternative energy sources. The book also addresses common misconceptions. For instance, most readers are likely unaware that the U.S. is the third-largest oil producer in the world. Or that Canada leads the U.S. in per capita oil consumption.It will also highlight interesting facts - for example, China has solved part of its energy challenge by mandating solar hot water systems in all new construction. Most importantly, the book will provide specific energy insights unavailable elsewhere and help individuals and business planners chart future actions and decisions. With the disaster at Fukushima, the discovery of the Marcellus shale natural gas deposits, the increasing efficiency of solar electricity installations, and the unsustainable supply of oil, the energy outlook has changed greatly over the last couple of years. What's now required is just what this book delivers: a sober, even-handed account of our energy resources, present and future, that will help people plan for a world without cheap energy. What you'll learn * Why oil prices have increased so dramatically over the past decade, and the impact of depending on oil imports * What peak oil really means, and how it will affect you * The economics of various energy sources and the probable changes in supply, demand, and hence price * Why carbon emissions are likely to continue to rise * The implications of the shale gas revolution on U.S. energy supplies * The pros and cons of nuclear power and coal-fired generating plants * Why alternative energy sources aren't yet ready to solve our energy challenges * How to make better energy-related decisions Who this book is for This book is for anyone who wants to enhance their basic understanding of energy and learn to separate facts from misinformation.The book will also help readers to understand the costs, benefits, and inherent trade-offs for each of our major energy options, making it particularly useful for business strategists, policy makers, public servants, and investors. Table of ContentsChapter 1. All About Energy: Dependence and Disconnect Chapter 2. Fossil Fuels and Nuclear Power: Powering Modern Civilization Chapter 3. Renewable Energy: Energy of the Past and the Future Chapter 4. Energy Production: From the Source to the Consumer Chapter 5. Global Warming: How Do You Stop a Hurricane? Chapter 6. Peak Oil: Myth or Threat to Civilization? Chapter 7. Nuclear Power: Practical Solution or Environmental Disaster? Chapter 8. Risk and Uncertainty: Energy Security Challenges Chapter 9. Reducing the Risks: Policies to Enhance Energy Security Chapter 10. Investing in Cleantech: A Guide to Technical Due Diligence Chapter 11. The Race to Replace Oil: Alternative Transportation Fuels Chapter 12. Oil-Free Transportation: Alternatives to the Internal Combustion Engine Chapter 13.Corn Ethanol: Past, Present, and Future Chapter 14. U.S. Energy Politics: The Elusive Goal of Energy Independence Chapter 15. The Road Ahead: Planning and Preparation

Project management for oil and gas projects comes with a unique set of challenges that include the management of science, technology, and engineering aspects. Underlining the specific issues involved in projects in this field, Project Management for the Oil and Gas Industry: A World System Approach presents step-by-step application of project management techniques. Using the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK(r)) framework from the Project Management Institute (PMI) as the platform, the book provides an integrated approach that covers the concepts, tools, and techniques for managing oil and gas projects.
The authors discuss specialized tools such as plan, do, check, act (PDCA); define, measure, analyze, improve, control (DMAIC); suppliers, inputs, process, outputs, customers (SIPOC); design, evaluate, justify, integrate (DEJI); quality function deployment (QFD); affinity diagrams; flowcharts; Pareto charts; and histograms. They also discuss the major activities in oil and gas risk assessment, such as feasibility studies, design, transportation, utility, survey works, construction, permanent structure works, mechanical and electrical installations, and maintenance.
Strongly advocating a world systems approach to managing oil and gas projects and programs, the book covers quantitative and qualitative techniques. It addresses technical and managerial aspects of projects and illustrates the concepts with case examples of applications of project management tools and techniques to real-life project scenarios that can serve as lessons learned for best practices. An in-depth examination of project management for oil and gas projects, the book is a handbook for professionals in the field, a guidebook for technical consultants, and a resource for students.

Das Fachbuch beschaftigt sich mit Braunkohle als einheimischer Energierohstoff mit hohem Nutzungspotential fur die chemische Industrie, die Metallurgie und andere Wirtschaftszweige. Der komplexe Aufbau dieses Naturprodukts ist einerseits eine grosse Herausforderung fur dessen Verarbeitung, erlaubt andererseits aber auch eine grosse Bandbreite der stofflichen Wertschoepfung. Ausgehend von Grundlagen und Verfahren der stofflichen Braunkohlenutzung werden Forschungsergebnisse zu neuen Analysemethoden, zu grundlegenden prozess- und werkstofftechnischen Untersuchungen, zu neuen Ansatzen fur Verfahrens- und Komponentenentwicklungen sowie zu neu geschaffenen Modellierungs- und Simulationswerkzeugen vorgestellt. Die Einzelthemen sind entlang der Wertschoepfungskette vom Rohstoff zum Produkt, auch unter Einbeziehung von Biomasse als nachwachsendem Energierohstoff, strukturiert.

This volume examines energy security in a privatized, liberalized, and increasingly global energy market, in which the concept of sustainability has developed together with a higher awareness of environmental issues, but where the potential for supply disruptions, price fluctuation, and threats to infrastructure safety must also be considered. Part I commences with an essential introductory chapter which defines energy security and sets forth the key issues and themes of the book. There then follow several cross-cutting chapters which include sceptical analysis of energy security claims from an environmental perspective and a broader geopolitical analysis of energy security. Part II examines a wide variety of international, regional, and national approaches to energy security issues. Energy security concerns differ considerably from country to country, however most of the chapters examining particular nations provide an economic and historical context of their energy security concerns, followed by a detailed analysis of the legal provisions relating to each of the main energy sectors (oil, gas, coal, electricity, nuclear, and renewable energies). This entails examination of regulation, organization, and planning for security and other purposes. In a number of cases, energy security law is shaped by other factors such as market liberalization, environmental protection, and competition policy. Part III comprises two final chapters, the first contrasting the various national and regional approaches and analysing cross-cutting issues, whilst the concluding chapter forecasts future trends in the legal regulation of energy security.

Attracting private investment and delivery of services to the poor majority are two of the major goals for reforming and regulating the power sector in sub-Saharan Africa. This book believes the important determinants of new investment in the electricity industry are the licensing process and the tariff regime. If the licensing process is to attract private investors, the procedures must be clear and must function efficiently and transparently, and the tariff regime reflect actual costs. The rationale for attracting private investment is straightforward -- the inadequacy of existing power systems in the region to meet demand. In many countries, frequent power cuts linked to inadequate electricity generation capacity are the norm rather than the exception. The rationale for considering the plight of the poor is based on both ethical and sustainability considerations. In ethical terms, access to energy is a fundamental human right in the context of social justice. In sustainability terms, a reformed private-investor-dominated power sector that does not recognize the plight of the poor may represent sound economics yet prove to be socially and politically unsustainable. It is therefore necessary to ensure that the recommended regulatory reforms are sensitive to the needs of the poor majority. This volume examines the extent to which the twin goals of attracting investment and providing energy to the poor are addressed by the existing legal and regulatory framework. By studying six countries in the east and southern African region, some helpful lessons worth sharing with other African countries are learned.

This book is the latest annual review of utility regulation and deregulation, published in association with the Institute of Economic Affairs and the London Business School. It contains a series of chapters from leading practitioners in the field which comment on the most significant and up-to-date developments. Topics include US telecoms deregulation, road network regulation, UK competition policy, Ofcom and light touch regulation, railway regulation, the liberalisation of European utility markets, postal regulation, investment and regulation, and energy regulation in the UK. Two papers are presented on each issue: the first by a distinguished academic or industry expert and the second, a shorter comment, usually by the relevant regulator. Together they show how regulation and deregulation are evolving, and highlight the successes which have been achieved and the failures which must be overcome. This book will be of considerable value to practitioners, policymakers and academics involved in regulatory reform and regulatory economics. It will also be of interest to anyone wishing to gain an overview of international regulatory policies.

Co-published with The Graduate Institute, this book examines how energy issues have intensified with modern development, how they shape geopolitics and access to energy in Africa, and how inconsistent energy governance really is. It discusses energy policy options in developing and emerging countries and questions the role of development aid.

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) has emerged rapidly as a crucial technological option for decarbonising electricity supply and mitigating climate change. Great hopes are being pinned on this new technology but it is also facing growing scepticism and criticism. This book is the first to bring together the full range of social and policy issues surrounding CCS shedding new light on this potentially vital technology and its future. The book covers many crucial topics including the roles and positions that different publics, NGOs, industry, political parties and media are taking up; the way CCS is organised, supported and regulated; how CCS is being debated and judged; how innovation, demonstration and learning are occurring and being conceptualised and promoted; and the role of CCS in the transition to a low carbon energy future. The authors draw on a variety of approaches, concepts, methods and themes and provide a new understanding of innovation in the energy and climate change fields. It tackles the many issues in a way that speaks to those concerned not only to understand these developments, but to those who are involved in the scientific and technological work itself, as well as those charged with evaluating and making decisions relevant to the future of the technology.

This CIGRE green book begins by addressing the specification and provision of communication services in the context of operational applications for electrical power utilities, before subsequently providing guidelines on the deployment or transformation of networks to deliver these specific communication services. Lastly, it demonstrates how these networks and their services can be monitored, operated, and maintained to ensure that the requisite high level of service quality is consistently achieved.

Das Buch erlautert die wirtschaftlichen Konsequenzen und technischen Moeglichkeiten aus den neuen gesetzlichen Vorgaben von EEG und KWK (Gesetze zur Energieumlage und zur Umlage von Kraft-Warme-Kopplung). Diese gesetzlichen Vorgaben beeinflussen die Unternehmen und Organisationen hinsichtlich ihrer Investitionsentscheidung zur Energieerzeugung. Mit Hilfe von Sensitivitatsanalysen erstellt der Autor fur kleine und mittlere Anlagen Beispielrechnungen und erlautert, welche Moeglichkeiten sich zur technischen Auswahl der Energieerzeugungsanlage ergeben. Diese haben einen erheblichen Einfluss, die sich fur Industrieunternehmen ebenso wie fur Energieversorger oder Kommunen aus den gesetzlichen AEnderungen ergeben.

Reducing and managing humanity's demand for energy is a fundamental part of the effort to mitigate climate change. In this, the most comprehensive textbook ever written on the subject, L.D. Danny Harvey lays out the theory and practice of how things must change if we are to meet our energy needs sustainably.

The book begins with a succinct summary of the scientific basis for concern over global warming, then outlines energy basics and current patterns and trends in energy use. This is followed by a discussion of current and advanced technologies for the generation of electricity from fossil fuels. The book then considers in detail how energy is used, and how this use can be dramatically reduced, in the following end-use sectors:

• buildings
• transportation
• industry
• food and agriculture
• municipal services.

The findings from these sector-by-sector assessments are then applied to generate scenarios of how global energy demand could evolve over the coming decades with full implementation of the identified and economically-feasible energy-saving potential. The book ends with a brief discussion of policies that can be used to reduce energy demand, but also addresses the limits of technologically-based improvements in efficiency in moderating demand and of the need to re-think some of our underlying assumptions concern ends with a brief discusing what we really need. Along with its companion volume on C-free energy supply, and accompanied by extensive supplementary online material, this is an essential resource for students and practitioners in engineering, architecture, environment and energy related fields.

Online material includes: Excel-based computational exercises, teaching slides for each chapter, links to free software tools.

'The author leavens his discussion of a transition to a sustainable energy mix with the views of three prominent energy experts; following this is an introduction to aEURO~Goldilocks policyaEURO (TM) and a detailed discussion of its obstacles. The author stresses the importance of factoring in capacity, cost, safety, reliability, and environmental effects in developing a sustainable energy policy.'CHOICEThis book makes the case for a grand energy bargain that recognizes the need to protect the environment from the combustion of fossil fuels while protecting the national and global economies during the transition from fossil fuels to sustainable energy.Our future energy mix depends on choices we make, which depends, in turn, on energy policy. Society is continuing a trend toward decarbonization: the reduction in the relative amount of carbon in combustible fuels. The 21st century energy mix will depend on technological advances, including some advances that cannot be anticipated, and on choices made by society.There are competing visions for reaching a sustainable energy mix. If the energy transition is too fast, it could significantly damage the global economy. If the energy transition is too slow, damage to the environment could be irreversible.The 'Goldilocks Policy for Energy Transition' is designed to establish a middle ground between these competing visions. We need the duration of the energy transition to be just right; we need to adopt a reasonable plan of action that reduces uncertainty for businesses and innovators with predictable public policy while simultaneously minimizing environmental impact.The question of climate change is still unsettled, but enough is known to motivate a transition away from fossil fuels. The transition does not have to be abrupt and catastrophic, however. Historical energy transitions can be a guide to a reasonable duration for making an orderly transition. If we exercise discipline and patience, we can overcome the obstacles to successful implementation of a grand energy bargain.

'The author leavens his discussion of a transition to a sustainable energy mix with the views of three prominent energy experts; following this is an introduction to aEURO~Goldilocks policyaEURO (TM) and a detailed discussion of its obstacles. The author stresses the importance of factoring in capacity, cost, safety, reliability, and environmental effects in developing a sustainable energy policy.'CHOICEThis book makes the case for a grand energy bargain that recognizes the need to protect the environment from the combustion of fossil fuels while protecting the national and global economies during the transition from fossil fuels to sustainable energy.Our future energy mix depends on choices we make, which depends, in turn, on energy policy. Society is continuing a trend toward decarbonization: the reduction in the relative amount of carbon in combustible fuels. The 21st century energy mix will depend on technological advances, including some advances that cannot be anticipated, and on choices made by society.There are competing visions for reaching a sustainable energy mix. If the energy transition is too fast, it could significantly damage the global economy. If the energy transition is too slow, damage to the environment could be irreversible.The 'Goldilocks Policy for Energy Transition' is designed to establish a middle ground between these competing visions. We need the duration of the energy transition to be just right; we need to adopt a reasonable plan of action that reduces uncertainty for businesses and innovators with predictable public policy while simultaneously minimizing environmental impact.The question of climate change is still unsettled, but enough is known to motivate a transition away from fossil fuels. The transition does not have to be abrupt and catastrophic, however. Historical energy transitions can be a guide to a reasonable duration for making an orderly transition. If we exercise discipline and patience, we can overcome the obstacles to successful implementation of a grand energy bargain.

The relationship between energy and the environment has been the basis of many studies over the years, as has the relationship between energy and development, yet both of these approaches may produce distortions. In the first edition of this book, Professor Goldemberg pioneered the study of all three elements in relation to one another. With contributions from Oswaldo Lucon, this second edition has been expanded and updated to cover how energy is related to the major challenges of sustainability faced by the world today.The book starts by conceptualizing energy, and then relates it to human activities, to existing natural resources and to development indicators. It then covers the main environmental problems, their causes and possible solutions. Disaggregating national populations by income and by how different income groups consume energy, the authors identify the differences between local, regional and global environmental impacts, and can thus ascertain who is responsible for them. Finally, they discuss general and specific policies to promote sustainable development in energy. New coverage is included of today's pressing issues, including security, environmental impact assessment and future climate change/renewable energy regimes. The authors also cover all major new international agreements and technological developments. Energy, Environment and Development is the result of many years of study and practical experience in policy formulation, discussion and implementation in these fields by the authors. Written in a technical yet accessible style, the book is aimed at students on a range of courses, as well as non-energy specialists who desire an overview of recent thought in the area.

Energy and environmental security are major problems facing our global economy. Fossil fuels, particularly crude oil, are confined to a few regions of the world and the continuity of supply is governed by dynamic political, economic and ecological factors. These factors conspire to force volatile, often high fuel prices while, at the same time, environmental policy is - manding a reduction in greenhouse gases and toxic emissions. Yet incr- sed growth and demand for welfare by developed and developing countries are placing higher pressure on energy resources. In particular, a large fraction of "new consumers" in developing countries already reached a purchasing power high enough as to be able to access to commodity and energy markets worldwide, thus boosting energy consumption and competition for all kinds of resources. Such a trend, although in principle may represent a progress towards diffuse welfare and wealth as well as much needed equity, is at present contributing to a rush for the appropriation of available resources which are directly and indirectly linked to energy and may contribute to planetary instability if it is not adequately understood and managed. A coherent energy strategy is required, addressing both energy supply and demand, security of access, development problems, equity, market dy- mics, by also taking into account the whole energy lifecycle including fuel production, transmission and distribution, energy conversion, and the impact on energy equipment manufacturers and the end-users of energy systems.

After conquering the hallowed halls of Harvard Business School, an Italian-American kid from the streets of Brooklyn decides to take on the testosterone-fueled Merc Exchange in lower Manhattan--where billions of dollars in oil money trade hands every week and where fistfights are known to break out on the trading floor.

Soon our hero is living the good life in the gold-lined hotel palaces of Dubai and on private yachts in Monte Carlo, teeming with half-naked girls flown in by Saudi sheikhs, and making deals in the dangerous back alleys of Beijing. But that's only the beginning. Taken under the wing of another young gun and partnering with a mysterious young Muslim, the kid embarks on a dangerous adventure to revolutionize the oil trading industry--and, along with it, the world.

This is a true story.

A free open access ebook is available upon publication. Learn more at www.luminosoa.org. Landlocked and surrounded by South Africa on all sides, the mountain kingdom of Lesotho became the world's first "water-exporting country" when it signed a 1986 treaty with its powerful neighbor. An elaborate network of dams and tunnels now carries water to Johannesburg, the subcontinent's water-stressed economic epicenter. Hopes that receipts from water sales could improve Lesotho's fortunes, however, have clashed with fears that soil erosion from overgrazing livestock could fill its reservoirs with sediment. In this wide-ranging and deeply researched book, Colin Hoag shows how producing water commodities incites a fluvial imagination. Engineering water security for urban South Africa draws attention ever further into Lesotho's rural upstream catchments: from reservoirs to the soils and vegetation above them, and even to the social lives of herders at remote livestock posts. As we enter our planet's water-export era, Lesotho exposes the possibilities and perils ahead.