The Hydrogen Economy
Rifkin, president of the Foundation on Economic Trends and the author of a number of thought-provoking books, including The Biotech Century and The End of Work, explains that the next great economic era will be powered by hydrogen. Drawing on a variety of well-balanced research studies, his basic premise is that the world must switch from a fossil-fuel economy to a hydrogen economy. This must happen soon for three reasons: the imminent peak of global oil production, the increased concentration of remaining oil reserves in the Middle East one of the most politically and socially unstable regions of the world and the steady heating up of the world's atmosphere from fossil-fuel dependency. Detailing the shortcomings of traditional energy sources in light of possible terrorist attacks, Rifkin then covers the merits of hydrogen as a "forever fuel" and offers his own vision of a social revolution that he calls worldwide hydrogen energy web (HEW), much like today's World Wide Web. This revolution will make energy available to everyone, not just the wealthiest nations, and would be the first democratic energy regime in history. A fine companion to Peter Hoffman's Tomorrow's Energy: Hydrogen, Fuel Cells and the Prospects for a Cleaner Planet, this will be a welcome addition to most academic and larger public library collections. Eva Lautemann, Georgia Perimeter Coll., ClarkstonCopyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.