In this gripping account of the quest for the energy that our world needs, Daniel Yergin continues the riveting story begun in his Pulitzer Prize-winning book, The Prize. A master storyteller as well as a leading energy expert, Yergin shows us how energy is an engine of global political and economic change. It is a story that spans the energies on which our civilization has been built and the new energies that are competing to replace them. From the jammed streets of Beijing to the shores of the Caspian Sea, from the conflicts in the Mideast to Capitol Hill and Silicon Valley, Yergin takes us into the decisions that are shaping our future.
The drama of oil-the struggle for access, the battle for control, the insecurity of supply, the consequences of use, its impact on the global economy, and the geopolitics that dominate it-continues to profoundly affect our world.. Yergin tells the inside stories of the oil market and the surge in oil prices, the race to control the resources of the former Soviet empire, and the massive mergers that transformed the landscape of world oil. He tackles the toughest questions: Will we run out of oil? Are China and the United States destined to come into conflict over oil? How will a turbulent Middle East affect the future of oil supply?
Yergin also reveals the surprising and sometimes tumultuous history of nuclear and coal, electricity, and the "shale gale" of natural gas, and how each fits into the larger marketplace. He brings climate change into unique perspective by offering an unprecedented history of how the field of climate study went from the concern of a handful of nineteenth- century scientists preoccupied with a new Ice Age into one of the most significant issues of our times.
He leads us through the rebirth of renewable energies and explores the distinctive stories of wind, solar, and biofuels. He offers a perspective on the return of the electric car, which some are betting will be necessary for a growing global economy.
The Quest presents an extraordinary range of characters and dramatic stories that illustrate the principles that will shape a robust and flexible energy security system for the decades to come. Energy is humbling in its scope, but our future requires that we deeply understand this global quest that is truly reshaping our world.
Daniel Yergin is one of the most influential voices on energy in the world and a highly respected authority on energy, international politics and economics. He is a recipient of the United States Energy Award for "lifelong achievements in energy and the promotion of international understanding." Dr. Yergin received the Pulitzer for The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money and Power, which became a number one best seller and was made into an eight-hour PBS/BBC series seen by 20 million people in the United States. He is chairman of IHS Cambridge Energy Research Associates, the leading research and consulting firms in its field. He serves as CNBC's Global Energy Expert.
“The search for sufficient, clean energy represents the defining challenge of this generation. Daniel Yergin has masterfully connected the forces of economics and geopolitics with the complex science of energy production and climate change. The Quest provides a lucid guide through the forest of issues that stands between us and a sustainable energy future.” --(Susan Hockfield, President of Massachusetts Institute of Technology )
Bill Gates
“It's a fantastic book I highly recommend to anyone who is interested in energy.”--Bill Gates
Frederick W. Smith
“This is a profound, unique, and brilliantly written book about some of the most important issues of our times.” --(Frederick W. Smith, Chairman & CEO of the FedEx Corporation)
Fred Krupp
Written by America's preeminent energy expert, The Quest is a must read for anyone wanting to understand our energy world, how climate change became part of the energy equation - and how we can chart a path forward. (Fred Krupp, President of the Environmental Defense Fund)
Walter Isaacson
This fascinating saga is the definitive book on the most important of global issues, the quest for sustainable sources of energy. Dan Yergin, the preeminent energy expert of our times, weaves together security and environmental concerns to explain the system we have today and to analyze the sensible paths forward. This is one book you must read to understand the future of our economy and our way of life. (Walter Isaacson, president and CEO of The Aspen Institute)
Henry Kissinger
The Quest, by Daniel Yergin, one of the world's most experienced and influential authorities on global energy, may well become the definitive work on the science, history and economics of this most complex and important subject. This masterful and illuminating book on one of the most vital issues of our time, one that will powerfully influence international politics, economics and nations world-wide, should be essential reading for policy-makers everywhere. (Dr. Henry Kissinger)
Steve Coll
In the magisterial style of his earlier global narrative of energy politics, The Prize, Daniel Yergin has again delivered a sweeping, authoritative, account of the science, economics and geopolitics of energy. His writing, as ever, is clear and intelligent, and his subject could hardly be timelier. (Steve Coll, author of The Bin Ladens and Ghost Wars, president of New America Foundation)
Dr. Henry Kissinger
"The Quest, by Daniel Yergin, one of the world's most experienced and influential authorities on global energy, may well become the definitive work on the science, history and economics of this most complex and important subject. This masterful and illuminating book on one of the most vital issues of our time, one that will powerfully influence international politics, economics and nations world-wide, should be essential reading for policy-makers everywhere." --(Dr. Henry Kissinger)
Lawrence Summers
Dan Yergin's The Prize was a magisterial masterpiece. Now Yergin widens his lens. And takes in not just oil but all energy sources. Anyone who wants to understand the economics or the politics of the 21st century should read this book. (Lawrence Summers, University Professor, Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government)
