Books - Authors E through H

     In this section you will find our Book Reviews of the work of Authors E through H. The topics we cover are across the spectrum of topics including Global Warming, Peak Oil, Oil Security, Politics, Environmental issues, etc. The views expressed here are purely those of the reviewer's. These reviews are not prompted by copies direct from the Publisher.

     It is our policy to be fair about each book and to point out good and bad in each review. In our opinion we believe that the informed Carbon Cutter should make a reasonable effort to read a selection of these books based upon our recommendations. Knowledge is power.

David Holmgren "Permaculture"

     ISBN 0 646 41844 0. "Permaculture Principles & Pathways Beyond Sustainability" was written by David Holmgren and published by Holmgren Design Services in 2002 (this the 2006 reprint). In the 1970's David and Bill Mollison introduced the term "Permaculture" to the world from their work in Tasmania. They Co-Authored "Permaculture One" in 1978 which quickly became THE Book on the topic. With such a great pioneer at the helm this book could normally be considered as the most authoritative work on the topic to date. However, the problem is obvious up-front - in the title. Anyone who publicises a book with the oxymoronic concept of "beyond sustainability" should hang their heads in shame. The operative word here is "principles". This is not a book full of much practical advice. Anyone unfamiliar with permaculture would find this hard work. This is not for the beginner. Indeed it is hard to know exactly who would find this book useful. It is obviously the work of a University Academic for other University Academics. If you happen to be fascinated by the flora and fauna of Australia (in particular - Trees) then there might be some meaning to this work for you. Otherwise I suggest the rest of humanity (the vast vast majority of us!) steer well clear of this book. It will put most readers off the idea because it makes a practical topic come over as utterly boring, dry, academic and dogmatic. Through this book Holmgren sets out a number of key principles. There are no pictures and practically no diagrams. There are a few, somewhat nebulous, 'diagrams' that would (at least for those of us who read "Dilbert" Cartoons) make you roll your eyes to heaven. Talk about style over content. I have only ever seen similar gibberish printed on freebie-mouse-mats given away by Management Consulting firms. This is all about 'ideas' detached from day-to-day reality. I recommend that, if you really MUST read this book then skip the first ten pages. Try and read up to page 200 and then skim through the last 70-odd pages. Of the bits you read you may only find about 10% is remotely interesting or relevant. Holmgren thinks his principles are so generally applicable that he applies them to all forms of Social, Government, Corporate and human structure. This really stretches credibility. It is very self-indulgent. To give you an idea here is a quote lifted at random from page 265: "I suggest that ways of thinking built into very young minds through TV and other media technology are perhaps the greatest impediment to pattern understanding involving the temporal dimension." Well, that says it all. If you thought this was a Gardening book think again. This quote is typical. We cannot recommend this book. There is very little in here besides a few anecdotes. It doesn't travel well beyond its antipodean roots. On the positive side, although David never mentions "Peak Oil" he does make often reference to what he calls the "Energy Descent" and the end of "fossil fuel Capitalism". This guys know what is about to happen to us and he wants to change the way we think about the world in order for us to survive. A nice thought, but, as he admits, our current behavioural patterns started some 6000 years ago with the foundation of the first cities. A book like this changes nothing and comes over as navel-gazing management-speak. Only recommended for those of you into hard-core philosophy. Otherwise this is just too personal to make any kind of a good read. For fans of Holmgren only.

Paul Gipe "Wind Energy Basics"

     "Wind Energy Basics - A Guide to Small and Micro Wind Systems" by Paul Gipe. ISBN 1 890132 07 1. Published by Chelsea Green in 1999. A bit dated now, this book still retains a lot of relevance even though it is written largely based upon the output of the U.S. Homepower community. Paul handles the science really well but occasionally gets carried away in his enthusiasm. Hence it sometimes reads like a physics text book. Thankfully he doesn't dwell too much on the science and most of the book is packed full of examples and common sense advice. He supplies lots of practical information about the tips and techniques for getting the best from your small wind turbine. Of course he does not recommend that you ever mount the device on your house so there is a significant amount of discussion about how to mount the windturbine, how high, how far away from obstructions, etc. Paul has spent much time in the mecca of wind turbine technology - Denmark. He shares his experiences from around the world but most of this book is aimed at the rural U.S. market. It would be nice if the photo's in the book were in full colour but you do get a lot of them and a good measure of diagrams to boot. Clearly Paul has also spent a lot of time discussing matters with Hugh Piggot of Scoraig in Scotland. Many photo's feature the author himself working on his projects and demonstrations. You know Paul is a man you can trust. Recommended.

Goodstein "Out of Gas"

     ISBN 0-393-05857-3. Published by W. W. Norton & Company in 2004. Subtitled "The End of the Age of Oil" and boasting an imaginative front cover artwork. David Goodstein is a professor of Physics at Caltech. If he tells you there is a problem you should probably sit up and take notice. Will fossil fuels really be replaced as soon as the price rises high enough? What would happen to our climate if we burnt all the oil that is left? Can western civilisation survive without oil? He uses science in an attempt to study the geology and politics behind what is going on in the world. He explains how the coming oil crisis in inevitable. Like any natural resource it is finite. After a while discovery of new reserves will eventually tail-off. A few years later the rate of production will also start to tail-off. This book was dedicated to "our  children and grandchildren who will not inherit the riches that we inherited". Through the book the author looks at the future, energy history, energy myths, heat engines, entropy, technological fixes and so on. It all reads like a secondary school text book. A light and easy read although obviously the work of a scientist. Recommended.

"The Green Building Bible" vol 1

     ISBN 1-989130-03-05. "The Green Building Bible" 3rd Edition, Volume 1. Published by the Green Building Press in 2006. Billing itself as "All you need to know about ecobuilding" THAT isn't far from the truth! This is a 466 page long volume including listings of green building professionals, tradespeople, product suppliers and related organisations in the UK and Ireland. The Green Building Press empire started with the "Building for a Future" magazine and the New Builder web site. "Building for a Future" has now been renamed "Green Building Magazine" (don't know why - the original name was far more accurate!) There is a second volume available containing all the techie details too boring for volume 1. This means that volume 1 is packed with rather general platitudes in a 'greener' building direction. Despite being organised into 8 colour-coded chapters the content is repetitive with the same or similar topics being written about by many different authors and then reproduced in different sections of the book. Maybe the Editor thinks the reader will have forgotten about the contents of page 16 by the time they get to page 400! Sometimes you felt like you were in groundhog day. The multitude of authors represent all shades of opinion and sometimes hold differing viewpoints with occasionally contradictory statistics. As such the book has been thrown together from short magazine articles in a slightly haphazard way. Something not dispelled by the numerous typos, spelling mistakes and grammatical errors scattered through the text. (Something I admit Carbon Cutters struggles to lick!) These criticisms do not detract from the over-all quality of this as a read. It really is meant to be a text book and you really shouldn't sit down to read it like a novel. As such the similar topics could have been grouped together by theme. But you get EVERYTHING! From Straw Buildings to Micro-CHP. From Passive House design to a review of the biomass industry. You name it, it is here. This is extremely comprehensive. The book is aimed as a primer for the builder and professional who build from the ground up. However, many of us will be interested in this work to learn about how to make our existing homes better. Since there is an awful lot of content here then they do also deliver on this front but it is not really their intention. As "bibles" go this is the gospel. I doubt if there is much better out there between one set of covers. It is authoritative and thoroughly recommended. It makes me want to go out and buy volume II straight away. The only disappointing thing (apart from the haphazard nature of the production) is that there is still an enormous gap for the DIY home renovator in the publishing market.

Heinberg "Party's Over"

     ISBN 1-902636-45-7. Published in 2003 by Clairview. This work is significant for me as it was probably my first introduction to the concepts of oil depletion and what this means for Industrialised Society in the west. This is subtitled "Oil, War and the Fate of Industrial Societies" and sums it up neatly. Global Oil production will peak and probably has already done so by the time I am writing these words in early 2007. Even with a switch to renewables and sustainable technologies we will have to live with a lot less energy that we have been used to over the last 200 years - hence the title of the Book - indeed, the 'party' will be over and all the trappings of this cheap energy society will be swept away by a new harsh realism. Heinberg traces the history of fossil fuels back hundreds of years to the point that Europeans ran out of wood and had to resort to coal. This is a genuine wake-up call for everyone. Essential reading.

Hillman "How we can save..."

     Mayer Hillman's "How we can save the Planet". ISBN 0-141-01692-2 published in 2004 by Penguin Books. This book manages to be infuriating for all the normal reasons. Firstly Mayer often understates the damage that Global Warming will cause. You often conclude that it will just be a bit of bad weather. The real damage is so couched in vague language that the reality is never fully communicated to the reader. Let's face it - we are talking about massive crop failure, starvation and economic collapse leading to global suffering and death. You, me, everyone you know in London, Paris, New York, dead or starving to death or suffering a very violent death. The other problem with this book is that you have to wait until page 146 out of 180 before the author actually deals with 'how WE can save the planet'. Until that point he largely does the opposite of what the book title suggests. He maintains that almost every possible solution won't work so WE can do nothing - instead we need massive Government intervention to reduce Carbon use. This is extremely disheartening - so much so that when he gets to the point of telling us (as individuals) what we CAN do, most people may have stopped reading. I do recommend this book but read the last chapter FIRST then read the rest. WE can all do something BUT we need Governmental structures to level the playing field AND we need the help of every possible field of science & technology to help. Even if it is only a 3% saving EVERY solution has its bit to play. That includes reforestation. All we need are 23 solutions contributing 3% carbon savings each in order to fix our carbon output at sustainable levels. There is no one solution as this author implies.

Heinberg "Power Down"

     ISBN 1-902636-63-5. Published in 2004 by Clearview. Richard Heinberg's previous book was "The Party's Over: Oil, War and the Fate of Industrial Societies". THAT book changed my life by telling me the sorry tale of western civilisation in the next fifty years: oil depletion, economic collapse and environmental catastrophe. THIS book is the follow-up to his earlier work. It takes a more thoughtful long look at what civilisation must do to survive and what will probably do to destroy itself. He details four options for Industrial Societies: 'Last One Standing', 'Powerdown', 'Waiting for the Magic Elixir' and 'Building Lifeboats'. 'Last One Standing' is the current strategy of the North Americans and British. The rest are waiting for the Magic Elixir. Nobody has yet realised that they need to Powerdown. When it is too late we will be lucky to make it to a Lifeboat. Heinberg is a genius. Recommended.

Thomas Gold " Deep Hot Biosphere"

     ISBN 0 387 95253 5. Published in 2001 by Copernicus Books. Full Title: "The Deep Hot Biosphere - The Myth of Fossil Fuels". Oh Goldy Goldy quite contrary... We all know people like Gold. Those people who believe up is down, black is white and there is no such thing as gravity. Gold's advantage is obviously that he is a very clever scientist-astronomer. He has spent his career flying in the face of all the received wisdoms. Sometimes he has been proven right. Sometimes wrong. So he has won his admirers... But it is easy to imagine that there are as many in the establishment who just can't stand the guy. Is he a genius or an attention seeker? Difficult to tell. Keep an open mind as you read this book. It is reasonably readable. Thankfully it is nowhere near as impenetrable as the Deffeyes book on Peak Oil. Gold maintains that there is lots of bacterial-type live deep under the Earth (going down over 10km). He claims this life has been living off the hydrocarbons stored under the earth's crust during its formation billions of years ago - hence the link to Fossil Fuels. This life could have predated all life on top of the earth and has all kinds of wacky implications for the life throughout the Universe, evolution and life as we know it. He believes our oil, coal and gas supplies have always been there and were not formed from decaying organic matter. He presents reasonably convincing evidence and points to the discovery of commercially extractable gas supplies in areas where there shouldn't be. This is all well and good but he fails to prove that this new explanation for the source of our hydrocarbons is of much practical use. If Billion year old hydrocarbons really are trickling up from the earth's mantle then the quantities are so diffuse, so deep and so difficult to extract that there may be very few places in the world where it can ever be extracted in useful quantities. As such it represents no solution to Peak Oil. Even if it did, the mere fact that there may be a bottomless well of hydrocarbons is really bad news for Global Warming, but good news for Economists who always believe that any shortage is not  physical limit but a lack of money and a low price. They would have a field day with this if it were true as they would keep on believing that human ingenuity would solve every limit. Until they hit some other intractable limit. Putting that to one side the only objection we have to this work is that utter tosh that appears in one paragraph on page 39 of the paperback. Here, this otherwise very intelligent man, cooks off about the oil price spike in the 1970's. He makes out that this energy crisis was not for a lack of hydrocarbons but due to the strength of OPEC. Laughable!! Everyone knows that it was OPEC that raised the price and has nothing to do with shortage. Gold makes out that only he has this special insight. This rubbish alone blows his credibility and makes you wonder if ever ventures forth from his ego and into the real world. It was OPEC coupled with the peak of US Oil production that caused the 1970's upswing. He even makes out that several senior oil geologists had claimed that all the oil reservoirs would be exhausted within 15 years. Who exactly? He quotes no source. No one believes that. No one has EVER believed that! In fact the evidence clearly shows that, since the US-peak, predictions for World 'PEAK' have usually put it around 1995 to 2015. And they have pretty much been spot on. Abiogenic oil doesn't change a thing. But a little arrogance & ignorance can go a long way. Twaddle.

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