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Banerjee, Subhankar. 2003. Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: Seasons of Life and Land. Mountaineers Books. A book of beautiful photographs suppressed by powerful interests intent on drilling for oil in this remote wilderness area.
Bent, Robert, et al. 2002. Energy: Science, Policy, and the Pursuit of Sustainability. Island Press. A primer on energy, environment and society.
Bosmann, A. et al. 2001. Deep desulfurization of diesel fuel by extraction with ionic liquids. Chemical Communications 2001: 2494 – 1495. 'Ionic liquids' - salts that melt at temperatures below about 100 oC – can be used to clean sulfur compounds from diesel fuel without giving off noxious fumes.
Bradsher, Keith 2002. High and Mighty: SUVs: The World's Most Dangerous Vehicles and How They Got That Way. Public Affairs Pub. Claims that “SUVs represent the biggest menace to public safety and the environment that the auto industry has produced since the bad old days of the 1960s.”
Byrne, John and Steve Hoffman, eds. 1995. Governing the Atom: The Politics of Risk Energy Policy Studies, Volume 7. Transaction Publishers.
Campbell, C. J. 1997. The Coming Oil Crisis. Petroconsultants SA. An interdisciplinary look at crude oil supplies.
Campbell, C.J. 1998. “The End of Cheap Oil.” Scientific American 278 (3): 78-83. So far, oil production has kept up with rising demand.
Canine, Craig. 2004. “Our Lady of the Grid.” OnEarth 26 (2): 12-19. The manager of electrical transmission for the Bonneville Power Administration suggests non-grid solutions for increasing demand.
Chow, J. R., et al. 2003. “Energy resources and global development.” Science 302: 1528-1531. Part of a special issue on the state of the planet.
Chusid, O. et al. Solid-state rechargeable magnesium batteries. Advanced Materials 15: 627 - 630, (2003). Magnesium makes rechargeable batteries cheaper, lighter and greener.
Corcoran, E. 1991. "Cleaning Up Coal," Scientific American 264 (5): 106-116. Novel market-based approaches to reducing air pollution from coal combustion are described.
Deffeyes, Kenneth S. 2001. Hubbert's Peak: The Impending World Oil Shortage. PrincetonUniv. Press. Predicts an end to inexpensive oil.
Dunn, Seth. 2001. “Decarbonizing the energy economy.” State of the World 2001. p 83-102. How can we shift to renewable energy?
Dunn, Seth. 1999. "King Coal's Weakening Grip on Power," Worldwatch 12 (5): 10-19. The fuel that ushered in the Industrial Revolution may be on the way out.
Easthouse, Keith. 2001. “A Sanctuary Threatened.” Forest (May/June 2001): 18-28. A plea to save the Arctic national Wildlife Refuge.
Finkelman, R. B. et al. 1999. “Health impacts of domestic coal use in China.” Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci USA 1999 March 30: 96( 7): 3427-3431. Peppers dried over arsenic-contaminated coal can have up to 500 ppm arsenic, 50,000 times the level considered safe.
Ford, D. 1983. Three Mile Island: Thirty Minutes to Meltdown. Penguin Books. A description of the worst nuclear power accident in the United States and how it happened.
Fox, William F. 2003. “Radioactive Roadtrip.” Orion January/February 2003: 32-38. A tour of cratered landscape of Yucca Flat and the Nevada Test Site.
Freeze, Barbara. 2003. Coal: A Human History. Perseus Pubs. A fascinating look at how coal has changed human life for better and for worse.
Fulkerson, W., et al. 1990. "Energy from Fossil Fuels," Scientific American 263 (3): 128-138. One of a series of articles in a special issue on energy. Also reprinted in book form. See Davis, G. R., above.
George, Richard L. 19989. “Mining for Oil” Scientific American 278 (3): 84-85. Tar sands and oil shales in Canada contain more petroleum than Saudi Arabia’s reserves. Can they be mined safely?
Gibbs, W. Wayt. 2001. “The Arctic Oil & Wildlife Refuge.” Scientific American 284 (5): 62-69. An optimistic presentation of both the chances for finding significant oil under the Wildlife Refuge and of getting it out without unacceptable environmental damage.
Golay, M. W., and N. E. Todreas. 1989. "Advanced Light-Water Reactors," Scientific American 262 (4): 82-90. Discusses passive safety features that could make nuclear energy safer and more attractive.
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Goodstein, David. 2004. Out of Gas: The End of the Age of Oil. W.W. Norton. Traces our use of oil and what dwindling supplies may mean for future generations.
Heinberg, Richard. 2003. “The end of the oil age.” EarthIsland 18 (3): 24-29. Predicts that global oil production is peaking.
Heinberg, Richard. 2003. The Party's Over: Oil, War and the Fate of Industrial Societies. New Society Publishers. Predicts famine, disease, economic collapse, despotism, and resource wars if we don’t reduce our dependence on oil.
Hoffmann, Peter. 2001. Tomorrow’s Energy. MIT Press. The history and uses of hydrogen as a fuel.
Hollister, Charles D. and Steven Nadis. 1998. “Burial of Radioactive Waste under the Seabed.” Scientific American 287 (1): 60-65. Argues that deep sea burial of radioactive waste might be the best method of disposal.
Holmes, Bob and Nicola Jones. 2003. “Brace yourself for the end of cheap oil.” New Scientist, August 2, 2003 p 9-11. What will we do when cheap oil is gone?
H'tele, W. 1990. "Energy from Nuclear Power," Scientific American 263 (3): 136-142. A rosy picture of nuclear power, but a useful description of how it works.
Kane, Hal. 2002. “Who Speaks for Siberia?” Worldwatch 15 (2): 14-23. A chilling account of the environmental and social effects of oil drilling and mineral exploitation in this remote region.
Kats, G. 1992. "The Earth Summit: Opportunity for Energy Reform," Energy Policy 20 (6): 547-551. The 1992 Earth Summit was an opportune time to reform energy policy. What happened?
Kenney, J. F., Kutchenov, V.A., Bendeliani, N. A. & Alekseev, V. A. 2002. “The evolution of multicomponent systems at high pressures: VI. The thermodynamic stability of the hydrogen-carbon system, the genesis of hydrocarbons, and the origin of petroleum.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.172376899 (published online August 2002). Claims that fossil fuels didn’t come from plants or animals but rather from inorganic sources.
Koppel, Tom. 1999. Powering the Future: The Ballard Fuel Cell and the Race to Change the World. John Wiley & Sons. The story of fuel cell development.
Kovalchuk, O., Dubrova, Y. E., Arkhipov, A., Hohn, B. & Kovalchuk, I. 2002. “Wheat DNA mutation rate after Chernobyl”. Nature 407, 583 - 584 (2000). Fourteen years after the Chernobyl nuclear accident, crops grown in contaminated land surrounding the former power station show a mutation rate six times higher than normal. Similar but controversial results have previously been seen in humans and rats.
LaDuke, Winona. 2002. “The Salt Woman and the Coal Mine.” Sierra 87 (6): 44—47, 73. A salt lake sacred to the Zuni people is threatened by a coal mine.
LaForge, John M. 1997. “Chernobyl: A Global Tragedy,” EarthIsland Journal 12 (3): 28-29. Do understated media reports keep the nuclear industry alive?
Lake, James A., et al. 2002. “Next-Generation Nuclear Power,” Scientific American 286 (1): 72-81. Proponents argue that advanced nuclear power plants might be the best way to meet future energy needs without worsening global warming.
Larminie, James and Andrew Dicks. 2000. Fuel Cell Systems Explained. John Wiley & Sons. A guide to fuel cell chemistry.
Lentfer, Hank and Carolyn Servid (eds.) 2001. Arctic Refuge A Circle of Testimony Minneapolis, MN: Milkweed Press. A compilation of essays by leading environmental authors about the dangers of oil-drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Available at
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Liu, Jie, et al. 2002. “Chronic Arsenic Poisoning from Burning High-Arsenic-Containing Coal in Guizhou, China.” Environmental Health Perspectives 110 ( 2): 119-123, February 2002. Burning coal containing high arsenic levels in open firepits and unvented stoves exposes residents of Guizhou, provence to dangerous metal levels, especially in food.
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McGrath, Susan. 2001. “The last great wilderness.” Audubon 103 (5): 52-65. First in a series of articles on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and why it should be left alone.
Miller, Debbie S. 2001. “Ground Zero.” The Amicus Journal 23 (2): 29-34. The Bush administration says that oil drilling in ANWR won’t hurt wildlife. This report describes conditions in the Alpine field where drilling has already occurred.
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Motavalli, Jim. 1997. “Power Struggle,” E Magazine 8 (6): 32-33. Will utility deregulation unplug dirty fossil fuel and nuclear power plants?
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Raloff, Janet. 2001. “Power Harvests”. Science News 160 (3): 45-47. Wind energy may be the salvation of many U.S. farmers.
Rauber, Paul. 2001. “Snake Oil for Fossil Fools,” Sierra 88 (3): 56-61, 86-87. Disputes republican claims that we need to drill for oil in ANWR to solve California’s energy crisis
Rosentreter, Richard. 2000. “Oil, Profi$, and the Question of Alternative Energy”. The Humanist,September/October 2000. p 8-13. We have neglected development of renewable energy sources. What role has the fossil fuel industry played in preventing alternative energy?
Rowell, Andrew. 1997. “Crude Operators: The Future of the Oil Industry,” The Ecologist 27 (3): 99-106. Technological advances and oil shortages have spurred exploration of offshore sites but these wells can have severe social, ethical, and environmental consequences.
Sampson, Anthony. "Oilmen Don't Want Another Suez," The Observer, 22 December 2002. Oil price shocks are bad for business.
Schmidt, Ellen. 1997. “The World Bank and Russian Oil,” The Ecologist 27 (1): 21-27. Are we ignoring environmental consequences in the rush to obtain more oil?
Seymour, Mike. 2004. “Partnerships to Support Sustainable Development and Conservation: the West-East Pipeline Project, China.” Conservation Biology 18 (3): 613-616. A natural gas pipeline from northwestern China to the fast-developing cities in the east could reduce CO2 and SO2 emissions substantially.
Shcherbak, Yuri M. 1996. “Ten Years of the Chernobyl Era,” Scientific American 274(4):44-49. What have we learned from this disaster?
Sherwood Lollar, B., Ward, J. A., Slater, G. F. & Lacrampe-Couloume, G. 2002. “Abiogenic formation of alkanes in the Earth's crust as a minor source for global hydrocarbon reservoirs”. Nature 416: 522- 524. Claims that fossil fuels didn’t come from plants or animals but rather from inorganic sources.
Smeloff, Ed and Peter Asmus. 1997. Reinventing Electric Utilities: Competition, Citizen Action, and Clean Power. Island Press. Restructuring power companies presents an opportunity to promote clean energy.
Suess, Erwin, e al. 1999. “Flammable ice,” Scientific American 281 (5): 76-83. Methane hydrates buried in the seafloor store more energy than all the world’s fossil fuel reserves combined, but could trigger run-away global warming if they are disturbed.
Timoschenko, Valery and Tatiana Krolikova. 1997. “Oil Pipeline Imperils the Black Sea,” EarthIsland Journal 12 (3): 23-24. Getting oil out of Kazakhstan could have severe environmental impacts.
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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 1980. Environmental Perspective on the Emerging Oil Shale Industry. Government Printing Office. A massive potential source of energy, but also a massive potential source of environmental harm.
Vaitheeswaran, Vijay. 2003. Power to the People: How the Coming Energy Revolution Will Transform an Industry, Change Our Lives, and Maybe Even Save the Planet. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. The author, a correspondent for The Economist magazine, argues that our current energy polities are both environmentally and economically destructive.
Wald, Matthew L. 2003. “Dismantling nuclear reactors.” Scientific American 288 (3): 60-70. Taking apart a nuclear power plant that has reached the end of its life is a complicated task. But not for the reasons you might expect
Wasserman, Harvey. 2001. “Power Struggle: California’s Engineered Energy Crisis and the Potential of Public Power.” Multinational Monitor June 2001, pp 9-20. While the rest of California was whipsawed by the a botched deregulatory scheme and greedy utilities, two municipal-owned utilities weathered the storm.
Watkins, T.H. 1995. “Beyond mile zero,” Wilderness 58 (208): 9-14. The ongoing saga of drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge.
Westby, Tim. 2003. “King coal is back.” High Country News 35 (24) 8-12. December 22, 2003.The Bush administration loosening environmental regulations, energy companies are turning their attention back to coal.
Whipple, Chris G. 1996. “Can Nuclear Waste be Stored Safely at YuccaMountain?” Scientific American 274( 6): 72-79. Unanswered technical and geological questions leave it unclear how safe this plan may be.
Williams, T. 2000. "Zapped!" Audubon 102(1): 32-44. Every year, high-power lines electrocute thousands of eagles and other raptors. Now utility companies are being held liable.
Williams, Ted. 2001. “Mountain Madness,” Audubon 103 (3): 36-43. An angry denunciation of mountain top removal by coal mining companies in West Virginia.
Zorpette, Glen. 1996. “Confronting the Nuclear Legacy: Hanford’s Nuclear Wasteland,” Scientific American 274 (5): 88-97. Bomb research and production have left a highly contaminated landscape in Washington state.