The New Map: Energy, Climate, and the Clash of Nations
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- Create Date：2022-04-18 07:55:11
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Daniel Yergin
- ISBN：0143111159
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Summary
A Wall Street Journal besteller and a USA Today Best Book of 2020
Named Energy Writer of the Year for The New Map by the American Energy Society
"A master class on how the world works。" --NPR
Pulitzer Prize-winning author and global energy expert， Daniel Yergin offers a revelatory new account of how energy revolutions， climate battles， and geopolitics are mapping our future
The world is being shaken by the collision of energy， climate change， and the clashing power of nations in a time of global crisis。 Out of this tumult is emerging a new map of energy and geopolitics。 The "shale revolution" in oil and gas has transformed the American economy， ending the "era of shortage" but introducing a turbulent new era。 Almost overnight， the United States has become the world's number one energy powerhouse。 Yet concern about energy's role in climate change is challenging the global economy and way of life， accelerating a second energy revolution in the search for a low-carbon future。 All of this has been made starker and more urgent by the coronavirus pandemic and the economic dark age that it has wrought。
World politics is being upended， as a new cold war develops between the United States and China， and the rivalry grows more dangerous with Russia， which is pivoting east toward Beijing。 Vladimir Putin and China's Xi Jinping are converging both on energy and on challenging American leadership， as China projects its power and influence in all directions。 The South China Sea， claimed by China and the world's most critical trade route， could become the arena where the United States and China directly collide。 The map of the Middle East， which was laid down after World War I， is being challenged by jihadists， revolutionary Iran， ethnic and religious clashes， and restive populations。 But the region has also been shocked by the two recent oil price collapses--and by the very question of oil's future in the rest of this century。
A master storyteller and global energy expert， Daniel Yergin takes the reader on an utterly riveting and timely journey across the world's new map。 He illuminates the great energy and geopolitical questions in an era of rising political turbulence and points to the profound challenges that lie ahead。
Named Energy Writer of the Year for The New Map by the American Energy Society
"A master class on how the world works。" --NPR
Pulitzer Prize-winning author and global energy expert， Daniel Yergin offers a revelatory new account of how energy revolutions， climate battles， and geopolitics are mapping our future
The world is being shaken by the collision of energy， climate change， and the clashing power of nations in a time of global crisis。 Out of this tumult is emerging a new map of energy and geopolitics。 The "shale revolution" in oil and gas has transformed the American economy， ending the "era of shortage" but introducing a turbulent new era。 Almost overnight， the United States has become the world's number one energy powerhouse。 Yet concern about energy's role in climate change is challenging the global economy and way of life， accelerating a second energy revolution in the search for a low-carbon future。 All of this has been made starker and more urgent by the coronavirus pandemic and the economic dark age that it has wrought。
World politics is being upended， as a new cold war develops between the United States and China， and the rivalry grows more dangerous with Russia， which is pivoting east toward Beijing。 Vladimir Putin and China's Xi Jinping are converging both on energy and on challenging American leadership， as China projects its power and influence in all directions。 The South China Sea， claimed by China and the world's most critical trade route， could become the arena where the United States and China directly collide。 The map of the Middle East， which was laid down after World War I， is being challenged by jihadists， revolutionary Iran， ethnic and religious clashes， and restive populations。 But the region has also been shocked by the two recent oil price collapses--and by the very question of oil's future in the rest of this century。
A master storyteller and global energy expert， Daniel Yergin takes the reader on an utterly riveting and timely journey across the world's new map。 He illuminates the great energy and geopolitical questions in an era of rising political turbulence and points to the profound challenges that lie ahead。
Reviews
Naomi Lambert
，
Fascinating。 I learned so much。
Rodrigo Sanchez
，
I loved it。 A fantastic explanation of the transition of energy and its role in world developments， plus it helped me understand some of the key reasons behind the current wars
John David Preston
，
Quick read， good follow up。 Some parts （Russia / Ukraine） are beyond eerily prescient; the weaker parts are more similar to fleshed out articles from The Economist。
Rusdi Mudzakar
，
Literally an eye opener knowledge
Оля Довгань-Левицька
，
This book explains well why Putin invaded Ukraine。 Strongly recommend， available in Ukrainian translation in Librarius
Tyler Nichols
，
Interesting read on the state of energy and energy production， its impacts on geopolitics and where it may be headed。
Jacob Gubbrud
，
Super interesting summary of global energy dynamics。
Benny
，
Aside from the first chapter on America， the subsequent ones on Russia， China and Saudi Arabia are more about geopolitics and energy security， rather than the location and the maps of energy production in each of these countries。 The book mainly focuses on oil and natural gas， along with a smaller section on solar and wind。 Hydrogen， nuclear， lithium and cobalt did not garner much coverage in this book even tough I would had have them in my "new map" of energy and climate。 Aside from the first chapter on America， the subsequent ones on Russia， China and Saudi Arabia are more about geopolitics and energy security， rather than the location and the maps of energy production in each of these countries。 The book mainly focuses on oil and natural gas， along with a smaller section on solar and wind。 Hydrogen， nuclear， lithium and cobalt did not garner much coverage in this book even tough I would had have them in my "new map" of energy and climate。 。。。more
Tomek
，
This book is about four regions: USA， Russia， China and Middle East。USA was an importer of oil， now it exports a lot of it and gas too （in LNG form）。 It has a lot of power in the world now。Russia wants to be great again， so we should be careful （the book was released a few months before Russo-Ukrainian War。。。）。China consumes 25% of global energy， they want to abandon coal in 2060。 China alone imports 75% of world oil！ All world is depended on China。 They want to be a tech giant too （👋 USA）。 Ther This book is about four regions: USA， Russia， China and Middle East。USA was an importer of oil， now it exports a lot of it and gas too （in LNG form）。 It has a lot of power in the world now。Russia wants to be great again， so we should be careful （the book was released a few months before Russo-Ukrainian War。。。）。China consumes 25% of global energy， they want to abandon coal in 2060。 China alone imports 75% of world oil！ All world is depended on China。 They want to be a tech giant too （👋 USA）。 There is a dispute about South China Sea。 China says that it belongs to them， but many countries have a different opinion about this topic。 China also influences a lot of countries near Russia and Putin may not like that。In Middle East a lot of countries depend on oil and only small number of them diversifies their economy。 Israel found a lot of oil and gas fields recently。 Thus， it is independent now。 And they can start exporting gas and oil too。 And。。。 there is a conflict almost everywhere for everything。。。75% batteries are produced in China。 They produces most solar panels。 China built 34 nuclear power plants between 2011 and 2019。Currently， solar and wind （alone） is not enough for the world。 There is still no good alternatives for coal and oil。 Asian countries cannot abandon coal fast。 Countries which extract copper， cobalt and nickel can earn a lot， because electric vehicles， solar panels and wind turbines are produced from these resources。Is there a resource war ahead？I recommend this book if you want to know more what's going on outside of Europe。 。。。more
Chris
，
Great read in view of recent events
Tirath
，
Surprising how timely this book is; it goes quite deep into the history of Ukraine's role between Europe and Russia。 （Russia invaded Ukraine last month）Great book after the Prize which feels dated。 The revolutions of shale， LNG， Nat Gas， Climate consciousness and currently， the EV wave are covered rather well in this book。Who wouldve thought that the US could be a net exporter of fossil fuels again; or that oil would trade at negative $37 during the COVID mayhem days， or that India and China wou Surprising how timely this book is; it goes quite deep into the history of Ukraine's role between Europe and Russia。 （Russia invaded Ukraine last month）Great book after the Prize which feels dated。 The revolutions of shale， LNG， Nat Gas， Climate consciousness and currently， the EV wave are covered rather well in this book。Who wouldve thought that the US could be a net exporter of fossil fuels again; or that oil would trade at negative $37 during the COVID mayhem days， or that India and China would be mentioned as economic noteworthies， or that Venezuela would be an also-ran in the oil exports trade， or that East Med and Qatar would be great gas zones。Very interesting stuff in this book。I also enjoyed the coverage of the Middle East political equation - I believe too many of us dont know the dynamics and histories of the middle east - very well covered in this book。 The Houthis， Iran， Hezbollah， Saudi v Qatar， UAE and Israel？， Saudi v Iran， 'what the hell happened in Syria？' 。。。more
David Burns
，
“Despite all the efforts in China to manage congestion， owning a car continues to be a powerful aspiration。 And then there is the other giant—India。 There are only 48 million cars in India compared to China’s 240 million， despite similarly sized populations。 But India is also a very big emerging market， and the share of young people in India’s population is much greater than in China’s， and its road system is far less developed。 But economic growth will raise incomes and finance new infrastructu “Despite all the efforts in China to manage congestion， owning a car continues to be a powerful aspiration。 And then there is the other giant—India。 There are only 48 million cars in India compared to China’s 240 million， despite similarly sized populations。 But India is also a very big emerging market， and the share of young people in India’s population is much greater than in China’s， and its road system is far less developed。 But economic growth will raise incomes and finance new infrastructure， and India’s massive cohort of young people will end up having a huge impact on the global auto and oil industries。”The New Map: Energy， Climate， and the Clash of Nations ** Read in Saudi Arabia （March 2022） ** Also recommended to read Yergin's classic The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil， Money， and Power if you haven't yet。 。。。more
Kåre
，
Rundtur gennem den moderne verden med fokus på energiudvikling。 Den moderne verden sættes i historisk perspektiv。 Der er levnedsbeskrivelser af flere hovedpersoner。 Vi starter i USA， hvor de udvinder gas og olie via fracking。 Det ændrer meget og er derfor et godt udgangspunkt for beskrivelsen。 Vi kommer til alle andre regioner og diskuterer mange aspekter af energiudviklingen。 Europa er sjovt nok næsten ikke med， hvilket hænger sammen med， at Europa er blevet en moralsk magt， som ikke selv produ Rundtur gennem den moderne verden med fokus på energiudvikling。 Den moderne verden sættes i historisk perspektiv。 Der er levnedsbeskrivelser af flere hovedpersoner。 Vi starter i USA， hvor de udvinder gas og olie via fracking。 Det ændrer meget og er derfor et godt udgangspunkt for beskrivelsen。 Vi kommer til alle andre regioner og diskuterer mange aspekter af energiudviklingen。 Europa er sjovt nok næsten ikke med， hvilket hænger sammen med， at Europa er blevet en moralsk magt， som ikke selv producerer energi i stort omfang。 Det er en fantastisk bog til at blive klog på verden som helhed。 。。。more
Tim Richman
，
A superb overview of the global energy situation， as we sit on the precipice of the next energy revolution – which will play out significantly more slowly than many would like， and with the potential for great geopolitical friction， even war – a prescient suggestion that has been validated （by Vladimir Putin） sooner than Yergin might have imagined。 Powered by the global battle against climate change， and now supplemented by a new supply chain breakdown as globalisation goes into reverse， “the ne A superb overview of the global energy situation， as we sit on the precipice of the next energy revolution – which will play out significantly more slowly than many would like， and with the potential for great geopolitical friction， even war – a prescient suggestion that has been validated （by Vladimir Putin） sooner than Yergin might have imagined。 Powered by the global battle against climate change， and now supplemented by a new supply chain breakdown as globalisation goes into reverse， “the new map is opening a new era in the relationship between energy and nations。”I was particularly impressed with Yergin’s innovative structure and stylistic approach， unexpected for a book of this nature。 Structurally， it is broken into six major sections， which consist of many shorter-than-expected chapters， some just a few pages long – 46 chapters over the course of 450 pages。 Combined with a specific-story-to-general-overview writing style， which showed as much as possible rather than told， it made a potentially dry topic digestible and engaging。 Some chapters – for instance， those on the rise of Isis and Yemen – were remarkable for their ability to distil a broad overview into just a few pages。 Two key points I noted:1。tThe US’s newfound energy dependence， as a result of the fracking revolution of the 2010s， doesn’t just keep $400 billion a year in-country; it is an enormous geopolitical game-changer。2。The current fracturing of the globalisation process is an added complication in the battle for net zero carbon， combined with， for example， the understanding that “the 2050 net zero target will ‘supercharge demand for critical minerals’ as the world moves from ‘a fuel intensive to a mineral intensive energy system’。” Central to this complication is that the West， as much as it might want to， can’t simply break from China （as it might Russia）。 China dominates the world supply of solar panels and battery cell manufacturing， as well as refinement of rare earth materials like cobalt， lithium and nickel; for instance， “95 percent of Europe’s rare earth， needed for both electric cars and wind turbines， comes from China。” And then some conclusions:1。tThe three important trends for the future to try to bring about net zero carbon:- carbon capture- hydrogen power- batteries and electricity storage2。“In short， for the next few decades， the world’s energy supplies will come from a mixed system， one of rivalry and competition among energy choices。 In this system， oil will maintain a preeminent position as a global commodity， still the primary fuel that makes the world go round。 Some will simply not want to hear that。 But it is based on the reality of all the investment already made， lead times for new investment and innovation， supply chains， its central role in transportation， the need for plastics from building blocks of the modern world to hospital operating rooms， and the way the physical world is organised。 As a result， oil – along with natural gas， which is now also a global commodity – will not only continue to play a large role in the world economy， but will also be central in the debates over the environment and climate， and certainly in the strategies of nations and in the contention among them。”Coincidentally， I was reading the book as Russia began its war with Ukraine， which made the section on “Russia’s Map” particularly relevant， and Yergin is explicit in outlining the geopolitical tension between the two countries。 The concluding paragraph and line of the entire book – suggested initially in the subtitle – was particularly prescient:“[T]here are some disruptions [to the new map of energy and geopolitics] we can anticipate， indeed clearly see， even if we cannot sketch out the precise routes by which they will take us from here。 The struggles over climate will be one。 But so also， in this era of rising tensions and fragmenting global order， will be the clash of nations。” 。。。more
Kristi
，
So， my CEO gave all the employees this book last year and I finally got around to reading it。 I'm glad I did。 You can see how this book influenced her decisions or her thinking on decisions for the future of our company。 This book was informative and interesting， especially in my industry。 And a little bit prophetic with what's happening with Ukraine and Russia and China。 I love the way it was organized and the history given。 I do love the talk about climate and how it effects are industry and w So， my CEO gave all the employees this book last year and I finally got around to reading it。 I'm glad I did。 You can see how this book influenced her decisions or her thinking on decisions for the future of our company。 This book was informative and interesting， especially in my industry。 And a little bit prophetic with what's happening with Ukraine and Russia and China。 I love the way it was organized and the history given。 I do love the talk about climate and how it effects are industry and what companies （like mine） are doing to help。 There was some repeated information and sometimes you can get lost with all the facts thrown at you。 Also， sometimes， he was too broad or taking leaps with his conclusions。 I'm sorry but the Syrian refugee crisis was not a big contributing factor （or even at all） to BREXIT and the populist nationalism in some European countries were already happening due to big terrorist attacks that happened before Syrians flooded the borders。 But if you truly want to learn about the oil and gas industry and our future without judgment or criticism， this is the book for you。 If you want to learn about what's going on in the world and how certain things are changing the map of those countries， this is also the book for you。 。。。more
Avadhoot Joshi
，
Very well written and that too in a simple， understandable way。It Covers Major oil-producing countries/Regions such as the U。S。， Russia， Saudi Arabia， and their journey through a period of the last few decades。It also covers major oil-consuming countries China and India briefly。Moreover， discusses the future of the oil and gas industry + future technologies that may come up in the energy landscape。Overall a must-read to have an idea about the global energy landscape ！！
Minh Nguyen
，
The part about energy was really awesome！ Very detailed and informative。 Shale revolution in the US was meticulously researched and narrated。 The part about Russia and China geopolitical map were very thought-provoking。 There were many insights about the current conflict in Ukraine and the China’s nine-dash line。 The second part about climate change was so-so but Daniel’s mastery storytelling made it worth reading， very entertaining！ Overall， the book is very readable， informative and thought-pr The part about energy was really awesome！ Very detailed and informative。 Shale revolution in the US was meticulously researched and narrated。 The part about Russia and China geopolitical map were very thought-provoking。 There were many insights about the current conflict in Ukraine and the China’s nine-dash line。 The second part about climate change was so-so but Daniel’s mastery storytelling made it worth reading， very entertaining！ Overall， the book is very readable， informative and thought-provoking。 Highly recommended for anyone who wants to know what is really happening in the world。 。。。more
Douglas
，
If only every citizen of earth would read The New Map？
Robert Sparrenberger
，
I think this is my third book by this author and they are all fantastic。 This one deals with geopolitics， oil， energy and the future of transportation。 Written in 2020， he’s accurate about the state of world affairs and delves into some Ukrainian and Russian issues。 Highly recommend
Andrii Borovyi
，
Що ви знаєте про сланцевий газ？ А про те， що скоро （десь так років за 70） газу на Землі не стане， і нас всіх чекає енергетична криза？ А про те， чим насправді є «анбандлинг»， таке модне слово в сучасному лексиконі （було ще яякийсь місяць-два тому）？ Деніел Єрґін проведе вас всіма цими стежками， і розкаже про становлення нафти і сланцевого газу， сучасну американську газову політику і не лише про неї。 Це буде мандрівка Америками， Європою та Азією。 А ще， мандрівка з великою кількістю роздумів про пер Що ви знаєте про сланцевий газ？ А про те， що скоро （десь так років за 70） газу на Землі не стане， і нас всіх чекає енергетична криза？ А про те， чим насправді є «анбандлинг»， таке модне слово в сучасному лексиконі （було ще яякийсь місяць-два тому）？ Деніел Єрґін проведе вас всіма цими стежками， і розкаже про становлення нафти і сланцевого газу， сучасну американську газову політику і не лише про неї。 Це буде мандрівка Америками， Європою та Азією。 А ще， мандрівка з великою кількістю роздумів про перспективи добування сланцевого газу та нафти в Україні。Сама книжка складається шести частин， з яких чотири присвячено нафтовому минулому та сьогоденню Америки （переважно США）， Росії， Китаю та Близькому Сходу， і по одному альтернативам нафті， і кліматичним проблемам。 Окремі моменти виглядали досить цікавими， як от рахунок на 43 мільйони доларів на вивезення сміття， яке залишили після себе екоактивісти у Північній Дакоті， після 200 днів протестів чи обмеженість санкцій， тобто після певного рівня накладання вони просто перестають діяти。Окремо， винесу цитату， яка зачіпає і сьогоднішній день: «… якби належало визначити одну нафважливішу причину нового антагонізму - і нової холодно війни - між Росією і Заходом， то це саме Україна та болісні й неврегулбовані питання， спричинені розвалом Радянського Союзу， і ті наслідки， до яких вони призвели。» І хоча читав я це ще до початку бойових дій， але саме ця цитата глибоко в'їлася тоді， і є причиною активної допомоги Заходу зараз。 А， і ще одна «На Санкт-Петербурзькому міжнародному економічному форумі головний виконавчий директор "Газпрому" Алєксєй Міллер оголосив цілій залі європейців: "Позбавтеся вашого страху перед Росією， інакше у вас закінчиться газ"。»Що ж до Китаю， та Близького Сходу， то виглядає так， що там військові проблеми не менші， аніж наші。 Це і війюи між Індією та Пакистаном （обоє мають ядерну зброю， якби що）， і претензії Китаю на Південнокитайське море， яке Китай вважає «ісконно» своїм， і випускає цілі мапи щодо цього， обґрунтовуючи політику。 І боротьба того ж таки Китаю за острови Спратлі （відомі також як «Небезпечна Земля»）， під якими знаходяться поклади нафти та газу， а сама теритоія є важливою частиною міжнародного транспортного шляху。 А ще， я так і не навчився до кінця книжки розрізняти， коли треба писати "Ірак"， а коли "Іран"， тому довелося в голові прибивати намертво асоціації про Багдад і Тегеран （там де столиця і країна закінчуються на однакову літеру）。 Так виявилося трішки легше。 І в розділі по країнах Близького Сходу у мене виникла спокуса таки мати під руками мапу， щоб розуміти хто де， коли， з ким і за що воює。 І як США "наполегливо просять" своїх партнерів здійснити ті чи інші кроки。 Як от наприклад відставка президента Єгипту Хосні Мубарака， якого США попросили почати зміни у владі "зараз"， а наступного дня президент США повідомив про те， що «…"Зараз" почалося вчора»。Що ж до двох останніх розділів， то тут у мене досить змішані враження。 З однієї сторони там дуже мало чогось нового для мене: електромобілі， ємнісні батареї， зелена енергетика， складності зі збереженням енергії， повернення до програми природного озеленення， щоб зменшити викиди вуглецю。 Про ці речі я вже досить наслуханий з подкастів і записів TED。 А з іншої сторони， виявляється， що найлегше видобувати водень з … природного газу й вугілля。 От так。 Абсолютно неочевидно для мене， і， мабуть， цілком очевидно для випускників Івано-Франківського університету нафти і газу。Направду книжка дуже сподобалась， а її товщина аніяк не налякала。 Правда навряд чи щось би втратилося， якби двох останніх розділів не було。 А ще， в процесі читання， я встиг надибати на скандал пов'язаний з цією книжкою， приводом до якого стало те， що в цій версії （яку спонсорував ДТЕК） видалили галерею і згадку про Зеленського。 Але чим скандал завершився - не скажу， бо треба тримати інтригу :） 。。。more
Bill
，
I found the historical sections the most interesting。 I've lived through the more recent geopolitics， which made that part feel like a rehashing of recent headlines。 OTOH， this was an informative， comprehensive overview of important topics and how the world has gotten to where it is。 I found the historical sections the most interesting。 I've lived through the more recent geopolitics， which made that part feel like a rehashing of recent headlines。 OTOH， this was an informative， comprehensive overview of important topics and how the world has gotten to where it is。 。。。more
Bryan Rollins
，
I was really excited by the concept of this book but very disappointed in the delivery。 This feels like a puff piece of propaganda rather than a neutral， critical examination of an industry。 This feels more like something sponsored by the fossil fuel industry than a historian who can step back and look at the big picture。
Jim Morton
，
Exceptional。。。。required reading for all forward thinkers
Mario
，
Hay un esfuerzo vertido en este libro: comprender la situación actual de la geopolítica a través de la energía y los recursos que mueven la economía。 Orienta， en diversas ocasiones， sobre el origen de algunos conflictos actuales （llámese， Rusia-Ucrania-OTAN）， así como el impacto de la pandemia en todos estos menesteres。 También hay sesgos。 Muy importantes。 En el plano más obvio para mí， limita a México a poco más de una página， en la que resume "EPN bueno， AMLO malo"。 Y， entonces， me hace cuesti Hay un esfuerzo vertido en este libro: comprender la situación actual de la geopolítica a través de la energía y los recursos que mueven la economía。 Orienta， en diversas ocasiones， sobre el origen de algunos conflictos actuales （llámese， Rusia-Ucrania-OTAN）， así como el impacto de la pandemia en todos estos menesteres。 También hay sesgos。 Muy importantes。 En el plano más obvio para mí， limita a México a poco más de una página， en la que resume "EPN bueno， AMLO malo"。 Y， entonces， me hace cuestionar lo objetivo que el autor es respecto a otros temas。 Y claro， al seguir leyendo se nota que comparte y defiende la visión imperialista/colonialista de los gringos。 Pinta， de una manera no tan sutil， a los rusos y a los chinos como villanos que su país debe vencer para seguir contando historias de éxito y meritocracia。 Porque así pasa: al hablar de las energías en su país， habla sobre individuos， historias， y hasta podría decir esperanza。 Pero cuando habla de otros países， habla desde la división del "ellos/nosotros"， "buenos/malos"。 Hasta en las fotografías que eligió: Obama， radiante mientras camina entre unos oleoductos; Putin， haciendo judo pero con no tan radiante; Xi， dictatorial; López， encorvado y torciendo la boca; árabes， como villanos de película。 Eso sí， al menos Trump no sale airoso en este análisis。En general， sirve para orientarse en la situación actual de la geopolítica。 Pero cuidado con los sesgos， que son unos topes altos que rayan el chasis。 。。。more
Mich
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This is an encyclopedic analysis of oil， gas， and energy alternatives as it influences economies and political motivations。 The history of fracking is especially interesting as is the development of container ships and the outlook for electric cars。 The maps that constitute the appetite for control of energy sources are set out for the US， Russia， China， and Middle East with lots of history。 The importance of this book in light of the current Russian pending invasion of the Ukraine is clear。
Kedar
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Looking at history through the lens of oil/gas provides a new perspective of events， which I found interesting。 However， because of the jumping between timelines， I did not get a linear timeline of events。 There seems to be nothing "new" about the map beyond the fact that the book takes into account current events including the coronavirus。 There were sections that seemed inconsequential （and even disconnected） from oil/energy （e。g。 the section on middle east）。 Had to push myself to finish the b Looking at history through the lens of oil/gas provides a new perspective of events， which I found interesting。 However， because of the jumping between timelines， I did not get a linear timeline of events。 There seems to be nothing "new" about the map beyond the fact that the book takes into account current events including the coronavirus。 There were sections that seemed inconsequential （and even disconnected） from oil/energy （e。g。 the section on middle east）。 Had to push myself to finish the book。 Regardless， it did spike my curiosity enough to explore this subject further。 。。。more
Joanne
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4。5 stars。 Eye opening for someone like me who pretty much knows nothing about energy politics
Anna
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I've read two of Daniel Yergin's previous books about oil and the global energy system: The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil， Money， and Power and The Quest: Energy， Security， and the Remaking of the Modern World。 When I saw The New Map: Energy， Climate， and the Clash of Nations among the library's recent acquisitions， I naturally wanted to read the most recent instalment。 Yergin has a highly readable journalistic writing style that creates exciting narratives out of what could be dry geological an I've read two of Daniel Yergin's previous books about oil and the global energy system: The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil， Money， and Power and The Quest: Energy， Security， and the Remaking of the Modern World。 When I saw The New Map: Energy， Climate， and the Clash of Nations among the library's recent acquisitions， I naturally wanted to read the most recent instalment。 Yergin has a highly readable journalistic writing style that creates exciting narratives out of what could be dry geological and/or geopolitical analysis。 He is very good at clear explanation and straightforward synthesis。 However， this journalistic style also frequently involves personalising technological changes and political trends into a single Pioneering Man， which can get wearing。 When that man was Elon Musk I became downright annoyed。 While I've found all three books in Yergin's energy trilogy compelling and learned a great deal from them， the latter two have notable limitations。 The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil， Money， and Power is a narrative history of the oil industry and works really well as such。 The Quest: Energy， Security， and the Remaking of the Modern World and The New Map: Energy， Climate， and the Clash of Nations analyse contemporary energy policy and the geopolitics of oil thoroughly， but from a distinctly American perspective。 I find Yergin's areas of emphasis interesting， revealing， and frustrating in about equal measure。 I didn't really comment on this in my brief 2014 review of The Quest: Energy， Security， and the Remaking of the Modern World， but can see it in retrospect。 This doesn't detract from the value of all three books; they should be read with other commentary so I will offer some recommendations。 The New Map: Energy， Climate， and the Clash of Nations is structured around geographical and thematic maps: of Russia， China， the US， the Middle East， mobility， and decarbonisation。 It was published recently enough to comment upon the pandemic， which threw energy markets into chaos just as it did everything else。 The initial chapters taught me much more about the technical and economic sides of fracking than I previously knew。 I hadn't realised the extent to which it transformed the US energy mix。 Yergin is dismissive both of the environmental impact of fracking （he briefly states it is less polluting than it used to be） and opposition to it。 The former is interesting from a UK perspective - fracking completely failed to take off here， despite Tory governments loving the idea in principle。 The latter dismissiveness is focused on pipeline protests， which he frames as pointless because there is already an extensive pipeline network。 Yet he inadvertently explains their purpose elsewhere， by explaining infrastructural path dependency。 Oil and gas pipelines last for many decades; they cannot readily be repurposed to carry hydrogen。 Why build more of them when we need to reduce our fossil fuel consumption as fast as possible？ Investing in one more oil or gas pipeline is a refusal to accept the urgent need for decarbonisation。 The geographical sections on China， Russia， and the Middle East are thought-provoking。 The chapters on Russia provided some useful context for the Ukraine conflict currently in the news， which is being largely blamed for spiking European energy prices。 In the UK， successive government's shameful abrogation of responsibility for energy policy has combined with regional gas shortages to create a rise of more than 50% in average energy bills in two months time。 Vulnerable people will undoubtedly die as a result of this。 Learning more of the geopolitical context certainly doesn't make the national situation any less enraging。 The accounts of recent developments in the Middle East are helpfully wide-ranging。 Yergin's commentary on China struck me as more speculative。 It provides a helpful insight into how America views China's energy policy and military priorities， though。 The final two thematic sections weren't as directly enlightening for me， as they covered topics I've already read quite a bit about。 Their inclusion and tone are both striking nonetheless。 The first covers mobility and acknowledges two important things: first， that the system of automobility is extremely energy-intensive and that needs to change if we are to decarbonise。 Second， that transport systems predicated upon private car ownership are facing potentially destabilising forces for the first time in fifty years。 Neither of these points have been readily acknowledged in energy policy until the last decade， so that's encouraging。 Yergin structures his mobility section around technologies: electric cars （featuring the inevitable Elon Musk）， autonomous vehicles， ride hailing apps， and （briefly） mobility as a service。 I have a lot of my own opinions about these， many of which went into my PhD thesis。 Rather than recapitulating that， I will add some further reading suggestions。 New mobility technologies cannot readily be analysed without consideration of behavioural change （which Yergin does acknowledge） or surveillance capitalism （which he doesn't）。 On the former， I recommend Peak Car: The Future of Travel and on the latter， The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power。 For a wider critique of automobility as a system， Mobility Justice: The Politics of Movement in an Age of Extremes （2018） is really good and builds upon Mobilities （2007）。 Given its brevity， there are some important areas that Yergin's mobility section can't go into。 These include the implications for infrastructure of a transition to electric vehicles （although I liked his comments on limited availability of minerals needed for batteries）。 Also Uber's bonkers business plan of somehow bankrupting all public transport and then replacing it with their app before investors notice that they've never made any profit。 And that autonomous cars would not solve an extant transport problem so much as extend the realm of surveillance capitalism。 Anyway， for a long while the transport sector was assumed to be locked into oil dependent individual automobility and thus largely ignored in energy transition literature。 At least there is a lot more discussion now， albeit still very much centred upon technological determinism。 The book concludes with a section on the route to zero carbon。 The tone and presentation of this are fascinating and I'm honestly torn about how to react。 Yergin treats the Paris Agreement and requirement to radically reduce carbon emissions as a fait accompli， something that must simply be assumed。 On the one hand， that is a fantastic advance on vague and mealy-mouthed talk of sustainability， clean coal， incrementally reducing energy intensity， etc that amounted to denial and changed nothing。 If we take Yergin at face value， oil companies and oil-exporting countries have accepted that fossil fuels are on their way out and are investing in a transition to renewables and hydrogen。 He presents decarbonisation as very challenging， yet inevitable。 On the other hand， there is not the slightest acknowledgement of WHY we might want to avert 2 degrees of global warming。 Sure it's expensive， but this is the survival of the human species we're talking about！ Plenty of other books cover this， to be fair， but neither does Yergin mention the many decades that oil companies spent actively preventing policy action to address climate change。 Here are two books about this which I haven't read yet because they'll make me so angry that I won't be able to function: Losing Earth: A Recent History and The Discovery of Global Warming。 For more general climate change reading I recommend: This Is Not A Drill: An Extinction Rebellion Handbook， The Memory We Could Be: Overcoming Fear to Create Our Ecological Future， The Shock of the Anthropocene: The Earth， History and Us， The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable， and Fossil Capital: The Rise of Steam Power and the Roots of Global Warming。 Discussing the route to zero carbon in this partial， ahistorical manner struck me as naive to the point of delusional。 As I understand it， petrochemical companies' whole business model is based on letting climate change rip。 They have made trillions digging up hydrocarbons and selling them。 How can we possibly see them as the solution rather than the problem？ And that's without getting into neoliberal capitalism's growth imperatives more generally。 It could be cautiously encouraging that an oil expert and well-known energy commentator like Yergin takes decarbonisation for granted and doesn't think it worth mentioning why climate change is bad because everyone already knows。 Yet this section discussed the economic costs and employment challenges of moving away from fossil fuels without balancing this with the existential cost of continuing to burn them。 Neither did it consider whether a looming catastrophe caused by economic growth and technological change in a capitalist system could be fixed by more economic growth and more technology in the same system。 This is sometimes indirectly touched upon， though， in comments like this: The scale of this system is enormous and cannot change overnight。 So far， the energy transition has actually been， in the words of energy strategist Atul Arya， 'the phase of energy addition'。 Wind and solar have been increasing， but they were doing so atop conventional energy， which was also growing。 Note the use of 'conventional' there。 Notwithstanding all my critique， Yergin is an astute analyst of global energy economics and policy and I gained a better understanding of current energy markets and energy geopolitics from The New Map: Energy， Climate， and the Clash of Nations。 He isn't writing from an environmentalist perspective because， fundamentally， the energy sector has had a reckless disregard for the environment from its very inception。 For me， the final section of the book was less interesting for what it said than how it said it。 Perhaps there is no mention of climate catastrophe because this would create jarring cognitive dissonance with the earlier chapters？ I still felt that dissonance between where we are and where we need to be， and it was alarming。 。。。more
Sten Vesterli
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I picked up this book after reading an interview with Daniel Yergin where he came across as very insightful into how oil and gas have affected the recent past and how it will affect the future。 Unfortunately， such skill is not very apparent in this book。 Covering America's shale， Russia's resources， China's needs， the Middle East's troubles， the future of cars， and the maybe-coming energy transition， Yergin does cover the whole spectrum around oil and gas。 The writing flows well with anecdotes a I picked up this book after reading an interview with Daniel Yergin where he came across as very insightful into how oil and gas have affected the recent past and how it will affect the future。 Unfortunately， such skill is not very apparent in this book。 Covering America's shale， Russia's resources， China's needs， the Middle East's troubles， the future of cars， and the maybe-coming energy transition， Yergin does cover the whole spectrum around oil and gas。 The writing flows well with anecdotes and cute vignettes， but the whole is just a recapitulation of the history of the past couple of decades。 I was hoping for more insights， analysis， and opinion， but he does not share any in this book。 For that， it seems you will have to hire him and his expensive colleagues from IHS Markit as consultants。 If you are well-read on current affairs （say， if you are a regular reader of The Economist）， this book contains little you don't already know and will not be worth your time。 。。。more
Amirpasha Mozaffari
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