The New Map: Energy, Climate, and the Clash of Nations
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- Author：Daniel Yergin
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Summary
A USA Today Best Book of 2020！
Named Energy Writer of the Year for The New Map by the American Energy Society
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。 The shale revolution in oil and gas--made possible by fracking technology， but not without controversy--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--and， during the coronavirus crisis， brokered a tense truce between Russia and Saudi Arabia。 Yet concern about energy's role in climate change is challenging our 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--one from the rise of shale， the other the coronavirus--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
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。 The shale revolution in oil and gas--made possible by fracking technology， but not without controversy--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--and， during the coronavirus crisis， brokered a tense truce between Russia and Saudi Arabia。 Yet concern about energy's role in climate change is challenging our 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--one from the rise of shale， the other the coronavirus--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
Chad Manske
，
Pulitzer Prize winning author Daniel Yergin was named Energy Writer of the Year for this book by the American Energy Society！As a foremost global energy expert he offers a revelatory new addition of how energy revolutions， climate battles， and geopolitics are mapping the future。With the world being shaken by the collision of energy， climate change， and the clashing power of nations in a time of global crisis; the shale revolution in oil and gas--made possible by fracking technology， but not with Pulitzer Prize winning author Daniel Yergin was named Energy Writer of the Year for this book by the American Energy Society！As a foremost global energy expert he offers a revelatory new addition of how energy revolutions， climate battles， and geopolitics are mapping the future。With the world being shaken by the collision of energy， climate change， and the clashing power of nations in a time of global crisis; the shale revolution in oil and gas--made possible by fracking technology， but not without controversy--Yergin sets out to describe how these changes have 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--and， during the coronavirus crisis， brokered a tense truce between Russia and Saudi Arabia。 Yet concern about energy's role in climate change is challenging our 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。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。” 。。。more
Ku Yaerin
，
So insightful， eye-opening， and abundant with credible data。 A must read。 The writing is concise enough for the public to have a profound understanding on the complex interplay among stakeholders across the globe。 The author's holistic view of the intricate relations between energy， environment， geopolitics， business and technological development is well illustrated in the book。 The book is also very timely and you can find many up to date invaluable data in the book。 I also love how the book in So insightful， eye-opening， and abundant with credible data。 A must read。 The writing is concise enough for the public to have a profound understanding on the complex interplay among stakeholders across the globe。 The author's holistic view of the intricate relations between energy， environment， geopolitics， business and technological development is well illustrated in the book。 The book is also very timely and you can find many up to date invaluable data in the book。 I also love how the book includes regional maps and numerous pictures with small captions。 。。。more
Leo Law
，
Great entry for those who want to have a preliminary understanding of the interconnectivity between geopolitics and energy。 The section on the Middle East is dense and provides a roadmap and framework for readers who want to dig deeper into the topics。 Overall a very useful guide to thinking about how energy underpins a lot of the decisions that countries make and the struggles or opportunities that they face in a post-COVID world。
Rennie
，
More accessible than some but still a dense 400+ pages that I could not complete before it was due back at the library。 The book did a good job of explaining how we got to where we are but was a bit selective on some issues and it did not seem to give full weight to the impact of Covid-19 although more of it is yet to be experienced so it might be in the next book。
Kyle Weil
，
The New Map is an expansive review of energy， technology， and geopolitical trends & rivalries。 I went into this book expecting it to be an updated version of Yergin's The Prize， a review of the history of oil and its current state; however， I was pleasantly surprised by the diverse topics Yergin chose to cover in this book。 I'm always impressed by his ability to make what is on the surface level droll minutiae into an interesting and engaging read。Yergin's area of expertise and the main theme of The New Map is an expansive review of energy， technology， and geopolitical trends & rivalries。 I went into this book expecting it to be an updated version of Yergin's The Prize， a review of the history of oil and its current state; however， I was pleasantly surprised by the diverse topics Yergin chose to cover in this book。 I'm always impressed by his ability to make what is on the surface level droll minutiae into an interesting and engaging read。Yergin's area of expertise and the main theme of this book lie in energy。 Yergin mixes a historical perspective with modern trends， especially emphasizing the role of shale。 Shale fracking has propelled the US into the largest oil producer globally， surpassing both Russia and Saudi Arabia。 Fracking works by injecting a mix of sand， water， and chemicals into a well， allowing companies to recover difficult to reach oil and gas。 Shale wells have faster recovery timelines compared to typical wells; however， their production drops off far quicker。 Shale has allowed the US to become a major exporter of both oil and natural gas。 It has weaned our dependence from Middle Eastern oil and has increased the overall resiliency of the US energy market。 Shale is not without controversy however。 There is worry around the contamination of underground aquifers and groundwater with the chemicals and runoff from the fracking。 Earthquakes are another concern as inappropriate disposal of waste water has caused slippage of rock formations， spurring a quake。 While most people I know are anti-fracking and think we should immediately stop using fossil fuels globally， Yergin does not see this as feasible or realistic， especially in the developing world。 Many countries， especially across Sub-Saharan Africa， do not have reliable sources of energy for their entire population。 While it would be utopian for everyone to immediately switch to renewables， it's not economical or possible for a large number of developing countries。 The more immediate priority should be to increase the use of natural gas and propane， especially in cooking， to reduce the pollution and associated health problems stemming from the use of coal， biofuels， and trash burning。 Realistically， renewables still won't provide 100% of energy in more developed countries due to intermittency-related challenges， high costs， and lack of needed infrastructure。This leads into Yergin's at length discussion of technological development。 Battery storage has been a huge catalyst for the electrification trend in both the auto industry and in the deployment of wind and solar。 Companies such as Tesla have packed scores of lithium batteries together to create more dependable power storage options。 Lithium has four times the energy density of a traditional lead-acid battery， allowing for storage of larger amounts of electricity。 This has opened doors to create electric cars that can travel 200+ miles on a single charge。 As development continues， the hope is to eventually have batteries large and reliable enough to store excess generation from solar and wind plants， increasing the reliability of these generation sources。Yergin talks at length about how technological trends in the automotive industry will be revolutionary for not only oil and gas companies but the power industry as a whole。 Electric cars， while more expensive， have fewer parts and therefore lower maintenance costs。 Over the lifetime of a car， an electric car is less expensive to maintain and use。 Share mobility as a service will eventually lessen vehicle ownership rates as people find it more economical and simple to use apps like Uber or Lyft。 A typical personal vehicle has a utilization rate of ~5%。 Shared mobility would increase these rates significantly and make car ownership in general more efficient。 This will translate into lower car sales overall。 Autonomous driving makes the shared mobility trend even more potent as shared mobility apps' largest cost is labor， i。e。 the cost of paying a driver。 Autonomous driving will make driving safer and reduce gridlock， resulting in less traffic jams with cars emitting huge amounts。 Overall， technological trends are transitioning away from oil usage， pointing to peak demand。 As technology gets more and more advanced， expect renewables and electrification to play a larger role in both transportation and power generation。Yergin also devotes a significant portion of the book examining geopolitical tensions in key regions globally。 He looks at how oil funds have enabled Russia to rebuild itself as a regional power and emboldened the country to take actions as drastic as invading Ukraine。 He details China's growing importance in Asia and the importance taken on by the South China Sea， a major lane for maritime commerce （especially oil）。 He also gives an in-depth view of the Middle East with specific focus on how reliant the region is on oil revenues。 Money from oil has empowered regimes such as Iran and ISIS to fund armies and destabilization efforts in the region。This is one of those books that I could write about for pages and pages。 The New Map is not super in-depth in any one topic but provides a comprehensive view of energy policy globally。 Even if none of these topics sound interesting， Yergin has an innate ability at making them lively and informative。 If anything of what I have written sounds interesting to you， I would highly recommend this book。 。。。more
Sami
，
A masterpiece of geopolitics A great book full of facts on the future of energy and the new world order dominated by the US and China。
Anthony Nelson
，
Yergin's most recent book is less focused than his two previous masterworks， the Quest and the Prize。 It is at its best when it is focused on the energy industry， diving into the development of shale oil and natural gas， but also meanders through sections on electric cars， ride-hailing， and some unfortunate digressions on the geopolitics of the South China Sea and the modern Middle East that any grad student could have written。 Yergin's most recent book is less focused than his two previous masterworks， the Quest and the Prize。 It is at its best when it is focused on the energy industry， diving into the development of shale oil and natural gas， but also meanders through sections on electric cars， ride-hailing， and some unfortunate digressions on the geopolitics of the South China Sea and the modern Middle East that any grad student could have written。 。。。more
Caleb Owen
，
Yergin provides an insightful， expansive， and balanced view on the way energy informs national and international policies。 At the same time， I found the organization and chronological structure to be a bit challenging as a reader。 I would have also liked a more explicit argument from the author。
Parijat
，
Extremely fast moving most of the time。 I loved how much the author has compressed most of the relevant stories so that you never have to grind through the details。 It does assume a certain background understanding though - but only so much。 The book does slow down， I felt， towards the end。 Hence the four stars instead of five。
Megan Pratt
，
Great insight into history related to oil and energy， particularly last 20 years。
Kennedy Lawrance
，
Such an amazing read！！！！！ From history， geopolitics and energy mix throughout the globe。 10/10 highly recommended。
Craig Conway
，
The title was a little misleading for me but its an excellent book that gives a detailed and interesting overview of major world nations involved in current major world conflicts。 The lens is predominantly fossil fuel energy。 3/4 of the way thru and there's been almost no discussion on climate change。 Maybe he meant political climate which would certainly be more accurate。 The detailed history of American and world fossil energy basins have been fairly enlightening。 I've observed many of these s The title was a little misleading for me but its an excellent book that gives a detailed and interesting overview of major world nations involved in current major world conflicts。 The lens is predominantly fossil fuel energy。 3/4 of the way thru and there's been almost no discussion on climate change。 Maybe he meant political climate which would certainly be more accurate。 The detailed history of American and world fossil energy basins have been fairly enlightening。 I've observed many of these same energy basins in the past but I received a lot of new context from this book that was very useful。 I'd say my largest turn off in the book so far was the authors framing of environmentalism （with a brief jab at AOC）。 The author references what I would agree are some pretty silly environmental complaints （like the deaths of 28 birds）。 But the author fails to mention the very real checkerboard of EPA superfund clean-up sites across the country caused by this and related industries。 The authors brief description of earthquakes caused by fracking was woefully insufficient and misleading in a brief spot。 If you ignore his environmental perspective， the book gets better。 The nations overview section has also been really enlightening。 I'd say this book has been the most significant policy discussion I've encountered， moving the focus from the flashly US vs Terror lens of the last 20 years more timely US v China matchup。 The book still covers the Middle East and taught me a bit more about inter-regional relationships。 The discussion on past and future sanctions benefits and risks is really great。 I learned significant new context about every nation mentioned in this book which was awesome。 I'd also caution that this book was a strikingly incomplete account on almost every nation so you'll need to read additional books or you'll risk significantly misunderstanding several country relationships。 In other cases， the author intentionally hints at acknowledging certain counter perspectives but does so， so briefly that only someone decently-read will pick up on the acknowledgement。Another interesting characteristic， the author provides some great insider quotes or decision points， but often declines to cite names。 The author clearly has ambitions for a cabinet level position and was trying to not create enemies。 However， in most cases， people who've read history will know immediately who the author is talking about and will still see the communicated "dig"。 I'd say all the "digs" are accurate， just not presented positively。 In the near-present era accounts。 Its weird which portions the author chose to include and which ones he left out。 Perhaps he didn't want to speak where details are still uncertain。 For example， he talks about Russisa latest pipeline issues that were prominent in 2020， but declines to mention the Russia -Saudi Price war of 2020。 Based on this book， I think i'm going to worry alot less about Iran （someone else's problem）， slightly less about Russia and alot more about Chinese expansion in the south China Sea as well as Chinese imperialism thru the belt and road program。 I've still got a few more chapters to go。 right now the author is setting the plot to a mounting 3rd world war and I'm eager to see how he'll finally conclude the assessment。 。。。more
Jon Fuller
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Well written
John Crippen
，
This was much easier to read than I anticipated and was a great review of the connections between recent history， current events， and the energy sector。 Coronavirus threw a kink into where he was headed with the whole map metaphor， but he addresses that head on too。 The book won't necessarily make you feel good about our energy future， unless you're into oil and gas， but it will help you understand a lot about how we got where we are today and a lot about the energy-based relationships among the This was much easier to read than I anticipated and was a great review of the connections between recent history， current events， and the energy sector。 Coronavirus threw a kink into where he was headed with the whole map metaphor， but he addresses that head on too。 The book won't necessarily make you feel good about our energy future， unless you're into oil and gas， but it will help you understand a lot about how we got where we are today and a lot about the energy-based relationships among the US， Russia， China， and Saudi Arabia。 One caveat: the author is apparently not a fan of nuclear energy and it gets short shrift in all discussions of alternatives to oil and gas。 。。。more
Garrick Infanger
，
Yergin is phenomenal in his ability to document， explain， and narrate the history and politics of energy in the world。 He roughly covers the past 15 years and delves into electric vehicles， climate change， rise of alternatives， Saudi Arabia and Russia， the shale boom， and on and on。 I come away thinking differently about oil， shale， solar， electric cars， and climate impact。
David Steven Jacoby
，
Best energy book of the year I highly recommend The New Map。 Even though I was well acquainted with the general themes of this book before picking it up， the storytelling is fascinating， deep， and precise， and it brings to life recent history in a colorful and richly informative analysis。 It also beautifully ties together energy， politics， and economics in a way that deepens understanding of all three。 Well worth the read。
Dax
，
If you want a clear and concise understanding of the current geopolitical dynamic， Yergin is your guy。 As Yergin points out， relationships between China， Russia， the Middle East and the United States all center around one thing; energy。 In his latest book， Yergin explains where each of these major players stand today and how their energy needs have altered over the last ten years。 Most significantly， Yergin spends a good deal of time explaining the geopolitical and economic implications of the s If you want a clear and concise understanding of the current geopolitical dynamic， Yergin is your guy。 As Yergin points out， relationships between China， Russia， the Middle East and the United States all center around one thing; energy。 In his latest book， Yergin explains where each of these major players stand today and how their energy needs have altered over the last ten years。 Most significantly， Yergin spends a good deal of time explaining the geopolitical and economic implications of the shale boom in the US。 These topics take us about 3/4 of the way through the book and makes for a really informative read。Yergin's weakness （if it can be called that） shows up in the final section that focuses on renewables and alternative energy supplies。 That is not to say the chapters are not informative; Yergin illustrates the substantial progress made in each （particularly solar and wind） and the obstacles that still stand in their way。 That being said， Yergin doesn't seem to have strong conviction on where these renewables will trend in the coming years， other than to say that energy transformation will be a gradual process。 I did appreciate his explanation of the different roads ahead for developed nations vs。 developing nations。Clearly written and well explained for those with no experience in the energy field， 'The New Map' offers an excellent option for readers who want to learn about the recent path and future potential of the energy sector without all the political bullshit。 It's refreshing to read a book on current issues that does not present a particular agenda; just information。 。。。more
David Voxlin
，
How it’s possible to write a book about the state and future of energy in 2020 without taking renewables and climate change seriously is incomprehensible。 I wish I had read the final paragraph of the New York Times review of this book before deciding whether to invest time in reading The New Map:“Perhaps in the confusion of the current moment it is vain to expect more from master narratives。 But Yergin’s indecision has a price and this is most evident with regard to his treatment of climate poli How it’s possible to write a book about the state and future of energy in 2020 without taking renewables and climate change seriously is incomprehensible。 I wish I had read the final paragraph of the New York Times review of this book before deciding whether to invest time in reading The New Map:“Perhaps in the confusion of the current moment it is vain to expect more from master narratives。 But Yergin’s indecision has a price and this is most evident with regard to his treatment of climate politics。 He oscillates between insisting on the vital importance of the issue and dismissing environmental activism as a pesky nuisance。 Ultimately， he is ambivalent。 “The debate over how rapidly the world can and must adjust to a changing climate … is unlikely to be resolved in this decade。” Given the timeline that we face， this blithe acceptance of indecision is a road map for catastrophe。” 。。。more
Mahsa Etemadzadeh
，
این کتابو یه همکاری بهم توصیه کرد。 برای کسی که تو بیزنس گاز طبیعی کار میکنه عالیه و تاریخچهی ده پونزدهی سالهی این بیزنس روتوضیح میده و اهمیت گاز （ونفت） رو نشون میده。 درسته که الان جو منفیای نسبت به «قول»هایی که تو این بیزنس هستند وجود داره ولی کتاب （غیرمستقیم） یادآوری میکنه که پیشرفت کشورها و حیات و چرخ اقتصادیشون به نفت و گاز وابسته بوده و خیلی از اتفاقهای مهم دنیا تو سالهای اخیر یه جوری به انرژی و امنیت انرژی مربوط بوده。بعد از خوندن این کتاب باز بهم یادآوری شد چرا انقدر شغلمو دوست این کتابو یه همکاری بهم توصیه کرد。 برای کسی که تو بیزنس گاز طبیعی کار میکنه عالیه و تاریخچهی ده پونزدهی سالهی این بیزنس روتوضیح میده و اهمیت گاز （ونفت） رو نشون میده。 درسته که الان جو منفیای نسبت به «قول»هایی که تو این بیزنس هستند وجود داره ولی کتاب （غیرمستقیم） یادآوری میکنه که پیشرفت کشورها و حیات و چرخ اقتصادیشون به نفت و گاز وابسته بوده و خیلی از اتفاقهای مهم دنیا تو سالهای اخیر یه جوری به انرژی و امنیت انرژی مربوط بوده。بعد از خوندن این کتاب باز بهم یادآوری شد چرا انقدر شغلمو دوست دارم！ （راستی بقیهی کتابهای این نویسنده رو گذاشتم تو لیست） 。。。more
John
，
A thorough look at energy sources， historical， current and future prospects across major geographical areas - Middle East， America， Russia， China and India。 He provides his expertise and perspective re climate change and how each of these areas will be impacted along with the challenges of more electrification！Excellent read。
Bharath ayyappa
，
Best book to understand current development in the energy sector for amatuer。
Valery
，
Expected more thorough analysis on scenarios。 Great collection of different thoughts on energy role and future， historical facts and general geopolitical discussions。 But still to long for the book of an expert in the field from whom you would expect to share more deep knowledge about the industry
Matthew Gallant
，
Imagine writing a book about fossil fuels in 2020， and having so little to say about the existential threat to humanity posed by climate change。 In Daniel Yergin's world， the push for renewable energy is impelled by government policy to satisfy the demands of a vociferous environmental lobby。 This price manipulation creates an inefficient energy market， and the cost gets passed to the consumer。 People who protest oil pipelines and fracking are rubes who heat their homes with natural gas from abr Imagine writing a book about fossil fuels in 2020， and having so little to say about the existential threat to humanity posed by climate change。 In Daniel Yergin's world， the push for renewable energy is impelled by government policy to satisfy the demands of a vociferous environmental lobby。 This price manipulation creates an inefficient energy market， and the cost gets passed to the consumer。 People who protest oil pipelines and fracking are rubes who heat their homes with natural gas from abroad。 This book's worldview is fundamentally neoliberal and steeped in climate change denial。Other than this egregious flaw， it's an interesting overview of the history and current state of energy politics。 。。。more
Sushil Borah
，
It is a fantastic book。 It equates the energy game of countries and charts out the current world order。 It doesn't what is right or wrong in terms of the oil and gas dominance but lays out the facts。 It navigates from the energy dependence and production of USA， Russia， China， Saudi Arabia （middle east） along with energy politics， current investments， changing friendships。 It moves onto impact from renewables， EV， Mobility as a Service。 This is an excellent read It is a fantastic book。 It equates the energy game of countries and charts out the current world order。 It doesn't what is right or wrong in terms of the oil and gas dominance but lays out the facts。 It navigates from the energy dependence and production of USA， Russia， China， Saudi Arabia （middle east） along with energy politics， current investments， changing friendships。 It moves onto impact from renewables， EV， Mobility as a Service。 This is an excellent read 。。。more
Ernesto Tsk
，
Interesting read If someone ist looking in how economics will move ahead。
Jesse
，
This is a good balance for all of the climate change books out there that base their case on a moral argument。 It’s a bit more objective， though unflinching about the power struggles and the problems they have created throughout history。 It steps back in history to explain the complexities of our energy system， starting with wood， then coal， then oil， then gas。 You really start to understand the motivations of Russia， China and the US to control their energy and benefit from exporting， and how m This is a good balance for all of the climate change books out there that base their case on a moral argument。 It’s a bit more objective， though unflinching about the power struggles and the problems they have created throughout history。 It steps back in history to explain the complexities of our energy system， starting with wood， then coal， then oil， then gas。 You really start to understand the motivations of Russia， China and the US to control their energy and benefit from exporting， and how much that influences foreign relations and wars and economics and colonialism and terrorism and more。 It eventually gets around to renewable energy， though with a bit of a skeptical slant that probably doesn’t do justice to the pressing need to shift。 Still， the trip back in history explains a lot of why we are where we are right now with oil and world powers。 。。。more
Ryan
，
Strangely， for a book about near future projections， the best part was the history of the oil/energy global system， rather than analyses of current trends or predictions about the future。The book starts with a pretty comprehensive history of how oil and were commercialized and became critical to the global economy， as well as the geo-strategic concerns of various countries， especially in Asia with respect to transit of ships through the South China Sea。 The rise of natural gas and export markets Strangely， for a book about near future projections， the best part was the history of the oil/energy global system， rather than analyses of current trends or predictions about the future。The book starts with a pretty comprehensive history of how oil and were commercialized and became critical to the global economy， as well as the geo-strategic concerns of various countries， especially in Asia with respect to transit of ships through the South China Sea。 The rise of natural gas and export markets in LNG， pipeline politics （especially Russia to Europe）， Russian and Chinese energy relationships， etc。 were excellent。 From a purely historical perspective， the book left out past critical energy issues （Germany and liquid fuels， Japan's need for oil， as both causes of and limitations on success in WW2）， which might have provided some insight into how bad things can get when they go wrong， but since those have been resolved they're less predictive now。The introduction of shale gas and other non-conventional and un-conventional sources of gas and oil was well covered; it's amazing how the saviors of America are basically a bunch of capitalist explorers， engineers making in-the-field incremental improvements through experiments， and other very American areas of expertise， rather than a centralized government program or out of the blue theoretical breakthrough。The sections on electric and self driving cars， climate politics， etc。 were much less comprehensive as well as less interesting。There was some attention paid to solar， but not as much to wind or hydro， and nuclear was largely ignored as much as it could be。Overall， it's a decent book， but a historical book about oil （which I think the author did a few years ago） would be better， rather than half-assing the rest of it to try to be comprehensive。 。。。more
Kirk Carver
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A great overview of what has led up to the world we live in today through the lenses of global politics， conflicting agendas， and divergent ideologies， with energy at the center of the mix。 It shed light on a few connecting points that I didn't understand would be so important when I heard about them in the news over the last decade， but I suppose hindsight is 20/20。 My critiques of the book are in the writing style and editing。 A layman may have a hard time pulling everything together due to th A great overview of what has led up to the world we live in today through the lenses of global politics， conflicting agendas， and divergent ideologies， with energy at the center of the mix。 It shed light on a few connecting points that I didn't understand would be so important when I heard about them in the news over the last decade， but I suppose hindsight is 20/20。 My critiques of the book are in the writing style and editing。 A layman may have a hard time pulling everything together due to the slices he uses （regional/political， followed by some chapters on the business streams involved）。 I think it would get a wider reader base if Yergin wrote it with a strictly chronological narrative （e。g。 Astoria: John Jacob Astor and Thomas Jefferson's Lost Pacific Empire: A Story of Wealth， Ambition， and Survival -- Stark ） or a focused thesis as to why we ended where we find ourselves （e。g。 Guns， Germs， and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies - Diamond）。 And， for a book with "Map" in title， I would have expected more maps -- geographic or otherwise。 Perhaps the next edition。 But overall， an astounding effort to put out a book in 2020 that included the effects of the global pandemic in the narrative。A retired colleague and friend attends CERA every year， and I told him that I was reading Map。 He suggested that I also read Bill Gates book How to Avoid Climate Disaster as "a primer in understanding the various complexities of climate change publications。" He also suggested The World by Richard Haas to understand the geopolitical challenges facing us and challenging climate change initiatives。 。。。more
Brian
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Interesting， comprehensive， easy enough to read。 Pretty much all I can hope for from non-fiction
Les Dart
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