Transport Revolutions: Moving People and Freight Without Oil / Edition 1

by Richard Gilbert, Anthony Pearl

Overview

Transport Revolutions: Moving People and Freight without Oil sets out the challenges to our growing dependence on transport fuelled by low-priced oil. These challenges include an early peak in world oil production and profound climate change resulting in part from oil use. It proposes responses to ensure effective, secure movement of people and goods in ways that make the best use of renewable sources of energy while minimizing environmental impacts. Transport Revolutions synthesizes engineering, economics, environment, organization, policy and technology, and draws extensively on current data to present important conclusions. The authors argue that land transport in the first half of the 21st century will feature at least two revolutions. One will involve the use of electric drives rather than internal combustion engines. Another will involve powering many of these drives directly from the electric grid - as trains and trolley buses are powered today - rather than from on-board fuel. They go on to discuss marine transport, whose future is less clear, and aviation, which could see the most dramatic breaks from current practice. With its expert analysis of the politics and business of transport, Transport Revolutions is essential reading for professionals and students in transport, energy, town planning and public policy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781844072484
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	12/14/2007
Edition description:	1
Pages:	376
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.20(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Richard Gilbert is a Toronto-based consultant who focuses on transport and energy issues, with recent public- and private-sector clients in North America, Europe and Asia. Anthony Perl is a Professor of Political Science and Urban Studies at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, where he directs the Urban Studies Program.

Table of Contents

Preface * Introduction: Transport Revolutions Ahead * Learning from Past Transport Revolutions * Transport Today * Transport and Energy * Transport‘s Adverse Impacts * The Next Transport Revolutions * Leading the Way Forward * Index

Editorial Reviews

'A must read.' Erick Villagomez, Re:Place Magazine 'A terrific book!' Elizabeth Deakin, Professor of City Planning and Director, Transportation Center, University of California 'Remarkably timely, optimistic, and practical.' Tony Hiss, author of The Experience of Place and visiting scholar at New York University 'An important book... Transport Revolutions needs to be considered by all of us if travel is to continue in the years ahead.' Sunday News, PA 'This book should be on the desk of every transport minister‘s chief policy adviser.' John Adams, Emeritus Professor of Geography, University College London 'This is an exceptionally well thought-out book.' Colin Axon, Deputy Director, Institute for Carbon and Energy Reduction in Transport, University of Oxford. ' If policy makers ignore this book it is at our peril.' Dave Hughes, Senior Geoscientist and Energy Analyst, Geological Survey of Canada 'One of the most thought-provoking books to cross my desk in a long while.' Barbara Yaffe, Vancouver Sun 'Be prepared for a hard-nosed look at a future we all may face.' James Mars, Canadian Journal of Urban Research

From the Publisher