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Drilling Deeper Into Oil's Impact

Categories: Audiobook Library

  The cataclysm in the Gulf of Mexico is sure to have far-reaching impacts on the environment, economy, and society. RFB&D members who have interest in studying these issues can access an intriguing assortment of titles in our audiobook library. As disturbing pictures of oil-covered birds in Louisiana continue to make national news, the oil spill catastrophe proves again how vulnerable marine life and ecosystems are to man-made disasters. We are barely seeing the spill’s initial effects and it may take years for scientists to discover them all.
It’s vacation time again and many of us are spending time at the beach or other favorite vacation spots. This summer, as I read about the disaster, watch the news and view the photos, I’m concerned about the environmental future of America.
What will our beaches and oceans be like for my one-year old when he grows up? Will he be able to swim in the ocean? What wildlife will become extinct as a result of this event?
Not to mention other huge questions: Will the experimental cap work? What’s the permanent solution? How will the mess be cleaned up without causing further environmental damage? There are many more thought-provoking questions to be asked, and many still to be answered.
What questions does the oil spill disaster have you asking?  RFB&D has pulled together a fascinating collection of books on the oil industry’s impact on our environment, economy and society. Here's just a sampling:
HW876 The Age of Oil: the Mythology, History, and Future of the World's Most Controversial Resource Maugeri, Leonardo. Praeger, c2006.  This book describes the colorful history of oil, and explains the fundamentals of oil production. In the second part of the book, the author debunks the main myths surrounding oil in our times, addressing whether we are indeed running out of oil, and the real impact of Islamic radicalism on oil-rich regions. HS762 Internal Combustion: How Corporations and Governments Addicted the World to Oil and Derailed the Alternatives Black, Edwin. St. Martin's Press c2006. 1st ed.  The tale of corruption and manipulation that subjected the world to an oil addiction that could have been avoided, that was never necessary, and that could be ended not in ten years, not in five years, but today. The author also documents how General Motors conspired to undermine mass transit in dozens of cities and how Big Oil, Big Corn, and Big Coal have subverted synthetic fuels and other alternatives. HW676 Oil on the Brain: Adventures From the Pump to the Pipeline Margonelli, Lisa. Nan A. Talese/ Doubleday c2007. 1st ed.  An account of the oil industry - the people, economies, and pipelines that bring us petroleum. MP461 American Disasters New York University Press c2001.  By examining immediate and long-term responses to such disasters as the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, the Exxon Valdez oil spill, and the Challenger explosion, this book explores what natural and man-made catastrophes reveal about the societies in which they occur. GV938 Marine Pollution Clark, R. B. Oxford University Press c2001. 5th ed.  This book gives an account of the materials that are discharged into the sea, what happens to them when they get there, the effect they have on the marine environment, and the threats they present to human health.
Members who have interest in exploring these and other issues of the day can browse through the Current Events section of our audiobook library. Not a member? Sign up for a membership now.– Marlene Smith