Book Review: Who Turned Out the Lights? Your Guided Tour to the Energy Crisis

By Karen St. John, Staff Writer

The problem with most of us literate adults is not that wedon’t know there is an energy crisis on, or global warming happening.  It has all just been too complicated tograsp.  Best leave it up to theones in Washington, DC.  They’ll dowhat’s right.

And thus were the last words spoken from the last human onearth.

Okay, okay, I kid. But I do not kid about this: Who Turned Out the Lights? Your Guided Tour to the Energy Crisis, written by hip authors Scott Bittle and Jean Johnson (they offer quotes from “Midnight Cowboy,” “Groundhog Day” and MontyPython skits) is a must read.  Itis also an easy one.

The authors are upfront about their intention with the book:  “Our aim is to explain thenuts and bolts in plain, solid, nonscientific, nontechnical English.”  And I am happy to report, they do justthat.  That is quite a majoraccomplishment when the topic is profound, complicated, and controversial; but throughout every paragraph, yea, even the chart diagrams, Bittle and Johnsontalk like normal people. The book, ergo the topic, is not the least bitintimidating.

     That is the first important point to make about Who Turned Out the Lights?  The second one is that if you are backed up against the wall with your fists up, ready to fight the energy crisis/global warming debate, foh-ged-about-it!  There is not a whisper of confrontation in the entire book.  Bittle and Johnson explain, “…we’re not refighting the climate change war here – we have too much else to cover.  We’re into full disclosure, so let’s get this out of the way right up front.”  Their easing into this controversial topic and staying away from what makes it a controversy, works.  It is done gently, with great humor and objectivity.  So much so that by the time I was in the middle of the book, I was telling people about what my good friends Scott and Jean had to say about this or that energy crisis problem, proposed solution or forecast.

If you have ever admitted to yourself that you really would like to know how gas prices are set, but were afraid to ask, fear no more.  This topic, too, is discussed, with a word to the wise at the end of the chapter:  “If we weren’t so dependent on it (oil), we wouldn’t be so vulnerable to its price swings, whether they’re exaggerated by speculators or not.”  Excellent point.

Politics are not exempt from the discussion of the energy crisis, either.  Take the “cap and trade” concept.  The authors put it into simple language.  Watch out, DC…I’m an informed voter now!

Our energy supply is in serious jeopardy and how we are producing it is harmful to all living things. Worse, the United States is currently not tackling the problems efficiently (my wording). The 1997 Kyoto Protocol limited greenhouse gasses emissions and had 150 nations agreeing to sign it.  But guess who dug its heels in and refused to?  We did.  Then, 5 years later, General Motors presented us with its Hummer.  Who Turned Out the Lights? lists the key reasons why no one can ignore the environmental responsibility that living incurs.  Using up our energy supplies was a long time in the making, and the authors make a great presentation on how things started becoming a crises, and why things are different now.

Everybody is using more energy than ever.  (Think cell phones, ipods, computers, MP3 players, Tivo, etc.)  The energy we depend upon will not only end up costing more, it will not last.

Yipes.

Alright then.  Lemme see.  Well, I have changed my bulbs, restricted my driving, purchased efficient energy appliances, and I recycle.  Is this helping?

Yes, and no.  Yes, because I am doing my part as an individual.  But individuals are not the ones who are contributing most to the energy crisis.

So who is to blame?

Who Turned Out the Lights? lists all the villains the authors could think of.  The worst offenders of this energy crisis and global warming are industries and businesses.  7 top nominees are listed. (My top three guesses made the cut.)  Now the shocker:  There is enough solid blame to go around for all listed.

Who Turned Out the Lights? list several compelling reasons to act now on the energy crisis we are facing. With China’s overall economy growing at six times the rate of the United States, there will be even more competition for the world’s energy.  All major countries have to act responsibly and with vision in order to have energy in the future.  Which comes to the heart of the book:  even though many entities and behaviors are responsible for the overuse of the world’s fossil fuels, there is much that can be done if one sees the whole picture and acts upon it responsibly, appropriately and effectively.

Whew.  That felt good.  As a believer in the all-too-real global warming, it was encouraging to read that all is not lost.

History may help us find the solution.  Remember the gas rationing of the 1970s?  That prompted our nation’s decision to establish an energy Czar.  But looking backward is only a lesson to be learned.  We live in different times and our solutions have to be different.

Shall we drill?  Put up wind turbines?  Add solar panels to the roof?  How about digging in the ground for geothermal power?  All good questions.  Chapter 5 of Who Turned Out the Light?s give us “The Basics:  Ten Facts You Need to Know.”  Oil, coal, cars, and even gadgets are all discussed.

Here are a few questions to peak your curiosity about Who Turned Out the Lights (if it hasn’t been already):  Which are the three countries with the most natural gas reserves in the world?  What is nuclear plant waste called?   How many states are known geothermal sites? What is the Jevons paradox?  Lastly, why do all politicians talk ethanol in January of an election year?
 
The major countries are meeting in Copenhagen as this review is being written.  The representatives are making long-lasting decisions that may or may not contribute to the health of our living environment.  The time for us to act as individuals is now.  Here’s the first step: Put Who Turned Out the Lights? Your Guided Tour to the Energy Crisis on your gift list this year.  It’s a keeper.

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For more information on the energy crisis and Who Turned Out the Lights? Your Guided Tour to the Energy Crisis by Scott Bittle & Jean Johnson, visit the authors’ web site at www.whoturnedoutthelights.org.

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