This nine-plus part series by noted energy journalist Andrew Nikiforuk focuses on the major economic, environmental and political question of our time: Can we transition from fossil fuels to a more sustainable energy base without causing turmoil and social disintegration? What can we best do to prepare? Nikiforuk takes the question to some of the world's top experts and reports back.
In This Series
Andrew Nikiforuk: The Big Shift
A great energy transition is coming. Will it mean a better day for humanity, or turmoil? First in a series.
Can We Live again in 1964's Energy World?
We must engineer a return to that era's lower usage, says expert Vaclav Smil. Second in a series.
The Big Shift Last Time: From Horse Dung to Car Smog
Lessons from an earlier energy transition. Third in a series.
What Really Killed Soviet Union? Oil Shock?
Red Empire just ran out of fuel, say growing number of experts.
Why Energy Experts Get Things Wrong So Often
A history of failed guesses shows how hard it is to forecast fuels of the future.
'The Shale Gale Is a Retirement Party'
So concludes an expert analyst of the natural gas boom. Brace for bust.
Perils and Promise of Turning Plants into Gasoline
There's a reason some call biofuels 'forbidden fuels'. Latest in a series.
Difficult Truths about 'Difficult Oil'
As we work down the hydrocarbon pyramid, energy gets messier and much more costly. Latest in a series.