How does America break from its dependence on foreign oil without disrupting its economy? This is a daunting task, and one that needs to be tackled not only for environmental reasons, but also for political stability in the world. The Rocky Mountain Institute tackles this problem head-on in their book, Winning the Oil End Game.
The book contrasts the benefits that we’ve gained from oil with our current volatile dependence that is becoming our greatest weakness. Increasingly, its the inefficiency of our vehicles that is threatening the nation’s independence and the competitiveness of one of our key industrial sectors.
This book offers up step-by-step solutions for businesses to profit from the transition away from oil. It discusses necessary technological innovations, new business models and public policies that together can accelerate the transition. Among the key steps that the book advocates are:
- Increasing the efficiency of vehicles and shifting customer choice toward efficiency
- Scrapping older cars and subsidizing super-efficient cars to low-income Americans
- Military spending on developing key mobility technologies
- Government policies to speed the development of alternative fuels
The ideas presented here advocate a reasoned and incremental shift away from oil in a way that isn’t disruptive to the economy. While the move will require significant investment and a shift in business models, it represents a do or die turning point for business leaders. The shift is put in perspective with many well-reasoned arguments that offer practical solutions.
The authors assert that the huge investment to displace oil will cost less than it would to buy the oil if we stay on our current course. The nation’s independence, security and economy are riding on a proactive approach to this problem, and our planet’s environment could well be the primary beneficiary.
The book is available for free in its entirety online as a PDF document or can be purchased in print on Amazon.com.
