Why Your World Is About to Get
a Whole Lot Smaller: Oil and the End of Globalization
An internationally renowned energy expert has written a book essential for
every American–a galvanizing account of how the rising price and diminishing
availability of oil are going to radically change our lives. Why Your World Is About to
Get a Whole Lot Smaller is a powerful and provocative book that explores what the new
global economy will look like and what it will mean for all of us.
In a compelling and accessible style, Jeff Rubin reveals that despite the recent
recessionary dip, oil prices will skyrocket again once the economy recovers. The fact is,
worldwide oil reserves are disappearing for good. Consequently, the amount of food and
other goods we get from abroad will be curtailed; long-distance driving will become a
luxury and international travel rare. Globalization as we know it will reverse. The near
future will be a time that, in its physical limits, may resemble the distant past.
But Why Your World Is About to Get a Whole Lot Smaller is a hopeful work about how we can
benefit–personally, politically, and economically–from this new reality. American
industries such as steel and agriculture, for instance, will be revitalized. As well,
Rubin prescribes priorities for President Obama and other leaders, from imposing carbon
tariffs that will increase competition and productivity, to investing in mass transit
instead of car-clogged highways, to forging “green” alliances between labor and
management that will be good for both business and the air we breathe.
Most passionately, Rubin recommends ways every citizen can secure this better life for
himself, actions that will end our enslavement to chain-store tasteand strengthen our
communities and timeless human values.
Jeff Rubin is the chief economist and chief strategist at CIBC World
Markets. He was one of the first economists to accurately predict soaring oil prices back
in 2000 and is now one of the world’s most sought-after energy experts. He lives in
Toronto.
Table of Contents
Introduction: Redefining Recovery
PART ONE
Chapter 1: Supply Shift
Chapter 2: Demand Shift
Chapter 3: Head Fakes
PART TWO
Chapter 4: Heading for the Exit Lane
Chapter 5: Coming Home
Chapter 6: The Other Problem with Fossil Fuels
Chapter 7: Just How Big Is Cleveland?
Chapter 8: Going Local
Conclusion: Chasing the Inconnu
Acknowledgments
Source Notes
Index
304 pages, Hardcover
