What would a de-carbonised society be like? What are the implications of a general de-globalisation for our social futures? How will our high-carbon patterns of life be restructured in a de-energized world?
As global society gradually wakes up to the new reality of peak oil, these questions remain unanswered. For the last hundred years oil made the world go round, and as we move into the century of 'tough oil' this book examines some profound consequences. It considers what societies would be like that are powering down; what lessons can be learned from the past about de-energized societies; will there be rationing systems or just the market to allocate scarce energy? Can virtual worlds solve energy problems? What levels of income and wellbeing would be likely?
In this groundbreaking book, John Urry analyzes how the twentieth century created a kind of mirage of the future that is unsustainable into even the medium term and envisions the future of an oil-dependent world facing energy descent. Without a large-scale plan B, how can the energizing of society possibly be going into reverse?

Introduction: the problem of energy
Part I Oil dregs
1. Oil and the crash of 2007-8
2. The century of oil
3. Consuming miles
4. Carbon capital
5. Peaking
6. The Chinese century?
7. The curse of oil
Part II Social futures
8. Magic bullet future
9. Digital lives
10. Resource fights
11. Low carbon society
12. After easy oil

John Urry is a Distinguished Professor of Sociology at Lancaster University. Educated University of Cambridge (BA/MA Economics, PhD Sociology), he is the editor of the International Library of Sociology; Co-editor of Mobilities and Director of the Lancaster Centre for Mobilities Research. His recent books include Automobilities (2005), Mobilities, Networks, Geographies (2006), Mobilities (2007), Aeromobilities (2009), After the Car (2009), Mobile Lives (2010), Mobile Methods (2011), The Tourist Gaze 3.0 (2011) and Climate Change and Society (2011).