This is an excellent book to get up to speed on current geo- and energy politics. Although the underlying subjects are, of course, subject to a great deal of controversy, the author almost entirely resists the temptation to inject his own political views. Instead he sticks to an objective recounting of history; statements of facts regarding the world's current geopolitical situation; a balanced description of what the challenges will be in moving the world toward cleaner energy (for instance carbon taxes might help but would hit the poorest the hardest); what realistic goals and timelines are; and what factors and prior history imply regarding uncertainty around dates. The goal is clearly to get the reader up to speed on the facts without pushing any political agenda. Indeed, after reading the book, I had almost no idea what Daniel Yergin feels should be done but felt I had a good background to dive more deeply into the subjects discussed.

The writing style is excellent and never bogs down. There is just the right amount of depth to get you up to speed on a subject without becoming boring before moving onto the next. Some books feel like they take longer to read than the page count suggests, but this one breezed by very quickly.

All of the world's major geopolitical players have multiple chapters devoted to them. Some smaller countries are also discussed: for instance Mexico and Brazil with regard to the opposite approaches they have taken regarding allowing foreigners to help develop their oil industries. There is a good deal of history I was not aware of before reading this book: for instance the recent discovery of large oil reserves offshore near Israel meaning they have the potential to become a net exporter, and the role of fluctuating oil prices in the ultimate demise of the Soviet Union.

There are a number of chapters devoted to the future of automobiles: discussions of electrification and automation along with a discussion of companies which seek to provide "mobility as a service" and what impact that has had and is likely to have on vehicle ownership going forward. Here, consistent with his approach throughout the book, Yergin does not inject his own political beliefs but there is plenty of information for the reader to ponder for themselves whether a world with less individual vehicle ownership would be a good or bad thing.

One big revelation from the book is how the discovery of fracking means the world, and the United States in particular, is, basically, in no danger of ever realistically running out of oil and, indeed, is swimming in it. The book discusses how this abundant oil and nat gas was turning the United States into an economic juggernaut since it allowed the price of essentially everything to decrease. The book also discusses how the natural gas extracted by fracking was the primary driver behind recently reduced CO2 emissions.

Although the book avoids getting bogged down in statistics there are enough for the reader to know which countries and industries are primarily responsible for what types of energy consumption. You will see how much is cars and decide for yourself how big an impact a large move to EVs will make relative to other sources of CO2 emissions.

I could only find a small flaw with this book. This is the one instance where the author hinted at his own views regarding what should be done. He discusses how some pipelines in the United States were so close to being complete and they would have only increased net oil or natural gas availability by such a small percentage (one or two percent) that they should have just been completed. Whether ultimately true or not, this just did not seem like good logic. Indeed it would be rather like someone on a diet deciding, well since they are already X pounds overweight, what harm would there be in finishing the cheesecake already in the fridge, or maybe increasing their calorie intake by half a chocolate bar per day?

Quick read, good follow up. Some parts (Russia / Ukraine) are beyond eerily prescient; the weaker parts are more similar to fleshed out articles from The Economist.