ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I

spent four and a half years living in the Persian Gulf, from 2005

through 2009, and have had the good fortune to return many times

since. I found in these six countries a disarming warmth and hospi-

tality and a profound natural beauty. I was unprepared for the huge

amount of personal interest that I would develop in the region.

The Gulf is beset by a number of urgent problems, just one of which

is covered here. The importance of energy to daily life was driven home

to me during a blackout in Dubai. There was no escaping the 110°F (40°C)

heat, which was magnified by the design of buildings that quickly trapped

heat and offered no means to vent it. The experience made tangible for

me that energy policy in these producer states needs to be recalibrated

for the longer term, rather than for a short era of conspicuous consump-

tion. This book examines the drivers behind the Gulf ’s profligate treat-

ment of its domestic energy resources, the damage that overconsump-

tion has brought, and the pathways toward a more sustainable and

enlightened understanding of the fossil fuels that have transformed the

region.

None of the research in this book would have been possible without

the assistance of dozens of people, who contributed in ways large and

small. I made numerous friends in the region, many of whom helped in

some way, whether offering places to sleep, shared meals, anecdotes over