Paul Roberts is an American journalist and author of three non-fiction books, including '' The End of Oil'' (2004) and ''The End of Food'' (2008). He had before been a regular contributor to '' Harper's Magazine'' and writes primarily about "the complex interplay of economics, technology, and the natural world."Book jacket of ''The End of Oil'', Mariner Books edition

Books

''The End of Oil'' (2004)

In his book-length debut, ''The End of Oil'', Roberts gave an analysis of the various problems associated with humanity's reliance on

oil An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) & lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturated ...

and other fossil fuels such as

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal is formed when dead ...

and

natural gas Natural gas (also called fossil gas or simply gas) is a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes. Low levels of trace gases like carbon di ...

. The book received a number of positive reviews from American newspapers and review publications. Notably, environmentalist

Bill McKibben William Ernest McKibben (born December 8, 1960)"Bill Ernest McKibben." ''Environmental Encyclopedia''. Edited by Deirdre S. Blanchfield. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale, 2009. Retrieved via ''Biography in Context'' database, December 31, 2017. is a ...

, in an article for the

New York Review of Books New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

, described it as "perhaps the best single book ever produced about our energy economy and its environmental implications."

''The End of Food'' (2008)

In 2008, Roberts published his second book, titled ''The End of Food''. It is similar in fashion to ''The End of Oil'' in that Roberts attempts a comprehensive analysis of food production with its intricacies and weaknesses. As a theme, Roberts asks whether modern

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

, as it has emerged since the

Green Revolution The Green Revolution, also known as the Third Agricultural Revolution, was a period of technology transfer initiatives that saw greatly increased crop yields and agricultural production. These changes in agriculture began in developed countrie ...

, will be able to feed a growing world population. ''The End of Food'' was described by

Michael Pollan Michael Kevin Pollan (; born February 6, 1955) is an American author and journalist, who is currently Professor of the Practice Non-Fiction and the first Lewis K. Chan Arts Lecturer at Harvard University. Concurrently, he is the Knight Professo ...

, a professor of science and environmental journalism at the University of California and himself an author of food-related non-fiction, as "the best analysis of the global food economy you are likely to find."Book jacket of ''The End of Food''

''The Impulse Society: America in the Age of Instant Gratification'' (2014)

In 2014, Roberts published his third book, titled ''The Impulse Society: America in the Age of Instant Gratification''. The book was described by

Elizabeth Gilbert Elizabeth Gilbert (born July 18, 1969) is an American journalist and author. She is best known for her 2006 memoir, '' Eat, Pray, Love'', which has sold over 12 million copies and has been translated into over 30 languages. The book was also ma ...

as “tracing the country's many, disparate ills to the same source: as a nation, we've abandoned the common good. His analysis is smart, provocative, and timely. The Impulse Society compels us to reexamine what it is that we really want."

Personal life

Roberts lives in Washington State.

Bibliography

*Editions of ''The End of Oil'' :* :* :* * *

References

External links

Interview with Roberts about ''The End of Oil''
at National Public Radio on May 6, 2004 (audio)
Interview with Roberts about ''The End of Food''
at National Public Radio on June 11, 2008 (audio)
Roberts discussing ''The End of Food''
at the

Commonwealth Club of California The Commonwealth Club of California is a non-profit, non-partisan educational organization based in Northern California. Founded in 1903, it is the oldest and largest public affairs forum in the United States. Membership is open to everyone. Act ...

on June 18, 2008 (video, with audio available for download)
VIDEO: Paul Roberts keynote talk
at the Organicology Conference in Portland, Oregon, on February 27, 2009. {{DEFAULTSORT:Roberts, Paul American non-fiction environmental writers Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Harper's Magazine people Writers from Washington (state)