Twilight in the Desert

2005 book by Matthew Simmons

Twilight in the Desert: The Coming Saudi Oil Shock and the World Economy

Hardcover edition

Author| Matthew Simmons
Language| English
Subject| Petroleum industry in Saudi Arabia, peak oil
Genre| Non-fiction
Publisher| John Wiley & Sons

Publication date

| June 10, 2005
Publication place| United States
Media type| Print, e-book
Pages| 448 pp.
ISBN| 978-0471738763

Twilight in the Desert: The Coming Saudi Oil Shock and the World Economy is a book by American investment banker Matthew Simmons.[1][2] The text was initially published on June 10, 2005 by John Wiley & Sons. The book focuses on the petroleum industry of Saudi Arabia and posits that this country is approaching—or already at—its peak oil output and cannot substantially increase its oil production.

## Overview

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> In 2005, Matt Simmons wrote a book called Twilight in the Desert. In it, he summarized what he learned about Saudi Arabian oil production by reading 200 academic papers. He concluded from his analysis that the oil extraction techniques being used there were techniques that one might use if the fields were quite depleted. Because of this, he doubted that we should believe stories that Saudi oil production can be greatly expanded. Instead, he raised the possibility that in the not too distant future, Saudi oil production will suddenly decline. Matt's research underlying the book was no doubt behind his concern that oil reserves and oil production rates are not audited.

—Review on theoildrum.com[3]

## Simmons–Tierny bet

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Main article: Simmons–Tierney bet

Simmons' prediction of rising oil prices made in Twilight in the Desert led to a bet with New York Times columnist John Tierney in August 2005. The two men bet US$10,000 on whether the daily price-per-barrel of crude oil averaged over the 2010 calendar year would exceed $200 when adjusted for inflation, with Simmons to win the bet if it did, or Tierney if it did not. The average price for a barrel of oil in 2010 turned out to be $80 ($71 in 2005 dollars, only slightly higher than the $65 barrel price when the bet was made). Simmons died on August 8, 2010, and the bet was paid out by his colleagues in Tierney's favor.[4]

## See also

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Similarly themed books include:

* Beyond Oil by Kenneth Deffeyes
* Hot, Flat, and Crowded by Thomas L. Friedman
* Oil 101 by Morgan Downey

## References

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1. ^ Simmons, Matthew R. (10 June 2005). Twilight in the Desert: The Coming Saudi Oil Shock and the World Economy. Wiley. ISBN 047173876X.
2. ^ "Twilight in the Desert by Matthew R Simmons". goodreads.com. Retrieved 2014-12-06.
3. ^ "Matt Simmons, Author of "Twilight in the Desert" and Peak Oil Speaker, Dies at Age 67". theoildrum.com. Retrieved 2014-12-09.
4. ^ [1], The New York Times, By JOHN TIERNEY, Published: December 27, 2010

## External links

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* Matt Simmons “Twilight in the Desert” Saudi Arabia oil: how much left?

* v
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Peak oil

Core issues|

* Fossil fuel phase-out
* Hubbert peak theory
* Predicting the timing of peak oil

Results/responses|

* 1970s energy crisis
* 2000s energy crisis
* Global energy crisis (2021–present)
* Energy crisis
* Export Land Model
* Food vs. fuel
* Hirsch report
* Oil and gas reserves and resource quantification
* Permaculture
* Pickens Plan
* Price of oil
* Renewable energy commercialization
* Rimini protocol
* Simmons–Tierney bet
* Simple living
* Swing producer

People|

* Albert Allen Bartlett
* Colin J. Campbell
* Kenneth S. Deffeyes
* David Goodstein
* John Michael Greer
* Richard Heinberg
* M. King Hubbert
* James Howard Kunstler
* Jean Laherrère
* Jeremy Leggett
* Dale Allen Pfeiffer
* Richard Rainwater
* Michael Ruppert
* Matthew Simmons

Books|

* The Limits to Growth
* Beyond Oil
* The End of Oil
* The Long Emergency
* Out of Gas
* The Party's Over
* Power Down
* Twilight in the Desert

Documentary films|

* A Crude Awakening: The Oil Crash
* Collapse
* Crude
* The End of Suburbia
* Escape from Suburbia
* Fuel
* GasHole
* The Oil Factor
* PetroApocalypse Now?
* The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil
* What a Way to Go: Life at the End of Empire

Organizations|

* Energy Watch Group
* International Energy Agency
* International Renewable Energy Agency
* Oil Depletion Analysis Centre
* The Oil Drum
* OPEC
* Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries
* Post Carbon Institute
* REN21
* Transition town

Other peaks|

* Car
* Coal
* Copper
* Food
* Gas
* Gold
* Minerals
* Phosphorus
* Soil
* Water
* Wheat
* Wood

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