George Stroumboulopoulos Interview
MSNBC Morning Joe Interview
Bloomberg.com
“If Jeff Rubin is right, traders can bet on oil prices gushing to $200 per barrel. Everyone else will see the ’18 wheeler of globalization’ thrown into reverse. This is more than idle prattle. Rubin is a former chief economist at Toronto investment bank, CIBC World Markets Inc. He made a name for himself with his accurate predictions that oil prices would reach $50 per barrel in 2005 and $100 per barrel in 2007.” —Bloomberg.com
Canadian Business
“If Jeff Rubin says something is coming, you better listen.” —Samson Okalow, Canadian Business
Financial Times
“This is a book about the implications of Peak Oil: the theory that the world’s oil production is past the highest level it will ever reach, or very close to it. . . Energy supplies of all kinds, and oil in particular, are becoming increasingly problematic. And there is a profound public complacency about the extent to which our economies are dependent on reliable supplies of cheap energy—supplies that are becoming ever more difficult to guarantee.
That is why Jeff Rubin’s book is so welcome. As former chief economist at investment bank CIBC World Markets, he brings a perspective to the debate that is original, engaging and persuasive.
This book paints a vision of a world of energy scarcity that seems more appealing than the apocalyptic warnings of many Peak Oil believers. . . . No doubt Rubin will draw flak from the more extreme end of the Peak Oil movement for his Panglossian optimism, the economist’s perpetual failing.
For the rest of us, his book is a thought-provoking introduction to a future that, sooner or later, the world is inevitably going to enter.” —Ed Crooks, Energy Editor, Financial Times
Fox Business
The Globe and Mail
“For an economist, Rubin has an unusually engaging writing style. The book is chock full of numbers and statistics, but he has woven them into very readable prose. He also uses imagery and allegory to good effect, such as the reference to playing table tennis on a moving train: The ball may appear to be bouncing back and forth, but in the grand scheme it’s really moving only in one direction. That image describes beautifully what happens with oil prices—rising and falling from time to time, but really on an unstoppable upward trend.” —Todd Hirsch, The Globe and Mail
National Post
“Rubin’s book is a great read. It makes links between energy prices and the current state of the economy. We should heed his warnings and take his advice. I’d definitely recommend this book.” —Becky Guthrie, The Afterword, National Post
Newsweek
“Canadian economist Jeff Rubin has a somewhat oracular reputation. Since 2000, he has predicted a massive oil price spike, and he was among the first in 2007, to prophesy that oil would soar over $100 per barrel; (a few months later he said $150 per barrel and was basically proved right again). Now, even though oil has dropped considerably from its peak, Rubin warns that it’s bound to skyrocket once more and cause another even greater economic crisis. In his new book, Why Your World Is About To Get A Whole Lot Smaller, he lays out how this energy crunch will occur—and why it will spell the end of globalization.
Rubin’s future isn’t all bad. To offset the effects of the energy crisis, governments will have to invest heavily in national infrastructure (especially public-transportation systems); national industries once hurt by outsourcing and foreign competition will thrive, and the environment will become cleaner as people are forced to use less fossil fuel and as cars disappear from the streets. But Rubin warns that governments can only do so much—successful adaptation to an energy-starved world will largely depend on individuals altering their energy-consumption norms. Still, he is willing to bet that people will make the right choices. All in all he says, ‘Don’t be surprised if the new, smaller world that emerges isn’t a lot more livable and enjoyable than the one we are about to leave behind.’ Rubin’s argument is powerful.” —Mohammed J. Herzallah, Newsweek
Heather Reisman, CEO, Indigo Books & Music
“I might lose whatever credibility I have with readers if I suggested flat out that a book centered around the subject of oil, written by an economist, was a page-turner, but I am willing to say with conviction that Why Your World Is About To Get A Whole Lot Smaller, by former CIBC Chief Economist Jeff Rubin, is a fantastically compelling read. And not just for people with an interest in the economy—for everyone.
Jeff has an incredible ability to distill complex ideas into enlightening everyday language… Why Your World Is About To Get A Whole Lot Smaller is a well researched, smart and—consistent with Jeff’s reputation—entirely provocative.” —Heather Reisman
