The OPEC oil embargo in the 1970s jolted the United States and other industrialized nations into a frantic search for reliable and affordable sources of energy. In an atmosphere of crisis and uncertainty-policymakers called it "the moral equivalent of war"-American government and industry wasted billions of dollars in misguided attempts to find a solution to the perceived energy shortfall. Why did the decisions of so many well-qualified and well-meaning people lead to such poor results? Energy Aftermath charts the history of the U.S. energy sector, describes the highly charged times in which major decisions were made, and examines the root causes that led to erroneous choices by business and government. The authors argue that all sectors of society contributed to the blunders in the energy industry: scientists oversold their ability to analyze and forecast; business leaders searched for simplistic solutions; policymakers preferred high-minded slogans to studying the complexities of the issue; and consumer groups promoted their causes with little reference to economic and market realities. The result was massive confusion, misdirection, and wasted effort.