In his new book, veteran Middle East Journalist Dilip Hiro offers a detailed account of how and why the planet’s limited supply of oil has come to revolutionize human behavior, politics and warfare across the globe. He joins us for a wide-ranging interview. [includes rush transcript]

As scientists in Paris finalize their report on the adverse effects of human-caused emissions on climate change, a new book offers a detailed account of how and why the planet’s limited supply of oil has come to revolutionize human behavior, politics and warfare across the globe. “Blood of the Earth: The Battle for the World’s Vanishing Oil Resources” is a detailed account of the history of oil. It reveals that when states replaced coal with oil, they scrambled to meet an unprecedented global energy demand.

The book details how states have attempted to meet a growing thirst for oil through economic expansion and all-out war. It also explores developments in alternative and renewable sources of energy. With us now is the author of the book, Dilip Hiro. He is a veteran journalist on the Middle East. His trilogy of books on Iraq and Iran are considered some of the most definitive histories of the wars in the Persian Gulf.

• Dilip Hiro. Veteran journalist on the Middle East. His trilogy of books on Iraq and Iran are considered some of the most definitive histories of the wars in the Persian Gulf. His latest book is called “Blood of the Earth: The Battle for the World’s Vanishing Oil Resources.”