1. Introduction
2. The Significance of Oil in the Gulf of Mexico
3. The Energy that Runs the World
4. Offshore Drilling and Production: A Short History
5. The Energy-Complexity Spiral
6. The Benefits and Costs of Complexity
7. What Happened at the Macondo Well
8. Why the Gulf Disaster Happened
9. Our Energy and Complexity Dilemma: Prospects for the Future
Appendix A. Glossary
Appendix B. Offshore Production
Appendix C. Operating an Offshore Platform
Index