Vaclav Smil: 23 books
Made in the USA
The Rise and Retreat of American Manufacturing
Language: English
Release Date: August 16, 2013
"There is probably no other writer whose books I anticipate with more enthusiasm than Vaclav Smil. He brings remarkable insight to every topic he examines, combining his vast knowledge of science and energy, history and business to address some of the most pressing issues we face today. So I'm pleased...
Energy and Civilization
A History
Language: English
Release Date: May 12, 2017
A comprehensive account of how energy has shaped society throughout history, from pre-agricultural foraging societies through today's fossil fuel–driven civilization.
"I wait for new Smil books the way some people wait for the next 'Star Wars' movie. In his latest book, Energy and Civilization:...
Harvesting the Biosphere
What We Have Taken from Nature
Language: English
Release Date: December 21, 2012
An interdisciplinary and quantitative account of human claims on the biosphere's stores of living matter, from prehistoric hunting to modern energy production.
The biosphere—the Earth's thin layer of life—dates from nearly four billion years ago, when the first simple organisms appeared....
by Vaclav Smil
Language: English
Release Date: January 29, 2010
Language: English
Release Date: January 29, 2010
An investigation of the America-Rome analogy that goes deeper than the facile comparisons made on talk shows and in glossy magazine articles.
America's post–Cold War strategic dominance and its pre-recession affluence inspired pundits to make celebratory comparisons to ancient Rome at its...
Energy at the Crossroads
Global Perspectives and Uncertainties
Language: English
Release Date: February 11, 2005
An objective, comprehensive, and accessible examination of today's most crucial problem: preserving the environment in the face of society's insatiable demand for energy.
In Energy at the Crossroads, Vaclav Smil considers the twenty-first century's crucial question: how to reconcile the modern...
by Vaclav Smil, Kazuhiko Kobayashi
Language: English
Release Date: August 24, 2012
Language: English
Release Date: August 24, 2012
An examination of the transformation of the Japanese diet from subsistence to abundance and an assessment of the consequences for health, longevity, and the environment.
In a little more than a century, the Japanese diet has undergone a dramatic transformation. In 1900, a plant-based, near-subsistence...
by Vaclav Smil
Language: English
Release Date: November 2, 2017
Language: English
Release Date: November 2, 2017
Packed with fascinating facts and insight, this book will fuel dinner party debate, and provide readers with the science and politics behind the world’s most controversial resource. Without oil, there would be no globalisation, no plastic, little transport, and a global political landscape that...
Energy Myths and Realities
Bringing Science to the Energy Policy Debate
Language: English
Release Date: August 16, 2010
There are many misconceptions about the future of global energy often presented as fact by the media, politicians, business leaders, activists, and even scientists_wasting time and money and hampering the development of progressive energy policies. Energy Myths and Realities: Bringing Science to the...
by Vaclav Smil
Language: English
Release Date: June 23, 2010
Language: English
Release Date: June 23, 2010
Energy expert Vaclav Smil presents a sharp-witted and approachable guide to oil's origins, exploration, extraction and use. This book is the perfect starting point for readers who wish to understand the science and culture behind our oil-driven world.
Energy
A Beginner's Guide
Language: English
Release Date: January 5, 2017
With his famous equation, E=mc2, Einstein showed us that all matter can be described as energy. It is everywhere; it is everything. In this engaging introduction, renowned author and scientist Vaclav Smil covers a wide range of topics, from the inner workings of the human body to the race for more...
Still the Iron Age
Iron and Steel in the Modern World
Language: English
Release Date: January 22, 2016
Although the last two generations have seen an enormous amount of attention paid to advances in electronics, the fact remains that high-income, high-energy societies could thrive without microchips, etc., but, by contrast, could not exist without steel. Because of the importance of this material to...
Natural Gas
Fuel for the 21st Century
Language: English
Release Date: July 6, 2015
Natural gas is the world’s cleanest fossil fuel; it generates less air pollution and releases less CO2 per unit of useful energy than liquid fuels or coals. With its vast supplies of conventional resources and nonconventional stores, the extension of long-distance gas pipelines and the recent expansion...
The Bad Earth
Environmental Degradation in China
Language: English
Release Date: September 25, 2015
As China strives to significantly increase its economic output, the nation faces an acute deterioration of the physical resources from which this prodigious growth springs. Major problems include water shortages, the pollution of water, high levels of carcinogens in the air, accelerating erosion,...
China's Environmental Crisis: An Enquiry into the Limits of National Development
An Enquiry into the Limits of National Development
Language: English
Release Date: September 16, 2016
In 1982, Vaclav Smil turned upside down traditional perceptions of China as a green paradise in "The Bad Earth", a disturbing book. This new volume, drawn on a much broader canvas, updates and expands on the basic arguments and perceptions of "The Bad Earth". This book is not a...
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