Autor: Vaclav Smil

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 hamperin …

Meat eating is often a contentious subject, whether considering the technical, ethical, environmental, political, or health-related aspects of production and consumption. This book is a wide-ranging …

Meat eating is often a contentious subject, whether considering the technical, ethical, environmental, political, or health-related aspects of production and consumption. This book is a wide-ranging …

How much further should the affluent world push its material consumption? Does relative dematerialization lead to absolute decline in demand for materials? These and many other questions are discusse …

How much further should the affluent world push its material consumption? Does relative dematerialization lead to absolute decline in demand for materials? These and many other questions are discusse …

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 res …

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 res …

With one famous equation, E=mc2, Einstein proved all matter can be described as energy. It is everywhere and it is everything. In this newly updated and engaging introduction, renowned scientist Vacl …

World acclaimed scientist Vaclav Smil reveals everything there is to know about nature“s most sought-after resource Oil is the lifeblood of the modern world. Without it, there would be no planes, no …

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, …

The period between 1867 and 1914 remains the greatest watershed in human history since the emergence of settled agricultural societies: the time when an expansive civilization based on synergy of fue …

This inquiry into the technical advances that shaped the 20th century follows the evolutions of all the principal innovations introduced before 1913 (as detailed in the first volume) as well as the o …

The period between 1867 and 1914 remains the greatest watershed in human history since the emergence of settled agricultural societies: the time when an expansive civilization based on synergy of fue …

This inquiry into the technical advances that shaped the 20th century follows the evolutions of all the principal innovations introduced before 1913 (as detailed in the first volume) as well as the o …

…

China has a population of 1.3 billion people which puts strain on her natural resources. This volume, by one of the leading scholars on the earth’s biosphere, is the result of a lifetime of study, an …

…

…

…

The first systematic, quantitative appraisal of power density, offering detailed reviews of power densities of renewable energy flows, fossil fuels, and all common energy uses."There’s no author …

…

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 t …

This bold and controversial argument shows why energy transitions are inherently complex and prolonged affairs, and how ignoring this fact raises unrealistic expectations that the United States and o …

Every human activity entails the conversion of energy. Changes in the fundamental sources of energy, and in the use of energy sources, are a basic dimension of the evolution of society. Our appreciat …

Every human activity entails the conversion of energy. Changes in the fundamental sources of energy, and in the use of energy sources, are a basic dimension of the evolution of society. Our appreciat …

China has a population of 1.3 billion people which puts strain on her natural resources. This volume, by one of the leading scholars on the earth’s biosphere, is the result of a lifetime of study, an …

China has a population of 1.3 billion people which puts strain on her natural resources. This volume, by one of the leading scholars on the earth’s biosphere, is the result of a lifetime of study, an …

The magnitude and rapidity of global environmental change threatens the perpetuation of life on Earth. Many aspects of this crisis are familiar to us – the destruction of tropical rainforests, the ho …

The magnitude and rapidity of global environmental change threatens the perpetuation of life on Earth. Many aspects of this crisis are familiar to us – the destruction of tropical rainforests, the ho …

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 …

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 …

A selection of 50 Slovak folk tales assembled from the collections of folklorist Pavol Dobsinsky. The translator seeks to preserve the poetic qualities of the originals, and the book includes an intr …

A selection of 50 Slovak folk tales assembled from the collections of folklorist Pavol Dobsinsky. The translator seeks to preserve the poetic qualities of the originals, and the book includes an intr …

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 wat …

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 wat …

tions is not possible without first putting the problem into a wider con- text. Consequently, before proceeding with detailed critical topical cov- erage of individual biomass energy sources, uses, a …

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

‚My favourite author has done it again. Numbers Don’t Lie is by far his most accessible book to date, and I highly recommend it to anyone who is curious about the world. I unabashedly recommend this …

…

La energía es la única moneda de cambio universal. Sin transformación de energía, no hay nada. La vida en la Tierra depende de la conversión de la energía solar en biomasa vegetal, mientras que los s …

A comprehensive overview of Earth’s biosphere, written with scientific rigor and essay-like flair.In his latest book, Vaclav Smil tells the story of the Earth’s biosphere from its origins to its near …

Dr. Smil is the world’s authority on nitrogenous fertilizer.The industrial synthesis of ammonia from nitrogen and hydrogen has been of greater fundamental importance to the modern world than the inve …

A realistic yet encouraging look at how society can change in ways that will allow us to feed an expanding global population.This book addresses the question of how we can best feed the ten billion o …

A systematic investigation of growth in nature and society, from tiny organisms to the trajectories of empires and civilizations.Growth has been both an unspoken and an explicit aim of our individual …

A wide-ranging, interdisciplinary look at global changes that may occur over the next fifty years-whether sudden and cataclysmic world-changing events or gradually unfolding trends.Fundamental change …

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-re …

The story of how diesel engines and gas turbines, used to power cargo ships and jet airplanes, made today’s globally integrated economy possible.The many books on globalization published over the pas …

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 centur …

An argument that America’s economy needs a strong and innovative manufacturing sector and the jobs it creates.In Made in the USA, Vaclav Smil powerfully rebuts the notion that manufacturing is a reli …

…

…

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 …

* THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * ‚Another masterpiece from one of my favorite authors . . . If you want a brief but thorough education in numeric thinking about many of the fundamental forces that s …

…

…

…

From the New York Times-bestselling author, a new volume on the history of human ingenuity-and its attendant breakthroughs and busts.Included in BILL GATES’s 2023 Holiday Reading List Included in Lit …

…

Der tschechisch-kanadische Wissenschaftler Vaclav Smil ist einer der weltweit führenden Experten für Energiefragen. In diesem Buch unterzieht er die Hoffnung auf eine schnelle Umstellung auf erneuerb …

Welche Erwartungen sind realistisch? Was dürfen wir hoffen? Erfindungen wie Luftschiffe, Kernspaltung und Überschallgeschwindigkeit galten bei ihrer Geburtsstunde als bahnbrechend und sollten das Leb …

Welche Erwartungen sind realistisch? Was dürfen wir hoffen? Erfindungen wie Luftschiffe, Kernspaltung und Überschallgeschwindigkeit galten bei ihrer Geburtsstunde als bahnbrechend und sollten das Leb …

From one of the world’s leading experts on the history of energy, a rigorous examination of the transitions that structure our modern world–and the environmental reckoning that will mark its success …

From one of the world’s leading experts on the history of energy, a rigorous examination of the transitions that structure our modern world–and the environmental reckoning that will mark its success …

‚There is no author whose books I look forward to more‘ Bill Gates The New York Times bestselling author returns with a mind-opening exploration of how size defines life on Earth.Explaining the key p …

MATERIALS AND DEMATERIALIZATION World-renowned scientist Vaclav Smil examines a critical topic in the research and policy domain of sustainable resource use Over the course of time, the modern world …

MATERIALS AND DEMATERIALIZATION World-renowned scientist Vaclav Smil examines a critical topic in the research and policy domain of sustainable resource use Over the course of time, the modern world …

Bestseller New York Times „O nouă capodoperă a unuia dintre autorii mei preferați.‘ – Bill Gates În ciuda abundenței de informații la care avem acces în zilele noastre, cei mai mulți dintre noi nu șt …

Faced with the twin threats of peak oil and climate change, many governments have turned for an answer to the apparent panacea of biofuels. Yet, increasingly, the progressive implementation of this s …

Faced with the twin threats of peak oil and climate change, many governments have turned for an answer to the apparent panacea of biofuels. Yet, increasingly, the progressive implementation of this s …

Vaclav Smil ist ein Zahlenkünstler. Er beschreibt unsere Welt in Zahlen und beleuchtet sie dadurch auf überraschende Weise neu. Smil berechnet, ob ein Auto oder ein Smartphone mehr Energie benötigt o …

Vaclav Smil ist ein Zahlenkünstler. Er beschreibt unsere Welt in Zahlen und beleuchtet sie dadurch auf überraschende Weise neu. Smil berechnet, ob ein Auto oder ein Smartphone mehr Energie benötigt o …

There is no author whose books I look forward to more BILL GATESIn this ambitious, myth-busting book, leading scientist and internationally bestselling author Vaclav Smil investigates many of the bur …

El mayor experto mundial en el campo de la energía explica por qué no alcanzaremos el objetivo global de cero emisiones en 2050. A pesar de los acuerdos internacionales, la regulación, la inversión p …