How the World Really Works
Vaclav Smil is an Emeritus Distinguished Professor at the University of Manitoba. He has written nearly forty books on subjects ranging from energy to environmental and population change, food production and nutrition, technical innovation, risk assessment, and public policy. No other living scientist has had more books evaluated in Nature (on a wide range of topics). He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and was named one of Foreign Policy's Top 100 Global Thinkers in 2010.
The book is An essential examination of the current science and technology that enable our existence in the twenty-first century—a scientist's research of what science truly does and does not accomplish.
We've never had so much knowledge at our fingertips, but most of us still don't understand how the world works. How the World Really Works reveals seven key realities that determine our survival and prosperity. From energy and food production to hazards, our environment, and our future, How the World Really Works provides a much-needed reality check—because understanding the facts is essential before we can confront problems effectively.
In this ambitious and thought-provoking book, you see, for example, that globalization isn't inevitable—the folly of allowing 70% of the world's rubber gloves to be made in just one factory became obvious in 2020—and that our societies' reliance on fossil fuels has steadily increased, such that any promises of decarbonization by 2050 are a fairy tale. For example, each greenhouse-grown supermarket-bought tomato contains the equivalent of five tablespoons of diesel, and there is no way to produce steel, cement, or polymers at required scales without massive carbon emissions.
Finally, Smil answers the most profound question of our time: are we doomed or is there hope for a better future? This fascinating, data-rich, and revisionist interdisciplinary handbook finds flaws in both extremes. Looking at the world via this quantitative lens exposes hidden realities that alter our perceptions of the past, present, and unknown future.
Author: Vaclav Smil
Link to buy: https://www.amazon.com/How-World-Really-Works-Science/dp/0593297067/
Ratings: 4.4 out of 5 stars (from 456 reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #475 in Books
#1 in Probability & Statistics (Books)
#7 in History & Philosophy of Science (Books)
#7 in Public Affairs & Policy Politics Books
