How the World Really Works: How Science Can Set Us Straight on Our Past, Present, and Future
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- Create Date：2022-05-12 10:51:35
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Vaclav Smil
- ISBN：0593297067
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Summary
An essential analysis of the modern science and technology that makes our twenty-first century lives possible--a scientist's investigation into what science really does， and does not， accomplish。
We have never had so much information at our fingertips and yet most of us don't know how the world really works。 This book explains seven of the most fundamental realities governing our survival and prosperity。 From energy and food production， through our material world and its globalization， to risks， our environment and its future， How the World Really Works offers a much-needed reality check--because before we can tackle problems effectively， we must understand the facts。
In this ambitious and thought-provoking book we see， for example， that globalization isn't inevitable--the foolishness of allowing 70 per cent of the world's rubber gloves to be made in just one factory became glaringly obvious in 2020--and that our societies have been steadily increasing their dependence on fossil fuels， such that any promises of decarbonization by 2050 are a fairy tale。 For example， each greenhouse-grown supermarket-bought tomato has the equivalent of five tablespoons of diesel embedded in its production， and we have no way of producing steel， cement or plastics at required scales without huge carbon emissions。
Ultimately， Smil answers the most profound question of our age: are we irrevocably doomed or is a brighter utopia ahead？ Compelling， data-rich and revisionist， this wonderfully broad， interdisciplinary guide finds faults with both extremes。 Looking at the world through this quantitative lens reveals hidden truths that change the way we see our past， present and uncertain future。
We have never had so much information at our fingertips and yet most of us don't know how the world really works。 This book explains seven of the most fundamental realities governing our survival and prosperity。 From energy and food production， through our material world and its globalization， to risks， our environment and its future， How the World Really Works offers a much-needed reality check--because before we can tackle problems effectively， we must understand the facts。
In this ambitious and thought-provoking book we see， for example， that globalization isn't inevitable--the foolishness of allowing 70 per cent of the world's rubber gloves to be made in just one factory became glaringly obvious in 2020--and that our societies have been steadily increasing their dependence on fossil fuels， such that any promises of decarbonization by 2050 are a fairy tale。 For example， each greenhouse-grown supermarket-bought tomato has the equivalent of five tablespoons of diesel embedded in its production， and we have no way of producing steel， cement or plastics at required scales without huge carbon emissions。
Ultimately， Smil answers the most profound question of our age: are we irrevocably doomed or is a brighter utopia ahead？ Compelling， data-rich and revisionist， this wonderfully broad， interdisciplinary guide finds faults with both extremes。 Looking at the world through this quantitative lens reveals hidden truths that change the way we see our past， present and uncertain future。
Reviews
Pete
，
How the World Really Works : A Scientist’s Guide to Our Past， Present and Future （2022） by Vaclav Smil is Smil’s latest easier to read book。 Smil is a 79 year old academic whose books describe the world with numbers that are both remarkable in their detail and remarkable for their overview of the vastness of human enterprise。 This book is particularly recommended for anyone interested in Climate Change。The book has seven chapters。 The first looks at energy， the second at food production， the thi How the World Really Works : A Scientist’s Guide to Our Past， Present and Future （2022） by Vaclav Smil is Smil’s latest easier to read book。 Smil is a 79 year old academic whose books describe the world with numbers that are both remarkable in their detail and remarkable for their overview of the vastness of human enterprise。 This book is particularly recommended for anyone interested in Climate Change。The book has seven chapters。 The first looks at energy， the second at food production， the third covers four materials that are massively produced and crucial for humanity， the fourth examines globalization， the fifth Smil’s assessment of various risks， the sixth the environment and the seventh looks toward the future。In the chapter on energy Smil points out the incredible amount of energy that each person on earth now uses and how our energy usage has exploded in the past 200 years。“Moreover， within a lifetime of people born just after the Second World War the rate had more than tripled， from about 10 to 34 GJ/capita between 1950 and 2020。 Translating the last rate into more readily imaginable equivalents， it is as if an average Earthling has every year at their personal disposal about 800 kilograms （0。8 tons， or nearly six barrels） of crude oil， or about 1。5 tons of good bituminous coal。 And when put in terms of physical labor， it is as if 60 adults would be working non-stop， day and night， for each average person; and for the inhabitants of affluent countries this equivalent of steadily laboring adults would be， depending on the specific country， mostly between 200 and 240。 On average， humans now have unprecedented amounts of energy at their disposal。”Smil points out that so far attempts at reducing fossil fuels have not done well“Germany will soon generate half of its electricity from renewables， but during the two decades of Energiewende the share of fossil fuels in the country’s primary energy supply has only declined from about 84 percent to 78 percent:”The chapter on food is really fascinating。 Smil points out how yields have risen amazingly in the past 200 years。 Smil points out how fossil fuels to make fertilizer and to keep chickens warm and to ship foods to us means that each kilogram of food uses substantial amounts of energy and fossil fuel inputs to create fertilizer。 Smil calculates how much diesel fuel， as a unit， is required for each kilogram of chicken， tomatoes and wheat are used。 It’s remarkable how much is required。The material chapter looks at the volumes of four crucial materials that we extensively use; Amonia， plastic， steel and concrete。 The chapter is again full of the incredible increase in the use of these materials and how important they are for humanity。The chapter on globalization looks at how we have long been a global society， but how prior to diesel powered shipping， kerosene powered aircraft and the telecommunications revolution we’ve become much more of a global society。 Covid 19’s impact on globalization is then discussed。The sixth chapter on the environment is very interesting。 Smil goes through various scenarios including oxygen depletion and rates them on their likelihood。 He also looks at scenarios for rapid C02 emissions reductions and states :“Computers make it easy to construct many scenarios of rapid carbon elimination—but those who chart their preferred paths to a zero-carbon future owe us realistic explanations， not just sets of more or less arbitrary and highly improbable assumptions detached from technical and economic realities and ignoring the embedded nature， massive scale， and enormous complexity of our energy and material systems。 Three recent exercises provide excellent illustrations of these flights of fancy unencumbered by real-world considerations。”Smil then goes on to highlight the substantial problems with various scenarios。Finally Smil looks toward the future。 Here he is reticent to make predictions but he does point out that those that do should be familiar with the state of the world numerically and aware of the problems with forecasting。How the World Really Works is a gem of a book from a remarkable writer。 It’s not easy going， although it is far easier to read than most of Smil’s other works。 But for anyone who really wants to ponder the state of the world it’s definitely a must read。 。。。more
Paul
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Would get my vote for world dictator， or at least adviser to world dictator。
Emmanuel-francis
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An excellent reminder of the capabilities and limitations of mankind。 Merits multiple readings。
Yohan
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Great book with a really interesting introduction to the important elements of our lives with a scientific and what seems to be objective point of view。 An easier read than one of the previous books I've read from Vaclav Smil。 Great book with a really interesting introduction to the important elements of our lives with a scientific and what seems to be objective point of view。 An easier read than one of the previous books I've read from Vaclav Smil。 。。。more
Sai Krishna
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I eat fossil fuel。I live in fossil fuel。I commute in fossil fuel。Fossil fuel is God。 Period。 If I elaborate， I eat（cheaply and abundant） because of the higher yields in rice， wheat and many vegetable crops with advent of fertilisers。 why higher yield is a precondition？ With normal yields - land， water and man labour is many orders higher and so we would not be able to feed 8 Billion population。 Ammonia required for fertilisers is produced mainly by using Natural Gas， Liquified Petroleum Gas or C I eat fossil fuel。I live in fossil fuel。I commute in fossil fuel。Fossil fuel is God。 Period。 If I elaborate， I eat（cheaply and abundant） because of the higher yields in rice， wheat and many vegetable crops with advent of fertilisers。 why higher yield is a precondition？ With normal yields - land， water and man labour is many orders higher and so we would not be able to feed 8 Billion population。 Ammonia required for fertilisers is produced mainly by using Natural Gas， Liquified Petroleum Gas or Coal。 Emissions from these account for 5% of total。I live in a 2 bedroom， concreted cement， steel enforced apartment and more so equipped with all the latest consumer products where their primary composition includes plastic。 These three pillars Cement， Steel and Plastic account for around 20% of CO2 emissions。 Ubiquity of plastic can be seen right from the birth（maternity wards） to death（ICU’s）。 And not to forget the electricity（highest of all the emissions） needed to run all the latest gadgets is primarily powered by fossil fuel。I commute in fossil fuel。 No surprises here。（Electric mobility share is mere 2。5%）Fossil fuels are a perennial imperative to the modern 8 billion people hosting planet。 This dependency has been there for a century， and will be there for decades to come（as per author）， albeit many techno-optimists and governments prophesying we will be net-zero by 2050。 。。。more
Nick Maley
，
This book describes the material basis of the modern world， by reference to the commodities that make it possible: Energy， Fertilisers， Cement， Steel and Plastics。 Today， they are cheap and abundant， and the comforts of modern life depend on them remaining so。 The critical point is that all these commodities are produced using massive amounts of fossil fuels。 There is a huge amount of evidence adduced to show that the transition away from fossil fuels will necessarily be very slow and expensive， This book describes the material basis of the modern world， by reference to the commodities that make it possible: Energy， Fertilisers， Cement， Steel and Plastics。 Today， they are cheap and abundant， and the comforts of modern life depend on them remaining so。 The critical point is that all these commodities are produced using massive amounts of fossil fuels。 There is a huge amount of evidence adduced to show that the transition away from fossil fuels will necessarily be very slow and expensive， because of the difficulties in producing these key commodities without them。 Hence Smil heaps scorn upon the 'net zero by 2050' crowd。 They are setting an essentially arbitrary， and impossible， deadline for a transition that is more likely to take centuries than decades。 Many activists， pundits and politicians will not face the evidence that there is no cheap and easy route to net zero。 But don't get him wrong: Smil is a real scientist， and no climate change denier。 He understands the risks dependence on fossil fuels create。 He just doesn't see any way of getting to net zero anytime soon， short of pushing literally billions of people into poverty and even starvation。I have been searching the internet for critical reviews of this book， to see how it has been received by climate activists and their supporters。 I can't find any evidence any have read or engaged with Smil's argument at all。 The debate on climate change remains driven entirely by politics， ideology and empty rhetoric， with both sides deliberately ignoring the evidence people like Smil have assembled。 。。。more
Reddle
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Kinda generic for a vaclav book， but since his other books are in-depth this book could be enjoyable for the lay person。
Brad Henderson
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The title， which comes across as a bit arrogant， really sums up the book for me。 There was little I learned because the coverage of most topics was superficial。 The author injects a lot of vitriol and opinionated statements which detract from his essential message。 Nevertheless， there is little to fault with his assessment of the topics。 However， the presentation and style I did not care for。
Avi Roy
，
The book is an antidote to the unbridled techno-optimism and the cynical environmental doom offered by dogmatic experts on social media。 Vaclav Smil has always been a detail-oriented thinker and writer， and his books have been dense volumes filled with every tidbit of information about the subject matter covered。 However， in this book， he simplifies his previous research into seven easily digestible chapters that allow us to think about the future rationally while avoiding hyperbole and bias。 I The book is an antidote to the unbridled techno-optimism and the cynical environmental doom offered by dogmatic experts on social media。 Vaclav Smil has always been a detail-oriented thinker and writer， and his books have been dense volumes filled with every tidbit of information about the subject matter covered。 However， in this book， he simplifies his previous research into seven easily digestible chapters that allow us to think about the future rationally while avoiding hyperbole and bias。 I highly recommend it。 。。。more
Ludmil
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End of the "carbon neutral" and other similar religions。 Wow。 Sobering。 End of the "carbon neutral" and other similar religions。 Wow。 Sobering。 。。。more
Ian Lea
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Fascinating as ever from Vaclav Smil。 A lot of numbers， also as ever， but clear and logical and important。 Facts， logic， sense。
Vivekanand Mishra
，
It confirmed many things I have been exposed to in the recent past。 I could not decide whether this book is part of my echo chamber or just another person predicting the myriad was in which the world as we know it is about to end。
Rudi Pauwelijn
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Ik zou het boek zeker aanraden om de schrijversblik op de wereldzaken ， hoewel ik het niet met alle bevindingen eens ben ， het boek is ook regelmatig voorzien van cijfers en procenten om het wat in perspectief te plaatsen ， ik vond de cijfers leuk om zelf （ proberen ） conclusies te trekken ， zo zouden er epidemieën geweest zijn in 1918 ， 1957 ， 1968 ， 2009 ， en 2020 of dit klopt weet ik niet maar ik zie een patroon。 40j。， 10j ， 40 j ， 10j zou dan mathematisch 2060 worden ， Ik ben het wel met de Ik zou het boek zeker aanraden om de schrijversblik op de wereldzaken ， hoewel ik het niet met alle bevindingen eens ben ， het boek is ook regelmatig voorzien van cijfers en procenten om het wat in perspectief te plaatsen ， ik vond de cijfers leuk om zelf （ proberen ） conclusies te trekken ， zo zouden er epidemieën geweest zijn in 1918 ， 1957 ， 1968 ， 2009 ， en 2020 of dit klopt weet ik niet maar ik zie een patroon。 40j。， 10j ， 40 j ， 10j zou dan mathematisch 2060 worden ， Ik ben het wel met de nuchtere schrijver eens dat toekomst voorspellingen moeilijk zijn ， 。。。more
Benny
，
Vaclav Smil is a realist。 When most people talk about carbon neutrality， what they have in mind is that the electricity grid of a country will be powered by mostly energy from renewable sources。 However， the production of the four pillars of our material world - food， plastic， steel and concrete - requires a large energy input， which can only be powered by fuel and natural gas。 Unless we come to major breakthroughs in how we produce these necessities， the carbon footprint of our modern world wil Vaclav Smil is a realist。 When most people talk about carbon neutrality， what they have in mind is that the electricity grid of a country will be powered by mostly energy from renewable sources。 However， the production of the four pillars of our material world - food， plastic， steel and concrete - requires a large energy input， which can only be powered by fuel and natural gas。 Unless we come to major breakthroughs in how we produce these necessities， the carbon footprint of our modern world will continue to stay stubbornly high。 。。。more
Imaduddin Ahmed
，
Not a cohesive piece of writing。
Michiel
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Understanding the world for realists: Smil explains energy， food， materials， environment and risks by keeping track of the quantities involved。
Ryan
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I learned a great deal， and the narration was good。 Well done。
Duy
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Sách nói về sự vận hành nói chung của đời sống con người hiện đại （sản xuất lương thực， năng lượng， thông tin。。。）。 Đọc để có cái nhìn toàn cảnh， và cũng để biết một số hứa hẹn như 'năng lượng tái tạo' có thực sự khả thi hay không。Nhưng mình không thích thái độ coi thường người khác của ông này。 Ví dụ， khi một số người không phải chuyên gia khen ngợi các chính sách năng lượng sạch， tác giả mỉa mai những người đó và cho rằng họ 'đột nhiên trở thành chuyên gia trong lĩnh vực'。 Mk。 Trong khi ông này Sách nói về sự vận hành nói chung của đời sống con người hiện đại （sản xuất lương thực， năng lượng， thông tin。。。）。 Đọc để có cái nhìn toàn cảnh， và cũng để biết một số hứa hẹn như 'năng lượng tái tạo' có thực sự khả thi hay không。Nhưng mình không thích thái độ coi thường người khác của ông này。 Ví dụ， khi một số người không phải chuyên gia khen ngợi các chính sách năng lượng sạch， tác giả mỉa mai những người đó và cho rằng họ 'đột nhiên trở thành chuyên gia trong lĩnh vực'。 Mk。 Trong khi ông này đang viết về một cuốn sách rất chung chung đả động tới tất cả mọi thứ， thế chẳng phải giờ ổng cũng 'đột nhiên trở thành chuyên gia trong mọi lĩnh vực' à。 Ghét mấy lão kiểu này。Lại có một đoạn khi viết về biến đổi khí hậu （nóng lên toàn cầu）， ổng viết đại loại: hiện tượng nóng lên toàn cầu đã được biết từ cả thế kỷ trước。 Các nghiên cứu trong thế kỷ vừa qua không đóng góp được gì nhiều lắm。 Mk。 Đúng là xúc phạm hàng trăm hàng ngàn nhà khoa học。 Nội dung sách ok （có lẽ vì phạm vi nội dung quá lớn nên muốn viết dở cũng không được）， nhưng thái độ của tác giả thì m。。。 。。。more
frances hawker
，
definitely worth reading A sobering account of how global politics and human behaviour are constraining our efforts to deal with future problems，especially climate change。
Kalyan Turaga
，
Same as his old books。 Vaclav is good at numbers， he connects the numbers and constructs a narrative; at the end of the day its a statistics book masqueraded as a coherent english book。 Is the book interesting NOWill you read this book again NOWhy did you pick this book in first place？ It's near to my topic of interest and I did not have good choices in the library。 Same as his old books。 Vaclav is good at numbers， he connects the numbers and constructs a narrative; at the end of the day its a statistics book masqueraded as a coherent english book。 Is the book interesting NOWill you read this book again NOWhy did you pick this book in first place？ It's near to my topic of interest and I did not have good choices in the library。 。。。more
Froggarana
，
We eat oilmodern agriculture is a method of converting fossil fuel oil to fooda very small number of people have been saying this for decadesan even smaller number of people have been trying to do something about it。At some point in the future humans are going to be forced into action or starve。
Rosa Whiteley
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