Making the Modern World: Materials and Dematerialization
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- Author：Vaclav Smil
- ISBN：1119942535
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Summary
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 discussed and answered in Making the Modern World: Materials and Dematerialization。
Over the course of time， the modern world has become dependent on unprecedented flows of materials。 Now even the most efficient production processes and the highest practical rates of recycling may not be enough to result in dematerialization rates that would be high enough to negate the rising demand for materials generated by continuing population growth and rising standards of living。 This book explores the costs of this dependence and the potential for substantial dematerialization of modern economies。
Making the Modern World: Materials and Dematerialization considers the principal materials used throughout history， from wood and stone， through to metals， alloys， plastics and silicon， describing their extraction and production as well as their dominant applications。 The evolving productivities of material extraction， processing， synthesis， finishing and distribution， and the energy costs and environmental impact of rising material consumption are examined in detail。 The book concludes with an outlook for the future， discussing the prospects for dematerialization and potential constrains on materials。
This interdisciplinary text provides useful perspectives for readers with backgrounds including resource economics， environmental studies， energy analysis， mineral geology， industrial organization， manufacturing and material science。
Over the course of time， the modern world has become dependent on unprecedented flows of materials。 Now even the most efficient production processes and the highest practical rates of recycling may not be enough to result in dematerialization rates that would be high enough to negate the rising demand for materials generated by continuing population growth and rising standards of living。 This book explores the costs of this dependence and the potential for substantial dematerialization of modern economies。
Making the Modern World: Materials and Dematerialization considers the principal materials used throughout history， from wood and stone， through to metals， alloys， plastics and silicon， describing their extraction and production as well as their dominant applications。 The evolving productivities of material extraction， processing， synthesis， finishing and distribution， and the energy costs and environmental impact of rising material consumption are examined in detail。 The book concludes with an outlook for the future， discussing the prospects for dematerialization and potential constrains on materials。
This interdisciplinary text provides useful perspectives for readers with backgrounds including resource economics， environmental studies， energy analysis， mineral geology， industrial organization， manufacturing and material science。
Reviews
Paweł Rusin
，
I've read Vaclav Smil's books before， so I knew what I was getting into。 But for those who haven't， I have a fair warning: you will need to work through this dense with numbers， heavily researched book。 It's less than 200 pages but feels like 400。 However， I think this is the right way to write about such serious and complex topic as materials and their disposal。 I've learned a lot about how various materials are produced， used and recycled。 Also， I feel I'm left with much better understanding o I've read Vaclav Smil's books before， so I knew what I was getting into。 But for those who haven't， I have a fair warning: you will need to work through this dense with numbers， heavily researched book。 It's less than 200 pages but feels like 400。 However， I think this is the right way to write about such serious and complex topic as materials and their disposal。 I've learned a lot about how various materials are produced， used and recycled。 Also， I feel I'm left with much better understanding on where we are and how much work we need to do as a civilization to reverse the current trend of unconstrained resource consumption。 。。。more
Chris
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Dense book。 Took a few false-starts before actually sitting down and reading it （and with notebook and pen in hand！）。 Good overview of global use of materials and materials in general。 Good jumping off point if you really want to explore a particular material more in-depth。
Joni Baboci
，
Smil has a way with numbers。 This book felt like reading an extremely interesting dictionary - cover-to-cover。 I could barely contain the cognitive dissonance of absorbing a mostly bland， number-heavy recent history of technology， while at the same time being totally glued to the minutia of carbon vs hydrogen energy potential in methane。 It's the definitive history of global material flows， a book most will refer to often， and relatively useful in bouncing technology back after a global apocalyp Smil has a way with numbers。 This book felt like reading an extremely interesting dictionary - cover-to-cover。 I could barely contain the cognitive dissonance of absorbing a mostly bland， number-heavy recent history of technology， while at the same time being totally glued to the minutia of carbon vs hydrogen energy potential in methane。 It's the definitive history of global material flows， a book most will refer to often， and relatively useful in bouncing technology back after a global apocalypse。 5/5 。。。more
Ben
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Woof。 Mostly a barrage of specific stats in service of the argument that humanity uses lots of resources。 The last couple chapters are more digestible than the first 2/3 of the book。 Interesting points on the implications of China's building spree （lots to fix in the 2030s） and generally impressive in the breadth and depth of research， but not recommended。 Woof。 Mostly a barrage of specific stats in service of the argument that humanity uses lots of resources。 The last couple chapters are more digestible than the first 2/3 of the book。 Interesting points on the implications of China's building spree （lots to fix in the 2030s） and generally impressive in the breadth and depth of research， but not recommended。 。。。more
Vishnu
，
This is a book with over 30 pages of references - yes， it is dense with facts and figures。 Smil brings to light topics， that are overlooked。 For one， the effect of concrete deterioration on the economy - at least $3。6 trillion for America by 2020 and many tens of trillions for China by 2030。 Another being the increase in paper consumption even in our current digital age due to increased demand in cardboard boxes for packaging， coated papers for writing and for its use in sanitation。 He slices th This is a book with over 30 pages of references - yes， it is dense with facts and figures。 Smil brings to light topics， that are overlooked。 For one， the effect of concrete deterioration on the economy - at least $3。6 trillion for America by 2020 and many tens of trillions for China by 2030。 Another being the increase in paper consumption even in our current digital age due to increased demand in cardboard boxes for packaging， coated papers for writing and for its use in sanitation。 He slices through some common place arguments。 One of them being - Going digital is environmentally friendly。 He argues that consumption has merely shifted from paper to consumption of materials required to keep digital servers up and running。The main question that made me pick up this book was to answer the question - How can we become a society that consumes sustainably？ Human beings aspire to be financially wealthy。 This is associated with owning and consuming materials。 With this mental model at play， as more individuals enter the “newly rich”， society will become a bit more unsustainable。 Smil's answer to this question is that we will need a sufficiently threatening external driver to change our current rate of consumption。 Think， eradication due to global warming in the next 10 years。 In summary - worth the time and effort but definitely not a fun read。 。。。more
Dalibor
，
Václav Smil se v této knize zabývá nejpoužívanějšími materiály， způsobem jejich výzoby i v průběhu historie， objemy， ve kterých se spotřebovávají v průběhu času a energetickými náklady na jejich výrobu。 Kromě statistik pro jednotlivé státy， kde se na mnoha stránkách sepisují statistická data， k čemuž by stačil ideálně jeden graf， je knížka velmi zajímavá a informativní。 Druhá část se zabývá dematerializací - tedy snižováním materiálové náročnosti jendotlivých výrobků i ekonomik。 Smil ukazuje， že Václav Smil se v této knize zabývá nejpoužívanějšími materiály， způsobem jejich výzoby i v průběhu historie， objemy， ve kterých se spotřebovávají v průběhu času a energetickými náklady na jejich výrobu。 Kromě statistik pro jednotlivé státy， kde se na mnoha stránkách sepisují statistická data， k čemuž by stačil ideálně jeden graf， je knížka velmi zajímavá a informativní。 Druhá část se zabývá dematerializací - tedy snižováním materiálové náročnosti jendotlivých výrobků i ekonomik。 Smil ukazuje， že na stejné výrobky je v průběhu času potřeba stále méně základních surovin， jako je ocel， hliník， papír a podobně。 Současně s tím ale dochází ke stále větší spotřebě všech materálů， jak si zlevňující výrobky může dovolit čím dál více lidí a ja kčím dál více lidí bohatne。 Nějaké celosvětové snížení těžby surovin tedy nejde v následujících generacích očekávat， ikdyž západní státy dosáhly ve většině surovin stavu nasycení， nebo jejich spotřeba dokonce klesá。 Stačí to ale více než vyvažovat spotřeba samotné Číny， jejíž rostoucí a neefektivní ekonomika spotřebovává v mnoha oblastech polovinu celosvětových surovin。 Začíná se k ní připojovat i Indie。Poslední， relativně krátká， kapitola j eSmilův názor na to， co by se mělo dělat v budoucnu。 Jeho ideálem je téměř bezsurovinová ekonomika， touží po řízeném poklesu spotřeby a HDP， chce zajistit všeobecnou rovnost a štěstí。 Cílem snažení by podle něj mělo být minimalizování nárůstu entropie。 Staví se proti volnému trhu a individuálním rozhodnutím， která jsou podle něj sobecká a hloupá a vedou ve svém důsledku k nespokojenosti toho， kdo je provedl。 Vše to jsou naprosto nechutné levicové ideologické žvásty， které kazí závěr jinak zajímavé knihy。 Všichni podobní autoři si tak nějak neuvědomují， že nejlépe minimalizují nárůst entropie mrtvoly a přesně k nim také nucené prosazování takovýchto ideí vede。 Ještě nic nezlepšilo životní situaci tak velkého počtu lidí jako volný trh a svoboda jít za vlastními cíly。 Samozřejmě s co nejmenšími možnými náklady。 。。。more
Kumar Thangudu
，
One of my favorite books。 Every STEM student should read this book。
Nicola Le
，
Writing was super boring。 I couldn't digest it。 Writing was super boring。 I couldn't digest it。 。。。more
Eddie Chua
，
With such intense research and data collection from the author， he truly gave an in depth breakdown of the usage， trend and potential life span of our limited natural resources on planet earth。 Tracing the journey of the modernization of men， the usage of wood， mental， plastic， air and energy amount has increased over the times。 Men have managed to reduce the usage of energy and waste， a so call more effective， productive way of processing these resources， with the intention of using， needing le With such intense research and data collection from the author， he truly gave an in depth breakdown of the usage， trend and potential life span of our limited natural resources on planet earth。 Tracing the journey of the modernization of men， the usage of wood， mental， plastic， air and energy amount has increased over the times。 Men have managed to reduce the usage of energy and waste， a so call more effective， productive way of processing these resources， with the intention of using， needing less。 However， that may not have been the case， as men in turn has gone into higher consumerism and buying more stuff then actually needed。 So in such， more are being used， which bring about heavy cost， as described in his chapter on dematerialization。 Dematerialized， is moving to a level in which no material is required at all。 As he was in the topic， I would look around my immediate environment to see the amount of things around me， and asking are all these essentials？ Do I know the cost， beyond the dollar and cents that is spent on them？ A question that you normally asked us in class， "what is the real cost"？ My take， looking at the data and charts given， the assumption was that as lifestyle improve， choice of material substitution for materials， there would be decline from wood to metal， plastic to silicon。 However， the population growth rate is not proportional to the recorded usage of material。 In fact there is higher usage。 The shifting into industrialization age， as well many developed countries stop manufacturing， outsourcing them to developing countries， the quick demand from the shift adds to the require of materials。 As country develops， more and more materials are needed as well， in terms to support infrastructure and building structures。 Thus as country develops， it required and consumes more。What is troubling though is the talk about e-waste， with the mentioning that not many have the understanding， knowledge and practice of handling this。 With phones in the numbers of billions， soon to be equivalent to the global population （in fact， adding PC， tablets and other gadgets， that number would already surpass the world population）， how do we handle this material that is neither biodegradable or reusable after lifespan？ Do we really need to keep changing our tech hardware all the time。 In relationship to this book， it brings the question back to the need of buying and upgrading hardware constantly。 Yes， its an upgrade， an improvement， but is it needed now？ Awareness to cost， awareness to how as individual we can play our part， awareness to how a material life cycle。 。。。more
Rob Price
，
Thorough。Information dense。
Sev
，
This was the second book from Vaclav Smil I read， so I knew that his writing is overflown with various numbers and loosely connected facts， and is quite hard for a reader （at least for me） to grasp。Sadly， 'Making the modern world' was far worse than that。 An unbelievable huge number of various statistics and facts about different material handling procedures， all of this without single graphicl representation （which would do better than any 3 pages of statistics filled text） leaving very little This was the second book from Vaclav Smil I read， so I knew that his writing is overflown with various numbers and loosely connected facts， and is quite hard for a reader （at least for me） to grasp。Sadly， 'Making the modern world' was far worse than that。 An unbelievable huge number of various statistics and facts about different material handling procedures， all of this without single graphicl representation （which would do better than any 3 pages of statistics filled text） leaving very little space to a reader to make some reasoning about all this。Please do consider this review as a warning， though slightly non-objective， as I didn't manage to finish this one， and gave up in about two thirds of a book。 。。。more
Babyhirsch
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Vznik， vývoj， spotřeba materiálu - analýzy
Mrudula Julukunta
，
An comprehensive treatise on materialization and a compelling argument for the need of Dematerialisation。
Alex Monegro
，
Wait the numbers outHard to get through the marass of numbers in the first half of the book but rewarding analysis after that。
Nils
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A short but quantitatively dense account of the material impact of human civilization， filled with astounding orders-of-magnitude observations about how much more stuff of all sorts we consume and transform now than even a couple of hundred years ago， along with rather mindboggling assessments of what it will mean if we try to bring the 5+ billion people around the world still living in relative poverty up to the levels of consumption enjoyed by the middle and upper class of the global industria A short but quantitatively dense account of the material impact of human civilization， filled with astounding orders-of-magnitude observations about how much more stuff of all sorts we consume and transform now than even a couple of hundred years ago， along with rather mindboggling assessments of what it will mean if we try to bring the 5+ billion people around the world still living in relative poverty up to the levels of consumption enjoyed by the middle and upper class of the global industrial core。 The core intellectual question the book revolves around is whether the process of "dematerialization" can proceed more rapidly than the rate at which new people are brought into the high-consumptive fold。 Smil is largely dismissive of the prospect for cultural dematerialiation -- he sees no evidence that people ever want to consume less， only that human material desires are infinitely expansionary -- and so focuses entirely on the prospects for becoming more efficient about the way we produce， deploy， and recycle materials。 While he sees much scope for improvement in these arenas， he is ultimately pessimistic。 。。。more
B
，
This was a hard book for me to get through personally， but I did get through it， and it was worth it in the end。 It was difficult to retain much of the （massive amounts of） information in this book， but it has definitely sparked an interest in materials science and I look forward to reading more about the subject。
Sean Goh
，
I have got to give myself permission to stop reading and throw away books I've started reading， a la Tyler Cowen （ here and there）Massive wall of numbers， concealing a few fun facts within。 Evidently the author does not believe that graphical presentation of his data and numbers （charts， graphs， TIMELINES？） would get his message across in a far more readable way。Enclosed below are the fun facts I picked out:________The 20th century's population growth could not have been supported without the Ha I have got to give myself permission to stop reading and throw away books I've started reading， a la Tyler Cowen （ here and there）Massive wall of numbers， concealing a few fun facts within。 Evidently the author does not believe that graphical presentation of his data and numbers （charts， graphs， TIMELINES？） would get his message across in a far more readable way。Enclosed below are the fun facts I picked out:________The 20th century's population growth could not have been supported without the Haber Bosch process （perhaps the most consequential technical innovation of that century） to produce ammonia for nitrogenous fertilisers。 Arguably it is the setting of the systems boundaries， rather than coping with the inherent complexity and heterogeneity of these accounts， that is the greatest challenge in constructing national and global summaries of total material flows。 Paper manufacturing is about as energy intensive as steel。 Consumption of cement in the US totalled 4。56Gt during the entire 20th century， while China used more cement （4。9Gt） in new construction in just three years between 2008 and 2010。 China is also a prominent importer of materials for recycling。 （waste paper， scrap steel） James Watt's famous steam engine had the same order of magnitude of weight/power ratio as the two most important animate prime movers: hard-working men and draft horses。 （600g/W）There's is a distinction between reserves （known economically accessible pools of materials） and resources （estimated total mass of materials in Earth's crust）Designing with disassembly in mind would go a long way in increasing recycling rates （vish hoho）Without exaggeration， material acquisition in modern societies can be seen as a common form of the addictive behaviour that is usually associated with alcohol， smoking and gambling。 During the process it has become closely intertwined with perception of class ranking and social status， it has offered opportunities for vicarious living， it has promoted individual and inter-generational aspirations， it has become a tool of desire， passion and gratification， and it has brought the rewards of personal indulgence。 Because of this， it is no exaggeration to see a fundamentally mundane act of shopping as an expression of self identity pursued to negate the rootlessness， rolelessness and bureaucratic rationalities of a modern society that traps its subjects and delimits their freedoms。 （Latimer，2001）。 。。。more
Benjamin
，
4-star content in 1-star form。 It tells that Smil is well researched and experienced on the topics， but no human can go through 4 numbers and remember even their magnitudes five minutes later， and that repeats on every page， with no charts， and generally the structure doesn't tell a good story either。 He writes like we knew what he knows。 As a result we are left with only a shallow sense of the scale of material production and recent trend of relative （not absolute） dematerialization。 Inaccessib 4-star content in 1-star form。 It tells that Smil is well researched and experienced on the topics， but no human can go through 4 numbers and remember even their magnitudes five minutes later， and that repeats on every page， with no charts， and generally the structure doesn't tell a good story either。 He writes like we knew what he knows。 As a result we are left with only a shallow sense of the scale of material production and recent trend of relative （not absolute） dematerialization。 Inaccessible。 。。。more
starduest
，
This book reads like an extremely dry and poorly written academic paper with lots of figures and rambling text。 Hidden between all the words are good points， but Smil could have done a lot more to convey his views in a clearer， more concise and more accessible manner。
deleted d
，
genericOur modern world consumes a tremendous quantity and variety of materials; the material demands of our economy are increasing everyday。 Therefore， it’s essential to use materials more efficiently while advancing recycling and waste reduction methods to ensure we can meet the demands of the future
Alex Devero
，
Our modern world consumes a tremendous quantity and variety of materials; the material demands of our economy are increasing everyday。 Therefore， it’s essential to use materials more efficiently while advancing recycling and waste reduction methods to ensure we can meet the demands of the future。
Meepspeeps
，
This book has outstanding detailed information about global materials and consumption。 I found myself skimming quite often， but a good student would read the whole book。 Section 6。4 is a must: "This calls for a new society where， once basic material needs are taken care of， the sense of wellbeing and satisfaction would be derived from experiences that are not at all， or only marginally correlated with higher energy flows and expanding material possessions。"However， "without exaggeration， materia This book has outstanding detailed information about global materials and consumption。 I found myself skimming quite often， but a good student would read the whole book。 Section 6。4 is a must: "This calls for a new society where， once basic material needs are taken care of， the sense of wellbeing and satisfaction would be derived from experiences that are not at all， or only marginally correlated with higher energy flows and expanding material possessions。"However， "without exaggeration， material acquisition in modern societies can be seen as a common form of。。。addictive behavior has become even more pervasive， as it has crossed all national and cultural barriers and evolved into a compulsive global phenomenon。"In other words， every social group in the world seems to want more， consume more as "yesterday's unattainables become tomorrow's indispensables。" I highly recommend it to peeps who want to understand material flows and consumption and their impacts on the world。 。。。more
Roberto Rigolin F Lopes
，
Tons of statistics brilliantly compiled and discussed。 The information/page rate is out of normal。 You end up entertaining yourself learning how civilization has been using materials。 Amusing that this book is a good example of efficient use of words/numbers。
Harsha Varma
，
A fascinating account about the materials we use to run our modern society。 A plethora of interesting numbers and facts help us grasp the true scale of manufacturing that goes in the background， which enables us to meet our daily needs。 And we're devouring more materials than ever before。 For example， "China emplaced more cement in new construction in the three years between 2008 and 2010， than what the US did during the entire twentieth century"。 That is quite mind-boggling！It was more of an in A fascinating account about the materials we use to run our modern society。 A plethora of interesting numbers and facts help us grasp the true scale of manufacturing that goes in the background， which enables us to meet our daily needs。 And we're devouring more materials than ever before。 For example， "China emplaced more cement in new construction in the three years between 2008 and 2010， than what the US did during the entire twentieth century"。 That is quite mind-boggling！It was more of an introductory read on the subject， as the author， consciously skims through the basics rather than delve into the particulars。 It helped clear a few of the myths I had where I envisaged a dystopian world in which some or many of these materials become extinct。 That thankfully is a highly improbable scenario。 That said， we have a need and a duty to dematerialize， to preserve what we have and become more efficient。 The last two chapters quite poignantly raise this issue。 Overall， it was a great read and for anyone who wants a primer on the materials that run our word， look no further！ 。。。more
Drew Huang
，
Because of my weak foundation of science， I have difficulties understanding the terms used in this book。 Nonetheless， I think I understand the big picture and I think that is sufficient。 A good read though！
Ivko
，
Too many numbers， hard too get into reading flow。 Last chapter excellent。
Max Nova
，
Smil’s “Making the Modern World” is a fascinating tour through the many materials and industrial processes that enable our modern， high-consumption lives。 From forest products and steel to fertilizers and silicon， Smil has put together an astonishingly thorough study of our material world。 One of the key questions that drives the book is “are we using more or less materials than we did in the past？” Before reading the book， I was sure that my minimalist， efficient， highly digital life had to be Smil’s “Making the Modern World” is a fascinating tour through the many materials and industrial processes that enable our modern， high-consumption lives。 From forest products and steel to fertilizers and silicon， Smil has put together an astonishingly thorough study of our material world。 One of the key questions that drives the book is “are we using more or less materials than we did in the past？” Before reading the book， I was sure that my minimalist， efficient， highly digital life had to be less material/energy intense than earlier generations。 Now I’m not so sure - you have to include the energy and material costs that go into mining metals， refining silicon， powering internet infrastructure， etc。 Eye-opening stuff。I also picked up on a couple “Mr。 Money Mustache”-style comments from Smil in regards to our seemingly incessant materialism:“This calls for a new society where， once basic material needs are taken care of， the sense of wellbeing and satisfaction would be derived from experiences that are not at all， or only marginally， correlated with higher energy flows and expanding material possessions。”“Indeed， states now exist to a large extent in order to maintain and to promote economic， technical， and legal foundations and infrastructures of mass consumption。”Smil also weighs in on issues like “will we run out of resources？” （not any time soon） and “what about China？” （growth must slow soon - major problems on horizon in terms of aging population and deteriorating infrastructure）。 Overall， it’s a really interesting book but is so jam-packed with numbers that it’s a bit difficult to get through。#######################The principal reason for this limited mastery of materials was the energy constraint: for millennia our abilities to extract， process， and transport biomaterials and minerals were limited by the capacities of animate prime movers （human and animal muscles） aided by simple mechanical devices and by only slowly improving capabilities of the three ancient mechanical prime movers: sails， water wheels， and wind mills。We must realize that in the long run even the most efficient production processes， the least wasteful ways of design and manufacturing， and （for those materials that can be recycled） the highest practical rates of recycling may not be enough to result in dematerialization rates great enough to negate the rising demand for materials generated by continuing population growth， rising standards of living， and the universal human preference for amassing possessions。 This makes it highly likely that in order to reconcile our wants with the preservation of the biosphere's integrity we will have to make deliberate choices that will help us to reduce absolute levels of material consumption， and thereby redefine the very notion of modern societies whose very existence is predicated on incessant and massive material flows。In any case， in terms of total material flows， all pre-industrial societies remained in the wooden age: in all forested environments， no materials were as ubiquitous as timber for buildings and wood for tools， utensils， implements， and machines。But the most consequential material development in antiquity was not the routine use of a wide variety of biomaterials （wood， bones， hides， plant-， and animal-textiles） and common construction （stones， clays， sand， concrete） and ornamental （tiles， glass） materials， but the ability to smelt and to shape a growing array of metals。 Ore mining and metal smelting resulted in an epochal advance that began with the use of copper and its alloys and was followed by smelting of iron ores， making iron the dominant metal of the ancient Greece and Rome， the two great Mediterranean civilization whose accomplishments influenced so much of subsequent European， and global， history。Producing copper from abundant sulfide ores。。。 roasted ore was smelted in shaft furnaces and then smelted once again to yield 95–97% pure metal。 All of this devastated local and regional wood resources， and copper smelting was a leading cause of Mediterranean deforestation， particularly in Spain and Cyprus。Even as the demand for wood was falling due to the displacement of fuelwood and charcoal by fossil fuels and coke （in France， coal began to supply more than half of all energy by the mid 1870s; in the USA the tipping point between fuelwood and coal and oil came in 1884–85） and owing to the shift of ship construction from timber to steel， new markets for sawnwood were created by the large-scale expansion of coal mines and by construction of railways。Structural steel （more specifically long I-beams riveted from smaller pieces） made skyscrapers possible by doing away with thick load-bearing walls。Aluminum was discovered by Hans Christian Oersted in 1825， and for the next 60 years it was produced only in minuscule amounts to make novelty jewelry; as late as 1884 its single largest application was a 2。85 kg pyramidal cap topping the newly built Washington monumentPost-World War II demand for copper has been dominated by five major final markets: copper in construction goes into electrical wiring， plumbing， refrigeration， and air conditioning conduits， and also has visible uses （copper sheathing and roofing）; industrial machinery， fittings and wiring， and heat exchangers; every category of transportation machinery; industrial electrical and electronic products， above all telecommunication and lighting; and a wide range of consumer products dominated by electronic gadgets and electrical cords and， in many countries， coins。 Copper has maintained its third ranking among the twentieth century metals as its global consumption rose from less than 500 000 t in 1900 to more than 13 Mt in the year 2000。I saved fertilizer advances for the last entry in this brief review of material innovations of the twentieth century – but if the order of presentation were to be determined by the existential importance for the survival of our species， then Haber–Bosch ammonia synthesis should have come first。Clearly， modern management makes it possible to exploit forests in a nondestructive manner。A new North American house of 200 m2 requires about 14 t of lumber （typically yellow pine） and another 14 t of panel products （mostly plywood） for a total mass of 28 t。By the turn of the century， paper consumption had become saturated in many affluent countries， and wood pulp for domestic production began to decline because of more intensive paper recycling。 In the USA， wood pulp production peaked during the mid-1990s （at just above 60 Mt/year） and since then it has been in decline， a trend roughly matched by the output of paper and paperboard whose decrease （more than 10% since 2000） accelerated after 2007 due to the economic downturn。 This was accompanied by a massive decline in pulp， paper， and board mill employment （from 200 000 in 1999 to less than 120 000 a decade later） and a substantial rise in output per mill employee （from 450 t/year in 2000 to nearly 700 t/year in 2010）。 Similarly， disaggregated demand figures from Japan show that the consumption of “information-use” paper peaked during the late 1990s and has since declined by nearly 25%， that of plain copier paper began to fall after 2008， and demand for sanitary-use paper has been flat since 2005…。 But global consumption of paper keeps rising， driven by large increases in demand in populous Asian countries， above all in China。Not surprisingly， given China's limited forest resources， the country has become the world's largest importer of waste paper， buying 25 Mt in 2010 and 28 Mt in 2011， with the USA being its largest supplier （total US exports of recovered paper more than doubled from 10 Mt in 2000 to 21 Mt in 2011）。Before I review the production methods and the uses of construction materials that dominate the world of the early twenty-first century， I must point out that hundreds of millions of people – Berge （2009） puts the total at more than 30% of humanity – continue to live in structures whose material， locally available clay， has not undergone any elaborate processing and that can be made without any modern energy inputs。Concrete （particularly its reinforced form） is now by far the most important manmade material both in terms of global annual production and cumulatively emplaced mass。Given the unprecedented rate of post-1990 global concretization， it is inevitable that the post-2030 world will face an unprecedented burden of concrete deterioration。In aggregate terms， the USGS accounts translate to a domestic consumption of about 1。9 t/capita in 1900， 5。6 t in 1950， and 12 t/capita in the year 2000; after leaving out bulk construction materials these rates are reduced， respectively， to 1。2， 2。3， and 3 t/capita， which means that the use of construction materials rose from about 0。7 t/capita in 1900 to 3。3 t in 1950， and 9 t in the year 2000。Wood is the only material category showing a century-long decline of per capita consumption， from about 800 kg in 1900 to about 400 kg by 1950 and about 300 kg/capita in 2000。The only major construction material that has seen only a modest production increase is industrial roundwood， whose output rose by less than 30% in three decades， from less than 80 to about 102 Mm3 （FAO， 2013）。 China's extensive pre-Communist deforestation， pre-1980 overexploitation， mismanagement of remaining natural forests， and mass-scale reforestation campaigns producing spindly growth of a few widely planted species （pines， eucalyptus） explain the continuation of an inadequate domestic timber supply that necessitated more than quadrupling of imports between 1980 and 2010， from just over 8 to more than 35 Mm3， with Canada being the largest exporter and with a rising share of imports coming from Africa and contributing to the destruction of the continent's tropical rainforests （FAO， 2013; Smil， 2013）。Unbleached packaging paper made from thermo-mechanical pulp is the least energy-expensive kind （as little as 23 GJ/t）; fine bleached uncoated paper made from kraft pulp consumes at least 27 GJ/t and commonly just over 30 GJ/t （Worrell et al。， 2008）。 Most people find it surprising that this is as much as a high-quality steel。Perhaps the most interesting result concerns the energy cost of inorganic fertilizers: given their truly existential importance it is reassuring to realize that the energy needed to produce them adds up to a surprisingly small share of global supply。 Assuming averages of 55， 20， and 10 GJ/t for， respectively， N， P， and K （all including the cost of final formulation， packaging， and distribution） would result in a total demand of a bit more than 5 EJ in the year 2010 （with nitrogenous fertilizers accounting for about 90% of the total） – or only about 1% of the TPES。I hasten to add that a still high level of global malnutrition is due to unequal access to food， not to inadequate food supply。Another case of a highly rewarding energy pay-off is the cost of silicon wafers。 As explained， their embodied energy is orders of magnitude higher than for any of the commonly used materials （on the order of 20 TJ/t compared to 20 GJ/t for steel）， but the steadily increasing crowding of transistors has limited the annual mass of wafers needed to produce all of the world's microchips to only about 7500 t in 2009 and to an aggregate energy expenditure of just 150 PJ， or about 0。03% of TPES。These calculations also make it clear that modern civilization can afford all this steel and fertilizers and microchips because scientific discoveries and technical advances have greatly reduced their energy intensities。Even when using liberal rates for average energy intensities of all biomaterials other than paper， construction materials other than cement， and metals other than steel and aluminum we end up with a grand total of no more than 120 EJ， or less than 25% of the world's TPES: we create the modern world's material wealth with no more than a quarter of all energy we use。An additional advantage of managed forests and tree plantations are their contributions to oxygen generation and carbon sequestration and， if trees are harvested in rotation and promptly replanted， such plantations can be long-lasting stores of carbon。 Even more importantly， proper forestry management can increase the phytomass storage and annual productivity of natural forests， as shown by a nearly century-long perspective from Finland。And among the enormous number of quotidian consumer products that still contain no microprocessors （from apparel to cookware， from basic tools to hand-built furniture） there has not been a single example where mass per unit of product or per an indicator of performance has improved by several orders of magnitude， even reductions on the order of 1 magnitude （resulting in identical product performance while reducing its mass to around 10% of its original value） are extremely rare， and in most cases relative dematerialization has amounted to less than 30% compared to the same types of products available a generation ago。Indeed， there can be no doubt that relative dematerialization has been a key （and not infrequently the dominant） factor promoting often massive expansion of total material consumption。 Less has thus been an enabling agent of more。At the same time， widespread possession of a widening range of consumer goods and the deliberately engineered rapid obsolescence of many products are two notable factors that militate against dematerialization even in the most affluent societies already suffused with goods， and the net outcome can be determined only by taking a longer look at aggregate demand in modern economies。Clearly， there is no recent evidence of any widespread and substantial dematerialization – be it in absolute or relative （per capita） terms – even among the world's richest economies。 Undoubtedly， they have seen a more subdued growth of raw material inputs， and trends explain this moderation: affluent societies have already put in place extensive and highly material-intensive infrastructures; ongoing outsourcing of material-intensive （and often also polluting） industries to foreign low-cost producers has lowered the direct domestic consumption of primary inputs; and relative dematerialization has slowed down the growth of demand。Although there was no shortage of admirable extraction， construction， and consumption feats in pre-1850 history， only the creation， transformation， and expansion of modern civilization made human societies dependent on enormous， incessant， and now also truly global flows of materials。Specific reserve totals， for a country， a continent， or the world， are commonly divided by relevant annual production totals to calculate reserve/production （R/P） ratios。 For example， according to the USGS the global R/P ratio for copper was 42。8 years in the year 2011 （USGS， 2013）。 This ratio does not imply that there will be no copper left to mine by the end of 2054。 Indeed， the metal's global R/P ratio was nearly identical in 1995 and in 1980 （Doggett， 2010）， and the relative constancy of this （and most other mineral extraction ratios） means that industries successfully maintain acceptable levels of reserves relative to annual production。In reality， our civilization is no danger of running out of any major mineral， not imminently （in years）， not in the near term （in one or two decades）， and not on the scale of average human life-span （60–80 years）。Chinese growth rates of material consumption must come down。 After all， in 2010 the country was already consuming 36% more steel per capita than the EU-27 and 50% more than the USA。 And the recent peak per capita rates of China's cement consumption were 2。5 times the Japanese level， more than 3 times the German or the US rate， and in some of the country's regions they were as high， or even higher， than Spain's 2007 rate of 1300 kg/capita that preceded the collapse of Spain's construction industry; all countries whose annual cement consumption surpassed for a while 1 t/capita experienced， sooner or later， the burst of their construction bubble （Bell， 2012）。by 2040 China will have the same share of people above 60 years of age as Japan had in 2010Recycling should aim at maximum practicable rates and by far the most important universal step in that direction would not require exceptional arrangements or ruinous investment。 Products should be designed with disassembly and recycling in mind， a task that has been made much easier by modern CAD （computer-assisted design） but one that is still rarely seen as important。 Such rational， recycling-friendly design would be especially helpful in managing the rising mass of e-waste。Consequently， even if no alarm clocks， rolodexes， voice recorders， or digital cameras were ever bought because of the smartphone's multifunctionality， the material savings represented by such a loss of demand would be largely obliterated by the expanding claims for the same kind of resources ranging from aluminum and glass to wires and microprocessors。But alternatives are imaginable and unorthodox economists and ecologists have long argued for the decoupling of energy use and material consumption from standard perceptions of progress， for a transition toward a low-growth， then a zero-growth society， and eventually even to a managed reduction of energy and material flows。 The reason for this advocacy is obvious: the fundamental incompatibility of the growth imperative and of the second law of thermodynamics （Georgescu-Roegen， 1971 1975）。 This perspective dictates that minimizing entropy should be the foremost goal for a rational society。To this I would say: do not underestimate the appeal of possession， acquisition， ownership， and excess consumption。 Without exaggeration， material acquisition in modern societies can be seen as a common form of the addictive behavior that is usually associated with alcohol， smoking， drugs， or gambling。 A major difference is that this addictive behavior has become even more pervasive， as it has crossed all national and cultural barriers and evolved into a compulsive global phenomenon。An arrangement that could allow more frequent changes of models and that would assure complete recycling at the end of a product's life is not to sell any major manufactured items but merely rent them on long-term service contracts and then return them to their makers for disassembly and reuse: this approach could be applied to products ranging from computers to car tires and from refrigerators to air conditioners。“voluntary simplicity can only appeal to those who have enough to choose to live with less。”As yet， nothing has been irretrievably foreclosed， and at this point it is not difficult to imagine rational futures of moderated energy and material use aimed at maximizing global quality of life for a stationary， even slowly declining， population – nor that of a further indiscriminate quest for energy and materials that results， to a large extent， in wasted ephemeral consumption， perpetuates the great global gap in the average standard of living， and weakens the fundamental biospheric functions， the only irreplaceable foundations of any civilization。 We must hope that human ingenuity （so admirably deployed particularly during the past two centuries） and adaptability （displayed， unfortunately， not well ahead of anticipated crises but only when they are upon us） will， sooner rather than later， guide us along the first path – but even in that case the transformation of humanity's material uses will be a gradual and difficult process with an uncertain outcome。 。。。more
Nikunj
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The concept and the Idea behind the book is really great but the text is very redundant， has a lot of jargon，and the literature is very heavy and hard on an average reader。 This book is fit as a guide for thesis for a student of energy studies， public policy statistics etc， any normal person will throw away the book within the first 50 pages。 The first half of the book is nothing but a detail account of each and every metal，non-metal， energy source in terms of its discovery， usage， history etc。 The concept and the Idea behind the book is really great but the text is very redundant， has a lot of jargon，and the literature is very heavy and hard on an average reader。 This book is fit as a guide for thesis for a student of energy studies， public policy statistics etc， any normal person will throw away the book within the first 50 pages。 The first half of the book is nothing but a detail account of each and every metal，non-metal， energy source in terms of its discovery， usage， history etc。 The second part gives an idea of how the technology and processes we use today are not very sustainable for the coming generations， and in the end the author leaves the reader struggling for conclusion or for concluding steps of how an average person can contribute to sustainability。I would recommend any person to read The Third Curve by Mansoor Khan as a better read。 。。。more
Parvin Siva
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A very informative book on the intersection between materials science， technology and economics with a sprinkle of history。 However， it was a struggle to read the first half of the book， although highly interesting but filled with LOTS of numbers。
Nick Klagge
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