Vaclav Smil

From the internationally bestselling author, a revealing look at the surprising numbers that uncover the hidden forces shaping our world ‘There is perhaps no other academic who paints pictures with numbers like Smil’ Guardian What do marriage, milk and the black market tell us about the state of humanity? Most people would say, not much at all. But the numbers reveal startling truths about who we are, how we live and where we’re headed. For centuries we’ve told ourselves stories about how the world works – yet the data often point to a very different reality. In Numbers Tell Stories, Vaclav Smil shows how statistics challenge conventional thinking and illuminate the hidden forces shaping our lives. Take marriage. Weren’t people in the past married off as children? In fact, in eighteenth-century France, the median age was 29 for men and 27 for women – not that different to today. Or longevity. Should we look to Japan to unlock the secrets of a long, healthy life? Perhaps – but only one in five Japanese men and women retains full independence in old age. Even the world’s healthiest nation still has far to go. And waste. It sounds absurd, but discarded electronics contain more gold per ton than gold ore itself – our rubbish is richer than our mines. Climate change is another challenge we know is huge – but the real shock is the scale of the economic effort required to act in time. Cutting greenhouse gas emissions on the recommended timescale would demand 15 to 20 per cent of annual GDP in wealthy countries – roughly equivalent to the resources mobilised by the Allies to win the Second World War. Numbers on that scale are not abstract: they would transform daily life. Behind every familiar story, Smil uncovers the statistics that can reframe the past, jolt our view of the present, and change how we think about the future.

A data-driven, scientific account of our need for speed--exploring a wide range of topics including evolution, transportation, and technology In a world obsessed with efficiency, perhaps nothing is valued as highly as being fast. Some of our greatest achievements include building planes that break the sound barrier and creating computers that process data at the touch of a button. With signature clarity, Smil offers accessible explanations of every major speed category, from wind erosion to hunting cheetahs, from Boeing 747s to America's war time industrial mobilization to the speed of global energy decarbonization. But as Smil argues in this paradigm-shifting book, speed isn't just a metric to optimize. In Speed, Smil expands on our traditional, human-centric understanding of speed to explore phenomena of space and time, evolution, and human achievement. What was the speed of planet formation? Of the development of different life forms? What happened in the collision of humans and the limits of natural speed, and what has emerged from our incessant desire to push those boundaries? Lauded for his"compelling, fascinating, realistic" (Steven Pinker) portraits of the modern world, Smil knows that we can't, won't, and shouldn't abandon our collective need for speed. But as good devotees of speed's eminence, we must understand it, its value, and its cost. Rich in historical and contemporary data, Bill Gates's favorite scientist's latest work is a comprehensive, interdisciplinary guidebook for science readers living in the fast lane.

Prepare to view the world through a new lens – SPEED – a groundbreaking exploration that challenges your perceptions of life’s driving force, from the internationally bestselling author 'There is no author whose books I look forward to more' Bill Gates ‘There is perhaps no other academic who paints pictures with numbers like Smil’ Guardian In a world that feels like it’s moving faster than ever, Smil examines how our relentless pursuit of speed – in areas such as production, travel and communication – shapes not only our technological landscape but also our social and environmental realities. And through engaging anecdotes and striking statistics, Smil challenges the assumption that faster is always better. He invites readers to reconsider the implications of our collective obsession with speed, and its intricate relationship with nature and innovation. For example, he highlights the surprising fact that erosion can actually accelerate mountain growth, and he points out that the rapid adoption of mobile phones – achieving 90 per cent penetration in just nineteen years – reflects historical patterns of technological adoption, suggesting that our world may not be moving significantly faster than in the past. Whether exploring the tiny mites that can traverse 300 times their body length in a second or the societal impacts of high-frequency trading, Speed invites readers to engage in a more balanced conversation about the role of speed in our lives, in an age defined by haste.

'There is no author whose books I look forward to more' Bill Gates‘There is perhaps no other academic who paints pictures with numbers like Smil’ GuardianExplore how speed influences every aspect of life on Earth, from the slow grind of geological processes and the fleeting lifespans of organisms to the astonishing speed of light and the remarkable adaptations of creatures like the swift antelope and the soaring albatross. In this ambitious and wide-ranging ideas book, internationally bestselling author Vaclav Smil uncovers the intricate connections between speed, nature, and human innovation. With counterintuitive insights, such as how erosion actually accelerates mountain growth, Smil challenges long-held myths. For example, Smil debunks the notion that our modern lives are accelerating at an unprecedented pace: the rapid adoption of mobile phones – from 0% in 1983 to 90% in 2002 (19 years) – is like the spread of earlier technologies such as radio (22 years), colour television (24 years) and even microwave ovens (17 years). In SPEED, Smil combines his trademark compelling statistics with insightful analysis to take readers on a captivating journey through the vast timescales of Earth’s history and the complexities of modern life. He explains how we measure speed and reveals the theoretical limits that shape our societies, offering a thought-provoking exploration of the forces that define our world. This eye-opening book encourages readers to see speed’s vital role in everything around us.

'There is no author whose books I look forward to more' Bill Gates'A fascinating deep dive...a wonderful fact-based tour of our food system, past and present. It opens up plenty of interesting debates on what to do next to feed 10 billion people without wrecking the planet' Hannah Ritchie, author of Not the End of the World In this ambitious, myth-busting book, leading scientist and internationally bestselling author Vaclav Smil investigates many of the burning questions facing the world today: Why are some of the world’s biggest food producers also the countries with the most undernourished populations? Why is food waste a colossal 1,000kcal per person daily, and how can we solve that? Could we all go vegan and be healthy? Should we? How will we feed the ballooning population without killing the planet? How Food Really Works shows how we misunderstand the essentials of where our food really comes from, how our dietary requirements shape us, and why this impacts our planet in drastic ways. Ultimately, this data-based, rigorously researched guide explains how we will survive and thrive long into the future.

Creating and Transforming the Twentieth Century combines two of Vaclav Smil's seminal works in a revised and expanded edition. Creating the Twentieth Century explores the period between 1867 and 1914, a time of unparalleled innovation that laid the groundwork for modern civilization. It investigates the birth of an expansive society driven by the synergy of fuels, science, and technical innovation. Key inventions from this era include dynamite, the telephone, photographic film, and the first light bulbs in the 1870s, followed by electricity-generating plants, electric motors, steam turbines, and cars in the 1880s. The period of extraordinary discovery continues into the early 20th century with the advent of airplanes, tractors, radio signals, and plastics. Smil systematically examines four fundamental classes of innovations: the formation and standardization of electric systems, the rapid adoption of internal combustion engines, the surge in chemical syntheses and material substitutions, and the dawn of the information age. This interdisciplinary account highlights the epochal consequences of these advancements, leading to high-energy societies engaged in mass production aimed at improving living standards. Transforming the Twentieth Century investigates how these technical advances shaped the decades that followed. It examines how the 20th century differed from the preceding 100 years due to unprecedented combinations of technical progress. Smil discusses the remarkable pace and ambition of 20th-century advancements, which elevated industrial production to new heights and tackled previously insurmountable challenges. He addresses the themes of electricity, engines, materials, and information techniques, and critically examines the contradictory consequences of technological progress--including liberating simplicity versus overwhelming complexity, unprecedented affluence versus economic disparities, and increased security versus new fears. This new edition contains numerous updates to the original books and features a new preface and a final chapter examining key themes in light of major 21st-century events and publications. Now in a single volume, these classic texts remain central to Smil's acclaimed oeuvre, and their lessons are perennially fascinating.

"Vaclav Smil is my favorite author."--Bill Gates An indispensable analysis of how the world really produces and consumes its food--and a scientist's exploration of how we can successfully feed a growing population without killing the planet We have never had to feed as many people as we do today. And yet, we misunderstand the essentials of where our food really comes from, how our dietary requirements shape us, and why this impacts our planet in drastic ways. As a result, in our economic, political, and everyday choices, we take for granted and fail to prioritize the thing that makes all our lives possible: food. In this ambitious, myth-busting book, Smil investigates many of the burning questions facing the world today: why are some of the world's biggest food producers also the countries with the most undernourished populations? Why do we waste so much food and how can we solve that? Could the whole planet go vegan and be healthy? Should it? He explores the global history of food production to understand why we farm some animals and not others, why most of the world's calories come from just a few foodstuffs, and how this might change in the future. How to Feed the World is the data-based, rigorously researched guide that offers solutions to our broken global food system.

Miten moderni maailma toimii? Tämän petollisen yksinkertaisen kysymyksen vastaus liittyy sivilisaation neljään “suuren siirtymään”, väestöjen, maatalouden, energian ja kansantalouksien muutoksiin, joista meidän maailmamme syntyi. Nämä siirtymät johtivat aikaisemmasta radikaalisti poikkeavaan populaatiodynamiikkaan, ruoan ylijäämiin ja haaskaukseen, runsaaseen energiaan ja laajeneviin taloudellisiin mahdollisuuksiin. Muutokset ovat kuitenkin kesken ja eivätkä ole edes alkaneet sadoille miljoonille. Vaclav Smilin mukaan ne ovat käynnistäneet viidennen suuren siirtymän, joka johtuu luonnonvarojen ehtymisestä, biodiversiteetin menettämisestä ja ilmaston lämpenemisestä. Se määrittää, ovatko neljä ensimmäistä suurta siirtymää suuria onnistumisia vai eivät. Smilin mukaan moraalinen imperatiivimme on jakaa moderniuden edut koko ihmiskunnalle, mutta myös varmistaa, että planeettamme säilyy elinkelpoisena.

‘How to Feed the World had a lot to teach me – and I’m sure it will teach you a lot, too. It challenges readers to think differently about a problem we thought we understood’ Bill Gates‘Concise and erudite . . . How to Feed the World is weighted with statistics, but there is something light and irresistible about the way Smil structures his argument and propels his narrative . . . The breadth of Smil’s knowledge is as impressive as the depth’ Talha Burki, LancetIn this ambitious, myth-busting book, leading scientist and internationally bestselling author Vaclav Smil investigates many of the burning questions facing the world today:Why are some of the world’s biggest food producers also the countries with the most undernourished populations? Why is food waste a colossal 1,000kcal per person daily, and how can we solve that? Could we all go vegan and be healthy? Should we? How will we feed the ballooning population without killing the planet? How Food Really Works shows how we misunderstand the essentials of where our food really comes from, how our dietary requirements shape us, and why this impacts our planet in drastic ways. Ultimately, this data-based, rigorously researched guide explains how we will survive and thrive long into the future.‘There is perhaps no other academic who paints pictures with numbers like Smil’ GUARDIAN

La demostraci n de que el tama o importa. Pueden las medidas explicar el mundo? Para responder a esa colosal pregunta ha dedicado Vaclav Smil las m s de trescientas p ginas de El tama o de las cosas. El cient fico canadiense despliega un ambicioso an lisis del principio rector m s fundamental de nuestro planeta: el tama o, cuyas leyes, l mites y peculiaridades son clave para entender la salud, la riqueza e incluso la felicidad. Medir la escala, las proporciones y las simetr as es todo un reto, en especial cuando se trata de sistemas tan complejos como las econom as, pero comprenderlas ofrece ricas recompensas. Con el enfoque interdisciplinar que caracteriza su prol fica obra divulgativa, Smil recurre a la historia, las ciencias de la Tierra, la psicolog a y el arte, entre otras reas, para ofrecer una nueva visi n de nuestros mayores retos, como la desigualdad, la propagaci n de enfermedades infecciosas y los estragos del cambio clim tico. Este libro sobre lo grande, lo peque o y la relaci n entre ambos nos entrega una innovadora respuesta a las grandes preguntas sobre la existencia humana. El tama o no es solo una propiedad m s de lo que nos rodea, sino que puede cambiar nuestra forma de verlo absolutamente todo. ENGLISH DESCRIPTION From the New York Times bestselling author of How the World Really Works, a wide-ranging look at the most fundamental governing principle of our world: size, whose laws, limits, and peculiarities offer the key to understanding health, wealth, and even happiness "No one writes about the great issues of our time with more rigor or erudition than Vaclav Smil." -- Elizabeth Kolbert To answer the most important questions of our age, we must understand size. Neither bacteria nor empires are immune to its laws. Measuring it is challenging, especially where complex systems like economies are concerned, yet mastering it offers rich rewards: the rise of the West, for example, was a direct result of ever more accurate and standardized measurements. Using the interdisciplinary approach that has won him a wide readership, Smil draws upon history, earth science, psychology, art, and more to offer fresh insight into some of our biggest challenges, including income inequality, the spread of infectious disease, and the uneven impacts of climate change. Size explains the regularities--and peculiarities--of the key processes shaping life (from microbes to whales), the Earth (from asteroids to volcanic eruptions), technical advances (from architecture to transportation), and societies and economies (from cities to wages). This book about the big and the small, and the relationship between them, answers the big and small questions of human existence: - What makes a human society too big? What about a human being? - Which alternative energy sources have the best chance of scaling and reducing our dependence on fossil fuels? - Why do tall people make more money? - What makes a face beautiful? How about a cathedral? - How can changing the size of your plates help you lose weight? The latest masterwork of "an ambitious and astonishing polymath who swings for fences" (Wired) Size is a mind-bending journey that turns the modern world on its head.

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 Hub s Most Anticipated Books of 2023 Included in The Next Big Idea Club s February 2023 Must-Read Books. 'Every Smil book that I own is marked up with lots of notes that I take while reading. Invention and Innovation is no exception. Even when I disagree with him, I learn a lot from him...he always strengthens my thinking.' Bill Gates, Gates Notes. The world is never finished catching up with Vaclav Smil. In his latest and perhaps most readable book, Invention and Innovation, the prolific author a favorite of Bill Gates pens an insightful and fact-filled jaunt through the history of human invention. Impatient with the hype that so often accompanies innovation, Smil offers in this book a clear-eyed corrective to the overpromises that accompany everything from new cures for diseases to AI. He reminds us that even after we go quite far along the invention-development-application trajectory, we may never get anything real to deploy. Or worse, even after we have succeeded by introducing an invention, its future may be marked by underperformance, disappointment, demise, or outright harm. Drawing on his vast breadth of scientific and historical knowledge, Smil explains the difference between invention and innovation, and looks not only at inventions that failed to dominate as promised (such as the airship, nuclear fission, and supersonic flight), but also at those that turned disastrous (leaded gasoline, DDT, and chlorofluorocarbons). And finally, most importantly, he offers a 'wish list' of inventions that we most urgently need to confront the staggering challenges of the twenty-first century. Filled with engaging examples and pragmatic approaches, this book is a sobering account of the folly that so often attends human ingenuity and how we can, and must, better align our expectations with reality.

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 or failure. What makes the modern world work? The answer to this deceptively simple question lies in four "grand transitions" of civilization--in populations, agriculture, energy, and economics--which have transformed the way we live. Societies that have undergone all four transitions emerge into an era of radically different population dynamics, food surpluses (and waste), abundant energy use, and expanding economic opportunities. Simultaneously, in other parts of the world, hundreds of millions remain largely untouched by these developments. Through erudite storytelling, Vaclav Smil investigates the fascinating and complex interactions of these transitions. He argues that the moral imperative to share modernity's benefits has become more acute with increasing economic inequality, but addressing this imbalance would make it exceedingly difficult to implement the changes necessary for the long-term preservation of the environment. Thus, managing the fifth transition--environmental changes from natural-resource depletion, biodiversity loss, and global warming--will determine the success or eventual failure of the grand transitions that have made the world we live in today.

"There is no author whose books I look forward to more" Bill GatesThe New York Times bestselling author returns with a mind-opening exploration of how size defines life on Earth. Explaining the key processes shaping size in nature, society and technology, Smil busts myths around proportions - from bodies to paintings and the so-called golden ratio - tells us what Jonathan Swift got wrong in Gulliver's Travels - the giant Brobdingnagian's legs would buckle under their enormous weight - and dives headfirst into the most contentious issue in ergonomics: the size of aeroplane seats. It is no exaggeration to say this fascinating and wide-ranging tour de force will change the way you look at absolutely everything. "Vaclav Smil is a phenomenon with an appetite for facts over prejudice and fashion. Essential reading for anyone who cares about the future" Lord Norman Foster

Luvut kertovat, millainen maailma on. Tämä teos on opas kiehtoviin ja jopa yllättäviin maailmaammekuvaaviin lukuihin. Kumpi on pahempaa ympäristöllemme, autosi vai puhelimesi? Kuinka paljon maailman naudat painavat (ja miksi se ontärkeää)? Mikä tekee ihmisistä onnellisia? Miten lihan kulutus on siirtymässä kanaan? Miksi rokottaminen tuottaa investoinnille parhaan tuoton? Miksi sähköautot eivät ole niin hyviä kuin kuvittelemme? Tämän kirjan asiat maailmasta ainakin kannattaa tietää. Vaclav Smil on University of Manitoban emeritusprofessori ja suomeksi hänen teoksistaan ovat ilmestyneet muun muassa Energia ja sivilisaatio ja Kasvu.