(The MIT Press)
by Vaclav Smil (Author)
A comprehensive account of how
energy has shaped society throughout history, from pre-agricultural
foraging societies through today's fossil fuel–driven civilization.
"I wait for new Smil books the way some people wait for the next 'Star Wars' movie. In his latest book, Energy and Civilization: A History,
he goes deep and broad to explain how innovations in humans' ability to
turn energy into heat, light, and motion have been a driving force
behind our cultural and economic progress over the past 10,000 years.
―Bill Gates, Gates Notes, Best Books of the Year
Energy
is the only universal currency; it is necessary for getting anything
done. The conversion of energy on Earth ranges from terra-forming forces
of plate tectonics to cumulative erosive effects of raindrops. Life on
Earth depends on the photosynthetic conversion of solar energy into
plant biomass. Humans have come to rely on many more energy
flows―ranging from fossil fuels to photovoltaic generation of
electricity―for their civilized existence. In this monumental history,
Vaclav Smil provides a comprehensive account of how energy has shaped
society, from pre-agricultural foraging societies through today's fossil
fuel–driven civilization.
Humans are the only species that can
systematically harness energies outside their bodies, using the power of
their intellect and an enormous variety of artifacts―from the simplest
tools to internal combustion engines and nuclear reactors. The epochal
transition to fossil fuels affected everything: agriculture, industry,
transportation, weapons, communication, economics, urbanization, quality
of life, politics, and the environment. Smil describes humanity's
energy eras in panoramic and interdisciplinary fashion, offering readers
a magisterial overview. This book is an extensively updated and
expanded version of Smil's Energy in World History (1994). Smil
has incorporated an enormous amount of new material, reflecting the
dramatic developments in energy studies over the last two decades and
his own research over that time.
