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Reviews
How the World Really Works: A Scientist's Guide to Our Past, Present and Future by Vaclav Smil
nickbacon's review against another edition
4.0
This book is incredibly dense considering how short it is, and manages to cover a wide array of topics. Smil throws a lot of numbers at you to the point it can muddy what he’s conveying if you’re not following closely - I definitely found myself getting lost in parts. Overall though, a surprisingly refreshing perspective on the state of the world.
rebelqueen's review against another edition
3.0
Very statistic heavy, so parts of this dragged on and on. Overall, we are doomed. Jk. Maybe.
teibrich's review against another edition
4.0
A dire but probably realistic view on global warming, our dependency on fossil fuels and the possibility of a quick turnaround. I would have loved some more concrete actions and proposed steps but I see that that is not the point of the book.
edgaranzola's review against another edition
5.0
The world works based on energy flows and even though in the next 30 to 50 years it may seem that some technologies will improve our time on earth and our relationship with the biosphere, until we improve this extraction and use (which will be difficult in a short time and quickly) we will continue in a scenario of improvement in structures, products and services, although fragile as a species due to errors and the usual dangers. Maybe someday the singularity will make us live in a fairy world or the world will end up in an environmental catastrophe, but both scenarios are beyond our energy engine that moves the current civilization and its most basic problems.
rowekeith's review against another edition
4.0
There's a lot of good thinking in this book, but it's hard to read.
This book *really* needs more charts and graphs to make the arguments clearer.
This book *really* needs more charts and graphs to make the arguments clearer.