Rating: 6
Energy and Civilization: A History
Vaclav Smil | 2017
Vaclav Smil is a major influence in discussions of energy and society, producing a number of well-reviewed books and helping shape modern thought on these topics. Energy and Civilization was the first book I read of his but, although it’s an undeniably impressive work of nonfiction, it’s considerably dry. The book is roughly 450 encyclopedic pages that describe humanity’s relationship to energy beginning with the energy contents of food and ending with the development of renewable energy technology (with just about every other innovation in between). It is dense, technical, and devoid of—in my opinion—any truly meaningful insights into our relationship with energy. I hoped the final chapter, “Energy in World History,” would provide more in-depth analysis of this universal currency, but it remains similar in form to the rest of the book. With that said, if you’re interested in the history of energy and its various forms, Energy and Civilization provides a comprehensive and satisfactory account on how we’ve collected, transformed, and employed this power throughout the centuries.
“Bald’s vivid description is also a perfect illustration of a fundamental fact of energetics, an impressive example of how every transition to a new form of energy supply has to be powered by the intensive deployment of existing energies and prime movers: the transition from wood to coal had to be energized by human muscles, coal combustion powered the development of oil, and, as I stress in the last chapter, today’s solar photovoltaic cells and wind turbines are embodiments of fossil energies required to smelt the requisite metals, synthesize the needed plastics, and process other materials requiring high energy inputs.”
“Satisfying basic human needs obviously requires a moderate level of energy inputs, but international comparisons clearly show that further quality-of-life gains level off with rising energy consumption. Societies focusing more on human welfare than on frivolous consumption can achieve a higher quality of life while consuming a fraction of the fuels and electricity used by more wasteful nations.”