How the World Really Works
The Science Behind How We Got Here and Where We're Going
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How the World Really Works
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Narrateur(s):
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Stephen Perring
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Auteur(s):
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Vaclav Smil
À propos de cet audio
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
“A new masterpiece from one of my favorite authors… [How The World Really Works] is a compelling and highly readable book that leaves readers with the fundamental grounding needed to help solve the world’s toughest challenges.”—Bill Gates
“Provocative but perceptive . . . You can agree or disagree with Smil—accept or doubt his ‘just the facts’ posture—but you probably shouldn’t ignore him.”—The Washington Post
An essential analysis of the modern science and technology that makes our twenty-first century lives possible—a scientist's investigation into what science really does, and does not, accomplish.
We have never had so much information at our fingertips and yet most of us don’t know how the world really works. This book explains seven of the most fundamental realities governing our survival and prosperity. From energy and food production, through our material world and its globalization, to risks, our environment and its future, How the World Really Works offers a much-needed reality check—because before we can tackle problems effectively, we must understand the facts.
In this ambitious and thought-provoking book we see, for example, that globalization isn’t inevitable—the foolishness of allowing 70 per cent of the world’s rubber gloves to be made in just one factory became glaringly obvious in 2020—and that our societies have been steadily increasing their dependence on fossil fuels, such that any promises of decarbonization by 2050 are a fairy tale. For example, each greenhouse-grown supermarket-bought tomato has the equivalent of five tablespoons of diesel embedded in its production, and we have no way of producing steel, cement or plastics at required scales without huge carbon emissions.
Ultimately, Smil answers the most profound question of our age: are we irrevocably doomed or is a brighter utopia ahead? Compelling, data-rich and revisionist, this wonderfully broad, interdisciplinary guide finds faults with both extremes. Looking at the world through this quantitative lens reveals hidden truths that change the way we see our past, present and uncertain future.
©2022 Vaclav Smil (P)2022 Penguin AudioCe que les critiques en disent
"[It is] reassuring to read an author so impervious to rhetorical fashion and so eager to champion uncertainty. . . Smil’s book is at its essence a plea for agnosticism, and, believe it or not, humility — the rarest earth metal of all. His most valuable declarations concern the impossibility of acting with perfect foresight. Living with uncertainty, after all, “remains the essence of the human condition.” Even under the most optimistic scenario, the future will not resemble the past. "—The New York Times
“The renowned energy scientist … aims to [recenter] materials rather than electronic flows of data as the bedrock of modern life — largely through examining what he calls the four pillars of modern civilization: cement, steel, plastics and ammonia.” —The New York Times Magazine
"A scientific panorama of our well-being and how it can be sustained in our current tumultuous times and beyond. [Smil] aims to combat the widespread “comprehension deficit” about basic scientific facts, and he seeks to “explain some of the most fundamental ruling realities governing our survival and our prosperity.” That aim is marvelously achieved…[this is] an exceptionally lucid, evenhanded study of the scientific basis of our current and future lives.”—Kirkus, STARRED review
Ce que les auditeurs disent de How the World Really Works
Moyenne des évaluations de clientsÉvaluations – Cliquez sur les onglets pour changer la source des évaluations.
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Au global5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Histoire5 out of 5 stars
- Utilisateur anonyme
- 2023-02-04
Amazing
Great book full of facts about the world that most people don’t realize. Very educational.
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Au global5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Histoire5 out of 5 stars
- Nick Wiebe
- 2022-08-22
moral of the story -
worth a read no matter what your thoughts on climate change are. It boils down to be a similar pragmatic theme to other books, but provides a lot more and better backup data.
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Au global5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Histoire5 out of 5 stars
- Tim Kirker
- 2022-07-16
Understanding the Complexities of Our World
Mr. Smil takes on the immense task of explaining the intricacies of production, distribution and invention in our modern world, as a foundation to grasping the problems threatening our existence. It is a dense yet edifying read, putting current dilemmas in realistic perspective.
I look forward to more of his books.
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1 personne a trouvé cela utile
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Au global5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Histoire5 out of 5 stars
- bob j
- 2024-02-29
Balanced perspective on the whole transition story
There is more to what is going on that the sensational that we read about in the press or hear on the news. He provides some context which helps form informed conclusions. It is always good to hear both sides.
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1 personne a trouvé cela utile
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Au global5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Histoire5 out of 5 stars
- Jose Amaya
- 2022-09-22
Great Facts, Stats & Insights
This is great book to help find a great wealth of information in understanding fossil fuels, climate change and how the world works in general.
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Au global5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Histoire5 out of 5 stars
- Bobak Baud
- 2022-07-21
Scientific overview of how the world works
The author provides a solid background about all fundamental things in the first chapters. Once the scientific foundation is built, he explains why predicting the future is impossible and what actions we should take today.
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Au global5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Histoire5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2023-07-04
Great read.
Loved the down to earth approach and the well justified arguments. Great perspective. Highly recommended.
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Au global1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Histoire1 out of 5 stars
- Mario Jacome
- 2022-11-24
too much
way too many numbers, not suitable for audiobooks. gets lost in unimportant details. narration was too monotone
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Au global2 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Histoire2 out of 5 stars
- Chris I
- 2023-03-08
The world according to Smil
I enjoyed the first third of this book. Smil does a great job of explaining the world’s dependency on fossil fuels. That last two thirds of the book do not hold up.
Smil lists an array of impressive numbers, many of which are not properly explained. Atmospheric carbon for example. He states that we’re at roughly 400ppm and that we’re on track to rise to 500ppm. To the lay person this might seem shocking. He never actually explains how marginal the jump is.
Smile’s personal takes on things seem to suggest to me that he’s very susceptible to the propaganda machine and perhaps helps contribute to some of those narratives. Given his friendship with Bill Gates, it’s no surprise.
The world needs to move away from fossil fuels, no question. We need to move away from destroying our soil, poisoning our food and allowing robber barons to create our problems and then offer us solutions for them.
Real solutions exist but Smil has chosen to list our massive problems, according to him, without proposing solutions.
If you’re impressed by this book, you need to read deeper into these topics to get a broad perspective, as we all should do.
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Au global1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Histoire1 out of 5 stars
- Sam
- 2022-08-20
Rubbish
Reads like it was written by a self absorbed a****le. Jumps to irrational conclusions in the way a character from Monty Python would.
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