How the World Really Works
How Science Can Set Us Straight on Our Past, Present and Future
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How the World Really Works
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Narrated by:
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Stephen Perring
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By:
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Vaclav Smil
About this listen
Brought to you by Penguin.
We have never had so much information at our fingertips, and yet most of us simply don't understand how our world really works. Professor Vaclav Smil is not a pessimist or an optimist, he is a scientist, and this book is a much-needed reality check on topics ranging from food production and nutrition, through energy and the environment, to globalisation and the future. For example, the carbon footprint of meat is well known, but did you know that the equivalent of five tablespoons of diesel fuel goes into the production of each greenhouse-grown, medium-size, supermarket-bought tomato? The gap between belief and reality is vast.
Drawing on the latest science, tackling sources of misinformation head-on and championing a rational, fact-based approach, in How the World Really Works Smil shows, for example, why the planet isn't 'suffocating' (even burning all the planet's fossil fuels would reduce oxygen levels by just 0.25 per cent) and that globalisation isn't 'inevitable' and nor should it be (the stupidity of allowing 70 per cent of the world's rubber gloves to be made in just one factory became glaringly obvious in 2020).
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 masterpiece 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.
©2021 Vaclav Smil (P)2021 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about How the World Really Works
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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- eteka
- 11-06-23
The author’s attempt is disarmingly impressive!
The book tackles a few things:
- the central role of energy (in its many forms) through the many civilisations we have experienced
- This role seats at the foundation of today’s complex world therefore replacing it (by 2050) won’t be as easy (or is probably unnecessary) and points to realistic actions we are overlooking
- Efforts should focus on facts and not forecast by the Ecoworriors (Armageddons) or the Technoworriors (Cornucopians)
- using relatable units of measurements such as the number of teaspoons of crude oil needed to produce bread or tomatoes to aid comparisons and understanding
- You’d be left with an impressive command of knowledge or what seems like an unbeatable quest to amass all forms of knowledge.
I think it is a solid contribution writings needed to understand how life in today’s society impacts the planet and some high yielding actions that can start making a dent on reversing some of the negative impacts.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 27-11-22
A balanced account of where we stand
If you want a balanced account that takes a non-religious view of climate and the future of the world given where we stand now on our reliance upon fossil fuels, this is your book.
Also, I really appreciate the way the author addresses poor nations rights to using their own natural resources to improve their situation, something largely ignored by most of academia.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 23-09-24
How the World Really Works According to an Old White Man
The title should really be "How the World Really Works According to an Old White Man." Want to listen to a 10-hour lecture about how things really are from your dad? Or are you someone living in the US Midwest, hating vegans and looking for justification for your way of life? This is the book for you. While provocative and at times cutting corners when arguments become more subjective, it's an interesting read overall with some solid points of view.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Callum Keating
- 17-11-22
Great book lots of figures
Great book for grounding yourself with realistic expectations for the future and climate change as a whole, sometimes in this book it does feel like you are looking through a figure sheet, but overall great.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Mitch Welzen
- 25-03-23
this book definitely fires up economic thinking
interesting read, hard to remember any of the numbers mentioned. definitely open yourself up to economic thinking
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 16-06-24
Full of numbers
Great reading I did in long time. Great eye opener, everyone that need oxygen to breath must listen to this book.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- P. Amery
- 25-09-22
brilliant book
worth a very close listen. Smil debunks all the guff that we read and hear on energy, the climate and human progress
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 30-01-24
Insightful, but grumpy
I enjoyed the book, it was highlighting some important facts and misconceptions about the current world. However, even though the author is repeating that he is no optimist, nor pessimist, in some parts of the book the sentiment is quite pessimistic, ignoring some of the recent developments. I also think that the author is underestimating the importance of some technologies like AI and its role in solving some of humanity's problems, eg. quicker finding of vaccines for new species of viruses.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Paul O'Sullivan
- 25-08-22
Data-led Observation with a healthy dose of reality.
An neutral approach to quantifying the world we live in and the materials we rely on everyday. Neither pro-cornucopian or fatalistic, but a stark reality check.
It would be fantastic if world leaders dictating our future had even the slightest grasp on this data before composing their rallying-cry’s and furling polarisation.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Ian Humphries
- 22-06-23
Huge gain of information in this read !
I’ve read few books that impart such knowledge in a clear and concise way. Nicely written and read. I feel hugely better informed
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