{"product_id":"111890","title":"How the world really works ","description":"\u003ccenter\u003e\u003cdiv style=\"text-align:center\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/tmgdisk01.cafe24.com\/images\/vs\/4172\/sv\/3jYEgzS1lPYojUgU8xQ7ZLofBwLPMU.png?v=1765124856\" style=\"max-width:100%;max-height:10px\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003c\/center\u003e\n\u003ccenter\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd style=\"height:10px\"\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\u003c\/tr\u003e\u003c\/table\u003e\u003c\/center\u003e\n\u003ccenter\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd style=\"height:10px\"\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\u003c\/tr\u003e\u003c\/table\u003e\u003c\/center\u003e\n\u003ccenter\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv style=\"width:95%\"\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align:center;font-size:30px;font-weight:bolder;line-height:1.6em\"\u003e How the world really works \u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003ccenter\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd style=\"height:10px\"\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\u003c\/tr\u003e\u003c\/table\u003e\u003c\/center\u003e\n\n\u003ccenter\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd style=\"height:10px\"\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\u003c\/tr\u003e\u003c\/table\u003e\u003c\/center\u003e\n\n\u003ccenter\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd style=\"height:10px\"\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\u003c\/tr\u003e\u003c\/table\u003e\u003c\/center\u003e\n\n\u003ccenter\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd style=\"height:10px\"\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\u003c\/tr\u003e\u003c\/table\u003e\u003c\/center\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv style=\"border-bottom:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;border-color:;padding-bottom:20px\"\u003e\u003ccenter\u003e\u003ctable align=\"center\" width=\"100%\"\u003e\u003ctbody style=\"border:0px\"\u003e\n\n\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"center\" style=\"line-height:1.2em;text-align:center;font-size:18px;color:black;font-weight:bold;padding-bottom:20px;\"\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\n\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd style=\"text-align:center\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/image.yes24.com\/goods\/117652019\/XL\" style=\"max-width:100%;height:auto\"\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\n\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\u003c\/table\u003e\u003c\/center\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003ccenter\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd style=\"height:10px\"\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\u003c\/tr\u003e\u003c\/table\u003e\u003c\/center\u003e\n\n\u003ccenter\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd style=\"height:10px\"\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\u003c\/tr\u003e\u003c\/table\u003e\u003c\/center\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv style=\"width:95%;{split_style6}padding-top:20px;padding-bottom:20px\"\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align:left;font-size:16px;font-weight:bold;padding-bottom:20px\"\u003e Description \u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align:left;word-break:break-all;font-size:14px;line-height:1.6em;\"\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003ch5\u003e \u003cb\u003eBook Introduction\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003c\/h5\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e \u003cb\u003eA new work by world-renowned environmental scientist Vaclav Smil!\u003cbr\u003e Climate change, food, energy, and even pandemics\u003cbr\u003e A must-read for preparing for the limitations and opportunities of the future.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e How does the world work? What sustains modern civilization? Vaclav Smil, Bill Gates' most trusted omniscient thinker, explores humanity's past, drawing on objective statistics and mathematical data on everything from food and the environment to energy, viruses, and climate change, exposing both misconceptions and truths about modern civilization.\u003cbr\u003e A scientific approach to accurately understanding our civilization allows us to understand how the world really works and to perceive the limitations and opportunities of the future with greater soberness and rigor.\u003cbr\u003e\n\n\u003c\/div\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cul\u003e  \u003cli\u003eYou can preview some of the book's contents.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cspan\u003ePreview\u003c\/span\u003e\n\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003ch5\u003e \u003cb\u003eindex\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003c\/h5\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e Preface: Why is this book needed now?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e1.\u003cbr\u003e About Energy - Fuel and Electricity\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e fundamental change\u003cbr\u003e Modern and contemporary energy use\u003cbr\u003e What is energy?\u003cbr\u003e Increased use and relative decline of crude oil\u003cbr\u003e The many benefits of electricity\u003cbr\u003e Before turning on the switch\u003cbr\u003e Decarbonization: Speed ​​and Scale\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e2.\u003cbr\u003e On food production - eating fossil fuels\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Three valleys, two centuries apart\u003cbr\u003e What was invested?\u003cbr\u003e Energy cost of bread, chicken, and tomatoes\u003cbr\u003e Diesel oil behind seafood\u003cbr\u003e fuel and food\u003cbr\u003e Can we go back to the past?\u003cbr\u003e Use less… and ultimately, zero!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e3.\u003cbr\u003e On the Material World - The Four Pillars of Modern Civilization\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Ammonia: The Gas That Feeds the World\u003cbr\u003e Plastic: Versatile and Useful, But a Problem\u003cbr\u003e Steel: The ubiquitous and recyclable material\u003cbr\u003e Concrete: A World Created by Cement\u003cbr\u003e Outlook on Materials: Present and Future\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e4.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003eOn Globalization - Engines, Microchips, and Beyond\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The distant origins of globalization\u003cbr\u003e Wind-powered globalization\u003cbr\u003e Steam engine and telegraph\u003cbr\u003e The first diesel engine, flight and radio\u003cbr\u003e Large diesel engines and turbines, containers and microchips\u003cbr\u003e The emergence of China, Russia, and India\u003cbr\u003e Globalization in various fields\u003cbr\u003e Moore's Law\u003cbr\u003e Inevitability, retreat, and greed\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e5.\u003cbr\u003e About Risks - From Viruses to Diet and Solar Flares\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Eat like you would in Kyoto or Barcelona\u003cbr\u003e Risk tolerance and perception\u003cbr\u003e Quantifying the risks encountered in everyday life\u003cbr\u003e Voluntary and involuntary risks\u003cbr\u003e Natural disasters: Less dangerous than they appear on TV\u003cbr\u003e Is our civilization coming to an end?\u003cbr\u003e persistent mindset\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e6.\u003cbr\u003e About the environment - the only biosphere we have\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Oxygen is not at a dangerous level\u003cbr\u003e Will there be enough water and food in the future?\u003cbr\u003e Why isn't the Earth permanently frozen? \u003cbr\u003eWho discovered global warming?\u003cbr\u003e Oxygen, water, and food in a hotter world\u003cbr\u003e Uncertainty, Promise, and Reality\u003cbr\u003e Wish list\u003cbr\u003e Models, Doubts, and Reality\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e7.\u003cbr\u003e About the Future - Between the End and the Singularity\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Failed predictions\u003cbr\u003e Inertia, scale and mass\u003cbr\u003e Ignorance, repetition of conventions, and humility\u003cbr\u003e Unprecedented Efforts, Delayed Rewards\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Appendix_ About numbers: Digits\u003cbr\u003e Acknowledgements\u003cbr\u003e Translator's Note_ We must think realistically and scientifically.\u003cbr\u003e main\u003cbr\u003e Search\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003ch5\u003e \u003cb\u003eDetailed image\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/h5\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/image.yes24.com\/momo\/TopCate4117\/MidCate001\/411607281.jpg\" border=\"0\" alt=\"Detailed Image 1\"\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003ch5\u003e \u003cb\u003eInto the book\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003c\/h5\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e To truly understand how the world actually works, you need to have at least some 'energy literacy'.\u003cbr\u003e (…) Our civilization is so dependent on fossil fuels that the transition to the next stage will take much longer than most people think.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ---From \"Pages 41-42, Chapter 1: On Energy\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eMany people today are quick to praise the efficiency of modern computers ('absolutely massive amounts of data') and telecommunications ('absolutely cheap').\u003cbr\u003e But what about crop yields? In just two centuries, the time it takes to produce one kilogram of wheat has dropped from ten minutes to less than two seconds.\u003cbr\u003e (…) If 80 percent of the population had to make bread every day (83 percent of the American population in 1800 was farmers) or cook rice every day (90 percent of Japan's population lived in villages in 1800), most of the technological innovations that revolutionized industrial activity, transportation and communication, and the way we live our daily lives would not have been possible.\u003cbr\u003e The road to the modern world began with cheap steel plows and mineral fertilizers.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ---From \"Pages 93-94, Chapter 2, On Food Production\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Doubts and criticisms of globalization have gone beyond narrow ideological debates. \u003cbr\u003eThe COVID-19 pandemic has added a powerful argument to the concerns about the fundamental role of the state in protecting the lives of its citizens.\u003cbr\u003e If 70 percent of the world's rubber gloves are made in one factory, and a similar proportion of personal protective equipment and even general medicines are made in a few factories in China and India, it will be difficult for the country to fulfill its role in protecting the lives of its citizens.\u003cbr\u003e It is unclear whether this reliance will enable us to realize the economist's dream of mass production at the lowest unit cost.\u003cbr\u003e But if doctors and nurses are forced to fight a pandemic without adequate personal protective equipment, and if countries that rely on overseas production are forced to compete desperately for limited supplies, this reliance is, if not criminal, an incredibly irresponsible management approach.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ---From \"Page 238, Chapter 4, On Globalization\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThe widespread fear of nuclear power is a classic example of misperception of risk.\u003cbr\u003e Despite the fact that nuclear power has significantly prevented air pollution-related deaths, public opinion polls show that distrust of nuclear power generation continues unabated.\u003cbr\u003e Deaths from air pollution are closely linked to the burning of fossil fuels, yet in 2020, three-fifths of the world's electricity was still generated from fossil fuels, while nuclear fission accounted for only 10 percent.\u003cbr\u003e Even when including estimates of potential fatalities from the two accidents at Chernobyl in 1985 and Fukushima in 2011, the overall risk from nuclear and fossil fuel power generation remains unchanged.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ---From \"Pages 254-255, Chapter 5, On Risk\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eMuch like seasonal flu, COVID-19 deaths have been concentrated heavily in people aged 65 and older, particularly those with serious underlying medical conditions, with little impact on young children.\u003cbr\u003e As we all know, excess deaths among the elderly are not preventable.\u003cbr\u003e This is the price we pay for the success of our efforts to increase life expectancy.\u003cbr\u003e In many wealthy countries, life expectancy has increased by more than 15 years since 1950.\u003cbr\u003e The death certificate will likely list COVID-19 or viral pneumonia, but that diagnosis is only an approximation.\u003cbr\u003e The real reason is that as life expectancy continues to rise, most of us are left with potential health problems.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ---From \"Pages 289-290, Chapter 5, On Risk\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e In 2020, the average SUV emitted about 25 percent more carbon dioxide annually than the average passenger car. \u003cbr\u003eMultiply that by the 250 million SUVs on the road, and you can see that SUVs have already eclipsed the global decarbonization effect of electric vehicles (which only reached 10 million in 2020) by several orders of magnitude.\u003cbr\u003e In the 2010s, SUVs were the second-largest source of carbon dioxide emissions, after electric power generation.\u003cbr\u003e This means that they emitted more carbon dioxide than heavy industry, trucking, and aviation. If SUV sales continue at their current pace, by 2040, there will likely be 100 million electric vehicles on the road, more than enough to offset the carbon savings.\u003cbr\u003e (…) If we were to list the things we can do but don’t do, it would be endless.\u003cbr\u003e\n\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e ---From \"Pages 339-340, Chapter 6: About the Environment\"\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003ch5\u003e \u003cb\u003ePublisher's Review\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003c\/h5\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e \u003cb\u003e★★★ Amazon Bestseller ★★★ New York Times Bestseller\u003cbr\u003e ★★★ Recommended by Bill Gates ★★★ Recommended by Professor Ha-Joon Chang\u003cbr\u003e ★★★ Recommended by The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and The Financial Times\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e★★★ Selected as one of Foreign Policy's 100 World's Greatest Thinkers\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e More precisely, more coolly, more thoroughly\u003cbr\u003e How to understand our world\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Vaclav Smil, a world-renowned environmental scientist, economic historian, and all-round thinker most trusted by Bill Gates, has published his new book, How the World Really Works.\u003cbr\u003e How does the world work? What sustains modern civilization? This book explores humanity's past, drawing on objective statistics and mathematical data on topics ranging from food and the environment to energy, viruses, and climate change, and illuminates both misconceptions and truths about modern civilization.\u003cbr\u003e A scientific approach to accurately understanding our civilization allows us to understand how the world really works and to perceive the limitations and opportunities of the future with greater soberness and rigor. \u003cbr\u003eAuthor Vaclav Smil, a leading expert in statistical analysis, is a leading scholar who crosses academic boundaries and leads research in a wide range of fields, including energy, environment, food, population, economics, history, and public policy.\u003cbr\u003e Bill Gates, a long-time fan of Smil, expressed his trust in him, saying, “Wenceslas’ book is definitely the one that has taught me the most about the impact of energy on society.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “This book contains a tremendous amount of knowledge that Smil has accumulated over a long period of time.\u003cbr\u003e If you want to understand the fundamental forces that influence human life in simple numbers, but thoroughly, you must read this book.\u003cbr\u003e It's factually accurate and correct, yet never boring.\u003cbr\u003e “This book will help you solve the world’s most challenging problems.” ─ Bill Gates\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eDiagnosing the problems of the current world with scientific insight and macroscopic perspective\u003cbr\u003e A compilation of 50 years of research by world-renowned scholar Vaclav Smil.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eModern people have access to more information than ever before, but because of urbanization and mechanization, most people are unaware of how the food, raw materials, and goods that form the foundation of our society are produced and transported.\u003cbr\u003e Because of this lack of understanding, people are often swayed by rosy expectations about chat-based AI, which is a hot topic every day, or by dire predictions that the world will end due to the climate crisis.\u003cbr\u003e To be realistic, one must be scientific.\u003cbr\u003e Vaclav Smil's characteristic narrative style, meticulously and doggedly pursuing clear, fact-based data and statistics, is perfectly suited to explaining how the modern world works.\u003cbr\u003e This book provides a sobering diagnosis of the problems facing the world today, enabling us to avoid being fooled by absurd predictions and prepare for future crises and opportunities.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “I am neither a pessimist nor an optimist.\u003cbr\u003e I'm just a scientist trying to explain how the world actually works. \u003cbr\u003e“I hope that the rational and objective approach presented in this book will help us find ways to pass on a better world to future generations.” ─ Vaclav Smil\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e30 years until carbon neutrality by 2050,\u003cbr\u003e Is carbon neutrality through renewable energy a feasible goal?\u003cbr\u003e A Scientific Approach to Future Crises and Opportunities\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e This book, which condenses the results of over 50 years of research by Vaclav Smil, demonstrates how much humanity today relies on fossil fuels for the entire social and economic system, and points out in detail why a short-term energy transition for decarbonization is unrealistic.\u003cbr\u003e The seven fundamental and crucial themes of this book, which determine the survival and prosperity of humanity—energy, food, materials, globalization, and risk—all boil down to environmental issues.\u003cbr\u003e You can gain practical and credible knowledge in the author's specialty, energy and environment.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e■Every time I eat a tomato, I consume five spoonfuls of diesel fuel.\u003cbr\u003e Which has a greater environmental cost: chicken or tomatoes? Vaclav Smil meticulously calculates the energy required to grow and distribute a single tomato, calculating the environmental cost of tomatoes.\u003cbr\u003e Tomatoes are the most fertilizer-intensive crop in the world.\u003cbr\u003e Natural gas is required to synthesize ammonia, a raw material for nitrogen fertilizer.\u003cbr\u003e If you grow it in a greenhouse or vinyl house, a surprising amount of energy is used not only for heating, but also for transportation, storage, and packaging.\u003cbr\u003e Adding all this up, it turns out that one medium-sized tomato weighing 125 grams uses the energy equivalent of five tablespoons, or 75 milliliters, of diesel fuel.\u003cbr\u003e No one can deny that we are heavily dependent on fossil fuels for food production.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e■Is it possible to feed the world's population without synthetic fertilizers?\u003cbr\u003e Vaclav Smil considers ammonia one of the most important substances supporting modern civilization.\u003cbr\u003e If we didn't use ammonia as fertilizer to mass-produce crops, more than 40 percent of today's 8 billion people would starve.\u003cbr\u003e In China, thanks to the active use of fertilizers, the food rationing system was abolished in urban areas in 1984, and by 2000, the average daily food supply per capita was greater than that of Japan.\u003cbr\u003e Fertilizers sprayed in this way are also a cause of water pollution.\u003cbr\u003e However, the author's analysis suggests that reducing fertilizer use will not be easy.\u003cbr\u003e Because Africa, a continent with a rapidly growing population, needs more fertilizer to improve the quality and quantity of its food supply.\u003cbr\u003e As the world's population grows, ammonia-based fertilizers will continue to be essential.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e■Can we reduce plastic, which is identified as a major cause of environmental pollution?\u003cbr\u003e First created in the late 19th century, global production of plastics was just 20,000 tons in 1925, but soared to 2 million tons in 1950, 150 million tons in 2000, and 370 million tons in 2019.\u003cbr\u003e The role of plastics, which combine lightness and durability, is particularly prominent in the medical field.\u003cbr\u003e It is no exaggeration to say that modern life begins with plastic in the delivery room and ends with plastic in the intensive care unit.\u003cbr\u003e The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the usefulness of plastics, including disposable gloves and masks.\u003cbr\u003e In this way, plastic has become a basic material necessary for our lives.\u003cbr\u003e What could replace plastic? Vaclav Smil concludes that artificial intelligence and applications won't be able to bring about this transformation.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Carbon Neutrality by 2050: Renewable Energy Isn't the Only Problem \u003cbr\u003eA closer look at the reality of the modern world reveals that even if we decarbonize electricity generation through renewable energy, it will be difficult to achieve carbon neutrality.\u003cbr\u003e Electricity currently accounts for only 18 percent of global energy consumption.\u003cbr\u003e To reduce overall fossil fuel use, all modes of transportation, including automobiles, ships, and aircraft, must be electrified. Furthermore, new processes must be developed to enable the mass production of concrete, plastics, steel, and ammonia, which together consume approximately 17 percent of the world's primary energy, using only electricity.\u003cbr\u003e In 2019, fossil fuels accounted for 80 percent of total global energy demand.\u003cbr\u003e Vaclav Smil asserts that it is impossible to give up fossil fuels overnight.\u003cbr\u003e For decades to come, the burning of fossil fuels will remain the primary culprit in global warming.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ■When is the break-even point for policies to mitigate climate change? \u003cbr\u003eTackling the challenge of climate change requires a global effort.\u003cbr\u003e But even if we adopt specific, binding international agreements and implement global decarbonization policies, temperature increases will persist for 25 to 30 years.\u003cbr\u003e According to climate-economic model calculations, even if greenhouse gas reduction policies are initiated in 2020, the break-even point for achieving net economic benefits will be around 2080.\u003cbr\u003e That is, the generation born in the mid-21st century will be the first to enjoy net benefits.\u003cbr\u003e So, can today's young generation value distant benefits over immediate gains? And while low-income countries are increasing their fossil fuel use for survival, will wealthy nations be willing to accept the cost of saving for over half a century? However, Vaclav Smil argues that while success cannot be guaranteed, there's no need to fear failure in advance.\u003cbr\u003e The shape of the future depends on how we act now.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“It is a sharp and bitter rebuke to the irresponsible claims of self-proclaimed experts, especially those who cannot read numbers and only offer wishful thinking.”\u003cbr\u003e - [The New York Times]\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Whether or not you agree with Smil’s claims, or whether or not you accept his stance of speaking only ‘facts,’ you cannot ignore him.\u003cbr\u003e “It presents a provocative yet insightful perspective.”\u003cbr\u003e - [Washington Post]\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “The wonders of digital technology are fleeting.\u003cbr\u003e Our world is made of steel, plastic, concrete, and ammonia anyway.\u003cbr\u003e This book covers academic topics in a way that is accessible to the general public.\u003cbr\u003e Smil looks humbly and calmly into the future, predicting a future “mixed with progress and retreat, with seemingly insurmountable difficulties and near-miraculous developments.”\u003cbr\u003e - [Wall Street Journal]\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Our present and future have been studied clearly and fairly from a scientific perspective. \u003cbr\u003e“This book perfectly achieves its goal of explaining the fundamental and central issues that determine human survival and prosperity.”\u003cbr\u003e - [Kirkus Review] \u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003ccenter\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd style=\"height:10px\"\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\u003c\/tr\u003e\u003c\/table\u003e\u003c\/center\u003e\n\n\u003ccenter\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd style=\"height:10px\"\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\u003c\/tr\u003e\u003c\/table\u003e\u003c\/center\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv style=\"width:95%;padding-top:20px;padding-bottom:20px\"\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align:left;font-size:16px;font-weight:bold;padding-bottom:20px\"\u003e GOODS SPECIFICS \u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align:left;font-size:14px;line-height:1.6em;\"\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv style=\"width:100%;margin-bottom:5px;line-height:1.6em;font-size:14px\"\u003e - \u003cstrong\u003eDate of issue:\u003c\/strong\u003e March 9, 2023\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv style=\"width:100%;margin-bottom:5px;line-height:1.6em;font-size:14px\"\u003e - \u003cstrong\u003ePage count, weight, size:\u003c\/strong\u003e 492 pages | 634g | 140*215*24mm\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv style=\"width:100%;margin-bottom:5px;line-height:1.6em;font-size:14px\"\u003e - \u003cstrong\u003eISBN13:\u003c\/strong\u003e 9788934950967\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv style=\"width:100%;margin-bottom:5px;line-height:1.6em;font-size:14px\"\u003e - \u003cstrong\u003eISBN10:\u003c\/strong\u003e 893495096X \u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003ccenter\u003e\n\n\u003ccenter\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd style=\"height:10px\"\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\u003c\/tr\u003e\u003c\/table\u003e\u003c\/center\u003e\n\n\u003ccenter\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd style=\"height:10px\"\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\u003c\/tr\u003e\u003c\/table\u003e\u003c\/center\u003e\n\n\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\n\u003c\/center\u003e\n\n\n\u003c\/center\u003e","brand":"LIBRAIRIE COREENNE","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43893984526378,"sku":"111890","price":32.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0683\/2750\/5962\/files\/be44627b0fd07d0a9cb3854483a970bb.jpg?v=1765428103","url":"https:\/\/librairie.coreenne.fr\/en\/products\/111890","provider":"LIBRAIRIE COREENNE","version":"1.0","type":"link"}