How The World Really Works by Vaclav Smil

 

In this 2022 published book, the author makes several points from a scientific viewpoint.  The first is that we can not totally avoid using fossil fuels for at a minimum, decades.  He states that the four most important materials in our world are ammonia which is used in fertilizer to feed the world, plastic used in almost everything we use or touch, steel and concrete used for building infrastructure.  All of these necessary materials use fossil fuels and it is impossible to get away from that.  His last major topic is global warming.  He believes that the current atmosphere is overstated.  There is definitely a problem but there are things we can do that would alleviate the problem.  

Vaclav Smil is a former professor in Canada.  He has written over forty books on these topics and specializes in food production which has skyrocketed so that less than ten percent of the population now is necessary for farming, risk assessment where he gives realistic facts to sustain any predictions, environmental and population change and public policies.  His admirers include Bill Gates and all of Smil's conclusions are backed by mathematical proofs.  He occupies the place where I feel most comfortable, the middle.  Yes, there are problems but it is unrealistic to give doomsday projections.  There are almost always intermediate steps that can be taken in order to alleviate issues until they can be solved.  The media is focused on the worst case scenarios and realistic, scientific facts are short in supply to the average person.   This book is recommended for nonfiction readers.