Vaclav Smil

Né en 1943 vaclavsmil.com @VaclavSmil

Science

Vaclav Smil is a renowned scientist and academic with expertise in energy, environmental science, and interdisciplinary research.
He earned his Ph.D. in Geography from Pennsylvania State University and holds a degree from Charles University in Prague.
Smil is Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Manitoba and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.
His work has earned him recognition as one of Foreign Policy's Top 100 Global Thinkers in 2010.
Smil is known for his data-driven approach to analyzing complex global issues, particularly in energy and environmental studies.
His numerous publications have made him a respected voice in discussions on technology, resources, and sustainability.

Livres de Vaclav Smil

How the World Really Works

par Vaclav Smil • 2022

Both doomers and utopians skip the same thing: modern civilization's staggering material scale.

3.94

14 000+

⚡ Energy Systems 🏭 Industrial Ecology 🌾 Global Food Systems 📊 Quantitative Reasoning ⚖️ Risk Perception

How the World Really Works

Both doomers and utopians skip the same thing: modern civilization's staggering material scale.

par Vaclav Smil 2022 336 pages

3.94

14 000+ évaluations

⚡ Energy Systems 🏭 Industrial Ecology 🌾 Global Food Systems 📊 Quantitative Reasoning ⚖️ Risk Perception

Numbers Don't Lie

par Vaclav Smil • 2020

Your smartphone costs the planet as much as a car. 71 data points that rewrite modern life.

3.82

10 000+

🔋 Energy Transitions 👴 Demographic Shifts 🌽 Food Systems 🌍 Global Development ⚙️ History Of Technology

Numbers Don't Lie

Your smartphone costs the planet as much as a car. 71 data points that rewrite modern life.

par Vaclav Smil 2020 384 pages

3.82

10 000+ évaluations

🔋 Energy Transitions 👴 Demographic Shifts 🌽 Food Systems 🌍 Global Development ⚙️ History Of Technology

Energy and Civilization

par Vaclav Smil • 2017

A week of American energy use matches a year of Nigerian. The history behind that gap.

4.09

4 000+

⚡ Energy History ⚙️ History Of Technology 🏭 Industrial Revolution 🛢️ Fossil Fuels 🌍 Big History

Energy and Civilization

A week of American energy use matches a year of Nigerian. The history behind that gap.

par Vaclav Smil 2017 552 pages

4.09

4 000+ évaluations

⚡ Energy History ⚙️ History Of Technology 🏭 Industrial Revolution 🛢️ Fossil Fuels 🌍 Big History

Invention and Innovation

par Vaclav Smil • 2023

Moore's Law is an outlier. Everywhere else, innovation crawls, stumbles, or backfires.

3.84

1 000+

🛠️ History Of Technology 🔍 Innovation Myths ⚠️ Unintended Consequences 📊 Data-Driven History 🧭 Contrarian Analysis

Invention and Innovation

Moore's Law is an outlier. Everywhere else, innovation crawls, stumbles, or backfires.

par Vaclav Smil 2023 225 pages

3.84

1 000+ évaluations

🛠️ History Of Technology 🔍 Innovation Myths ⚠️ Unintended Consequences 📊 Data-Driven History 🧭 Contrarian Analysis

Growth

par Vaclav Smil • 2019

The math of growth is the same everywhere: a curve that bends toward limits, not infinity.

3.87

1 000+

🌍 Limits To Growth 📈 Scaling Laws ⚡ Energy History 👥 Demographic Transition 🔧 Techno-Skepticism

Growth

The math of growth is the same everywhere: a curve that bends toward limits, not infinity.

par Vaclav Smil 2019 664 pages

3.87

1 000+ évaluations

🌍 Limits To Growth 📈 Scaling Laws ⚡ Energy History 👥 Demographic Transition 🔧 Techno-Skepticism

How to Feed the World

par Vaclav Smil • 2024

Why twenty crops feed humanity, photosynthesis wastes most energy, and incremental fixes beat hype.

3.57

500+

🥘 Food Systems 🌱 Sustainable Agriculture 🔬 Nutrition Science 🗑️ Food Waste 🌍 Environmental Footprint

How to Feed the World

Why twenty crops feed humanity, photosynthesis wastes most energy, and incremental fixes beat hype.

par Vaclav Smil 2024 272 pages

3.57

500+ évaluations

🥘 Food Systems 🌱 Sustainable Agriculture 🔬 Nutrition Science 🗑️ Food Waste 🌍 Environmental Footprint

Should We Eat Meat?

par Vaclav Smil • 2013

Meat grew our brains. Its modern scale now threatens the planet. A quantified middle path.

3.52

500+

🏭 Industrial Agriculture 🌡️ Meat And Climate 🧬 Evolution Of Diet 🍽️ Food Systems 🥬 Meat Alternatives

Should We Eat Meat?

Meat grew our brains. Its modern scale now threatens the planet. A quantified middle path.

par Vaclav Smil 2013 282 pages

3.52

500+ évaluations

🏭 Industrial Agriculture 🌡️ Meat And Climate 🧬 Evolution Of Diet 🍽️ Food Systems 🥬 Meat Alternatives

Made in the USA

par Vaclav Smil • 2013

How the country that made a third of the planet's goods stopped making almost everything.

3.76

500+

🏛️ Economic History 🏭 American Industry ⚡ Energy Economics 📉 Deindustrialization 🔗 Supply Chains

Made in the USA

How the country that made a third of the planet's goods stopped making almost everything.

par Vaclav Smil 2013 263 pages

3.76

500+ évaluations

🏛️ Economic History 🏭 American Industry ⚡ Energy Economics 📉 Deindustrialization 🔗 Supply Chains

Speed

par Vaclav Smil • 2025

From geological drift to digital overdrive: how speed explains everything, and why it's breaking us.

3.31

🚀 Tech Acceleration 🧩 Systems Thinking ⚡ Energy History 🧬 Human Evolution 📉 Limits To Growth

Speed

From geological drift to digital overdrive: how speed explains everything, and why it's breaking us.

par Vaclav Smil 2025 352 pages

3.31

29 évaluations

🚀 Tech Acceleration 🧩 Systems Thinking ⚡ Energy History 🧬 Human Evolution 📉 Limits To Growth

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