Vaclav Smil’s Followers (4,326)

Vaclav Smil

Born

in Plzeň, Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia

December 09, 1943

Website

https://vaclavsmil.com/

Twitter

VaclavSmil

Genre

Science

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Vaclav Smil is a Czech-Canadian scientist and policy analyst whose work spans energy, environment, food, population, economics, history, and public policy. Educated at Charles University in Prague and later at Pennsylvania State University, where he earned his Ph.D. in geography, Smil emigrated from Czechoslovakia to the United States in 1969 following the Soviet invasion, before beginning his long academic career at the University of Manitoba in 1972. Over the decades he established himself as a leading voice on global energy systems, environmental change, and economic development, with particular attention to China. Smil has consistently argued that transitions to renewable energy will be gradual rather than rapid, emphasizing the persist ...more

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Vaclav Smil’s books

Average rating: 3.9 · 38,318 ratings · 3,941 reviews · 78 distinct works • Similar authors

	How the World Really Works: A Scientist's Guide to Our Past, Present and Future 3.95 avg rating — 13,535 ratings — published 2022 — 34 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Numbers Don't Lie: 71 Things You Need to Know About the World 3.83 avg rating — 10,193 ratings — published 2020 — 45 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Energy and Civilization: A History 4.09 avg rating — 4,007 ratings — published 2017 — 30 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Energy: A Beginner's Guide 3.98 avg rating — 1,443 ratings — published 2006 — 16 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Growth: From Microorganisms to Megacities 3.86 avg rating — 1,140 ratings — published 2019 — 16 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Invention and Innovation: A Brief History of Hype and Failure 3.85 avg rating — 1,082 ratings — published 2023 — 11 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Oil: A Beginner's Guide 3.88 avg rating — 819 ratings — published 2008 — 16 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Grand Transitions: How the Modern World Was Made 4.04 avg rating — 597 ratings — 9 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Energy Myths and Realities: Bringing Science to the Energy Policy Debate 3.87 avg rating — 623 ratings — published 2010 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	How to Feed the World: A Factful Guide 3.58 avg rating — 644 ratings — published 2025 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Quotes by Vaclav Smil (?)

“Life’s great dichotomy is between autotrophs, organisms that can nourish themselves, and heterotrophs, or life forms that must feed on other organisms.”
― Vaclav Smil, Harvesting the Biosphere: What We Have Taken from Nature

15 likes

“the world now consumes in one year nearly as much steel as it did during the first post-World War II decade, and (even more incredibly) more cement than it consumed during the first half of the twentieth century.”
― Vaclav Smil, Making the Modern World: Materials and Dematerialization

14 likes

“The last time such a loss occurred was during the 1930s, and what makes it such a concern this time is that the dismal job creation statistic has been accompanied by huge and rising budget deficits, large and persistent trade deficits, enormous indebtedness, a low saving rate, a worsening state of indispensable modern infrastructure, poor achievements in education for the masses, worrisome public health (marked by a historically unprecedented incidence of obesity)—and a grossly dysfunctional government to run it all. When seen from this perspective, the state of US manufacturing is a clear cause for concern.”
― Vaclav Smil, Made in the USA: The Rise and Retreat of American Manufacturing

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