How the World Really Works
by Vaclav Smil · first published 2022
62% recommend38% neutral
Why HN recommends it
A fact-based account of the energy and material systems (fossil fuels, fertilizer, food, nuclear) that underpin modern life. Suits readers who want numbers to counter energy-transition optimism.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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Mentions per year
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…working for him or 200m² of PV, the average US citizen of 120 people or 480m² (5000 sq feet), and the goal here is to push it down to 20 people or 80m² PV. Great reference: the books by Vaclav Smil, eg. How the World Really Works.
on “2000-Watt Society” ↗How the World Really Works by Vaclac Smil is one of the best book I've read this year. It gives such a great perspective on how much energy and material we use. It's one of the most readable books by Smil and has gems like this…
on “Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?” ↗…promise at using air or water "batteries" as well via compressed air or Pumped Storage Hydropower (PSH). I would highly recommend reading both Bill Gates's How to Avoid a Climate Disaster and Vaclav Smil's How the World Really Works, both of which have really shown what needs to happen to solve both our climate and energy problems going forward.
on “Maps from The End of the World Is Just the Beginning” ↗How the World Really Works by Vaclav Smil - It is an interesting book because the author does not paint a rosy picture of what needs to get done to solve our energy and food problems in the coming decades. I really enjoyed it.…
on “Ask HN: Which are the most interesting books you have read in 2022?” ↗…something I feel a lot of political books don't, a hope for a better America. Both books offer perspectives on this history of the political parties and how we have gotten to this point. World ------ How the World Really Works: A Scientist’s Guide to Our Past, Present and Future Vaclav Smil is an amazing author, his latest book really covers a range of topics from energy to food and how solving these problems are not as simple…
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite books/courses of 2022? Why?” ↗…that was the case, it would be awesome but that is just not going to happen. This fantasy land stuff is so counterproductive because when it doesn't happen it causes people to question the entire idea. How the World Really Works is Smil's book to counter fantasy land stuff like this article but the problem is there is a true believer contingent that that is just not interested in the real world. Anyone who thinks otherwise is…
on “Solar will soon eclipse other forms of energy generation” ↗- Ballou, Brendan. Plunder: Private Equity's Plan to Pillage America. - Smil, Vaclav. How the World Really Works: The Science Behind How We Got Here and Where We're Going. - Doucleff, Michaeleen. Hunt, Gather, Parent: What Ancient Cultures Can Teach Us About the Lost Art of Raising Happy, Helpful Little Humans.
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024” ↗…Energy – Without the Hot Air" by Sir David John Cameron MacKay https://withouthotair.com/ Books by Vaclav Smil: Energy and Civilization: A History Energy Transitions: Global and National Perspectives How the World Really Works "Why Nuclear Power Has Been A Flop" - The Gordian Knot of the 21st Century https://gordianknotbook.com/ There are still big hydrocarbon reserves, gas/oil for atleast 100 years, coal 200 years, at current…
on “Solar panels at Lidl? Plug-in versions set to appear in shops” ↗Vaclav Smil has written extensively and extremely well about this subject. His latest "How the World Really Works" goes into great detail regarding the importance of energy (and especially fossil fuel) in everything that keeps things going.
on “All poverty is energy poverty” ↗Vaclav Smil - How the world really works Excellent read, I wonder what other readers think about it
on “Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?” ↗How the World Really Works by Vaclac Smil is one of the best book I've read this year. It gives such a great perspective on how much energy and material we use. It's one of the most readable books by Smil and has gems like this…
on “Ask HN: Best books read in 2022” ↗…from the comments in that thread. Here are a few I'm excited about; - Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey - How Asia Works: Success and Failure In the World's Most Dynamic Region by Joe Studwell - How the World Really Works: A Scientist's Guide to Our Past, Present and Future by Vaclav Smil - How to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question by Michael Schur - How to Stop Worrying and Start Living by Dale Carnegie…
on “Ask HN: What books are you reading in 2023?” ↗Read Smil's book "How the World Really Works" The commitment to fossil fuels is a) far greater than you can imagine and b) will not change anywhere in the near future. Bottom line: 'fossil' fuels are second only to nuclear energy in the amount…
on “BP criticised over plan to spend billions more on fossil fuels than green energy” ↗…https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Diary_of_a_Young_Girl) - Greenlights by [Matthew McConaughey](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_McConaughey) - How Asia Works: Success and Failure In the World's Most Dynamic Region - How the World Really Works: A Scientist’s Guide to Our Past, Present and Future by Vaclav Smil - How To Talk: Siblings Without Rivalry by [Adele Faber](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adele_Faber) - Impact Mapping: Making a big…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023” ↗…death. Oil is not only an input in creating fertilizer, but just about everything else that goes into getting calories on to your plate. For a great summary of all of this I'd highly recommend reading "how the world really works" https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-World-Really-Works-Scientists/d...
on “OPEC+ announces surprise oil output cuts” ↗