Energies

An Illustrated Guide to the Biosphere and Civilization
Erscheinungsjahr 2000
ISBN: 978-0-262-69235-9
Verlag: MIT Press Ltd

Buch, Englisch, 228 Seiten, Trade Paperback, Format (B × H): 201 mm x 227 mm, Gewicht: 445 g

Reihe: The MIT Press

Energy is the only universal currency. One of its many forms must be transformed into another in order for stars to shine, planets to rotate, living things to grow, and civilizations to evolve. Recognition of this universality was one of the great achievements of nineteenth-century science, yet even today there is little literature that tries to view the world broadly through the prism of energy.In this highly original book, ecologist Vaclav Smil takes the principle of universality seriously, presenting a comprehensive and integrated survey of all the forms of energy that shape our world, from the sun to the human body, from bread to microchips. Written in a scientifically sophisticated yet accessible style, Energies consists of eighty-two short essays organized under six headings: Sun and Earth, Plants and Animals, People and Food, Preindustrial Societies, Fossil-Fueled Civilization, and Motion and Information. Each essay explains the science of the energy form as well as its implications for the functioning of the universe, life, or human society. Cross-links and summary diagrams allow easy comparisons among the various levels and flows of energy.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Smil, Vaclav

Fachgebiete

• Naturwissenschaften Biowissenschaften Biowissenschaften Naturschutzbiologie, Biodiversität
• Technische Wissenschaften Energietechnik | Elektrotechnik Solarenergie, Photovoltaik
• Technische Wissenschaften Energietechnik | Elektrotechnik Windkraftanlagen, Wasserkraftanlagen
• Technische Wissenschaften Energietechnik | Elektrotechnik Geothermale Energie
• Technische Wissenschaften Maschinenbau | Werkstoffkunde Technische Mechanik | Werkstoffkunde Technische Thermodynamik
• Naturwissenschaften Physik Thermodynamik
• Technische Wissenschaften Energietechnik | Elektrotechnik Alternative und erneuerbare Energien
• Naturwissenschaften Biowissenschaften Biowissenschaften Terrestrische Ökologie
• Geowissenschaften Geographie | Raumplanung Biogeographie
• Naturwissenschaften Biowissenschaften Biowissenschaften Meeres- und Süßwasserökologie
• Technische Wissenschaften Energietechnik | Elektrotechnik Biogasanlagen, Energie aus Biomasse
• Naturwissenschaften Biowissenschaften Biowissenschaften Ökologie

Über Autor(innen)

Smil, Vaclav
Vaclav Smil is Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Manitoba. He is the author of forty books, including Energy and Civilization, published by the MIT Press. In 2010 he was named by Foreign Policy as one of the Top 100 Global Thinkers. In 2013 Bill Gates wrote on his website that “there is no author whose books I look forward to more than Vaclav Smil."

Eduardo Kac is an internationally renowned artist who has received critical acclaim for net and bio works including Genesis, GFP Bunny, and Move 36. His work has been widely exhibited and is in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro, among others.