How the World Really Works

BOOK SUMMARY

An essential analysis of the modern science and technology that makes our twenty-first century lives possible—a scientist’s investigation into what science really does, and does not, accomplish.

We have never had so much information at our fingertips and yet most of us don’t know how the world really works. This book explains seven of the most fundamental realities governing our survival and prosperity. From energy and food production through our material world and its globalization, to risks, our environment, and its future, How the World Really Works offers a much-needed reality check—because before we can tackle problems effectively, we must understand the facts.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Vaclav Smil is distinguished professor emeritus at the University of Manitoba. He is the author of more than forty books on energy, environmental and population change, food production and nutrition, technical innovation, risk assessment, and public policy. A fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, he was named one of Foreign Policy’s Top 100 Global Thinkers and is the author of the New York Times bestselling How the World Really Works.

PRAISE

“A new masterpiece from one of my favorite authors.”
—Bill Gates

“You can agree or disagree with Smil—but you probably shouldn’t ignore him.”
—The Washington Post

“An exceptionally lucid, evenhanded study of the scientific basis of our current and future lives.”
—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

PRODUCT INFORMATION

Trade paperback
336 pages
Non-fiction
8.3 in H | 5.5 in W | 0.7 in T | 0.6 lb