Vaclav Smil - Energia e Civilização

A fundamental work for understanding the evolution of human societies.

Vaclav Smil is the leading contemporary expert on energy issues. Over the years, his many books have addressed how scientists, economic strategists, and governments view environmental issues.

Energy and Civilization – A History is, as the name suggests, a comprehensive work that demonstrates how energy sources have determined the evolution of human societies – from antiquity to the present day – and, in this way, allows us to extrapolate our future evolution.

From pre-agricultural civilizations to the present day dependent on fossil fuels, Smil traces the explanation of evolutionary cycles and their rhythms, demonstrating precisely that these are inherently interconnected with the evolution and access to new technologies that allow the exploitation of the most diverse energy sources.