Energy and Civilization: A History Audiobook (Free)

Energy may be the only universal currency; it is necessary so you can get anything carried out. The conversion of energy on Earth runs from terra-forming pushes of plate tectonics to cumulative erosive ramifications of raindrops. Existence on Earth depends on the photosynthetic transformation of solar technology into flower biomass. Humans attended to depend on many more energy flows-ranging from fossil fuels to photovoltaic era of electricity-for their civilized lifestyle. Within this monumental background, Vaclav Smil provides a comprehensive accounts of how energy provides shaped culture, from pre-agricultural foraging societies through today’s fossil fuel-driven civilization.

Humans will be the only types that may systematically harness energies outside their systems, using the energy of their intellect and an enormous variety of artifacts-from the simplest tools to internal combustion engines and nuclear reactors. The epochal transition to fossil fuels affected everything: agriculture, market, transportation, weapons, conversation, economics, urbanization, quality of life, politics, and the environment. Smil explains humanity’s energy eras in panoramic and interdisciplinary style, offering readers a magisterial overview.