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The Latest Breaking News from Vaclav Smil

Letters to the Editor: May 2024

On birth control, train travel, and health care in Quebec

The Walrus

Letters to the Editor: March/April 2024

On Vaclav Smil, retirement, and Indigo

The Walrus

Changing the growth paradigm

Rather than trying to catch up with rich countries on their historical development paths, India should take advantage of its present realities.

The Hindu

From analysis to the latest developments in health,
read the most diverse news in one place.

Vaclav Smil Is Fed Up with Climate Activism

The acclaimed environmental scientist is annoyed with the eco movement and shunning media—just when we need him most

The Walrus

Muscle, wood, coal, oil: what earlier energy transitions tell us about renewables

In 2022, the burning of fossil fuels provided 82% of the world’s energy. In 2000, it was 87%. Even as renewables have undergone tremendous growth, they’ve been offset by increased demand for energy.

The Conversation

Without Nuclear Power, Germany's Energy Future Looks Short of Energy

Green dreams are no substitute for good planning and reliable electricity.

Reason

Energy transition confronts reality

The "energy transition" from hydrocarbons to renewables and electrification is at the forefront of policy debates nowadays. But the last 18 months have shown this undertaking to be more challenging and complex than one would think just from studying the graphs that appear in many scenarios. Even in the United…

Bangkok Post

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Alan Kohler: COP27 – we’ll do it this year, for sure, you just wait

Labor’s first term will be characterised by wrestling with business over wages and climate – a process that will be repeated around the world.

The New Daily

Why Is Canada Tearing Down Its Architectural History?

Buildings are made to last. Should they be built to fall?

The Walrus

The energy historian who says rapid decarbonization is a fantasy

Vaclav Smil rarely agrees to interviews. Too many in the media have portrayed him as a tool of Big Oil, he says — because he insists on pointing out how deeply dependent humanity is on fossil fuels and how difficult it will be to give them up.

Los Angeles Times

Europe's Energy Wounds Are Self-Inflicted

Unrealistic policy and dependency on fickle neighbors like Russia are no substitute for working power plants.

Reason

What Are Billionaires Reading? Musk, Bezos, Gates, Buffett & Others Recommend These Books

Berkshire Hathway’s (NYSE: BRK.B) Charlie Munger once said, “In my whole life, I have known no wise people who didn’t read all the time.”

Benzinga

These Environmentalists Want To Ban Single-Use Plastics Because Recycling Them 'Will Never Work'

And yet infinitely recyclable plastics are on the horizon.

Reason

Civilization Runs on Ammonia, Plastic, Steel, and Cement—for Now

Vaclav Smil’s How the World Really Works offers hope and despair for techno-optimists.

Reason

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