growth from microorganisms to megacities summary

Growth: From Microorganisms to Megacities Curated on Posted on September 25, 2019 September 25, 2019 by Stefaan Verhulst Book by Vaclav Smil: “Growth has been both an unspoken and an explicit aim of our individual and collective striving. This is easily the most technical chapter of the book, rich in engineering details on the growth in both capacities and efficiencies of the machines we use to generate energy. Data is patchy and proxies imperfect. Smil takes readers from bacterial invasions through animal metabolisms to megacities and the global economy. ( Log Out /  In particular, civilizations have come to rely on ever power-denser fuels, from wood to coal to oil to nuclear. He begins with organisms whose mature sizes range from microscopic to enormous, looking at disease-causing microbes, the cultivation of staple crops, and human growth from infancy to … Finally, he looks at growth in complex systems, beginning with the growth of human populations and proceeding to the growth of cities. Growth has been both an unspoken and an explicit aim of our individual and collective striving. It is the narrative lens through which we examine societies and civilizations past and present. Before discussing artefacts and complex systems, Smil first gives an in-depth treatment of energy converters as “the history of civilization can be seen as a quest for ever higher reliance on extrasomatic energies“. A systematic investigation of growth in nature and society, from tiny organisms to the trajectories of empires and civilizations. power generators and secondary devices that use electricity), man-made artefacts (e.g. He begins with organisms whose mature sizes range from microscopic to enormous, looking at disease-causing microbes, the cultivation of staple … It motivates much of what we as humans do, as often unspoken as it is outspoken. To arrive at this conclusion “there is no need to be a catastrophist”. It governs the lives of microorganisms and galaxies; it shapes the capabilities […] Growth: From Microorganisms to Megacities - Kindle edition by Smil, Vaclav. The first edition of the novel was published in September 24th 2019, and was written by Vaclav Smil. He begins with organisms whose mature sizes range from microscopic to enormous, looking at disease-causing microbes, the cultivation of staple crops, and human growth from infancy to … Smil highlights the problems with the commonly used measure of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and alternatives, and provides an eye-opening quantification of the energy and material flows underpinning our economies. Leave it to a deep thinker such as Vaclav Smil to prove to you otherwise. Published by EH.Net (May 2020) Vaclav Smil, Growth: From Microorganisms to Megacities.Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2019. xxv + 634 pp. You would think that nobody in their right mind would write a book that tries to encompass all of the above. Wentworth Thompson’s classic On Growth and Form, Animal Body Size, and The Design of Mammals. Smil takes readers from bacterial invasions through animal metabolisms to megacities and the global economy. A systematic investigation of growth in nature and society, from tiny organisms to the trajectories of empires and civilizations. Change ). Learn how your comment data is processed. He begins with organisms whose mature sizes range from microscopic to enormous, looking at disease-causing microbes, the cultivation of staple crops, and human growth from infancy to adulthood. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Smil takes readers from bacterial invasions through animal metabolisms to megacities and the global economy. Because, as he points out, growth requires the conversion of energy. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading Growth: From Microorganisms to Megacities. What really characterises Smil’s attitude is caution, nuance, and scepticism. The opinion expressed here is my own, however. The widespread techno-optimism that has come with Moore’s law and the astounding advances in computing power is misplaced and he is critical of dematerialization advocates, pointing out that, in absolute terms, we are only using more of everything. The trajectory of modern civilization, driven by competing imperatives of material growth and biospheric limits, Smil tells us, remains uncertain. The way Smil sees it “Good life within planetary boundaries is possible […] but not without fundamentally restructured provisioning systems” (more on that in my review of Planetary Accounting). Vaclav Smil is Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Manitoba. He explicitly bases his cautious conclusions in this book on a meticulous quantification of past observations, rather than making bold predictions. He begins with organisms whose mature sizes range from microscopic to enormous, looking at disease-causing microbes, the cultivation of staple crops, and human growth from infancy to … But logistic growth is not universal and Smil warns of indiscriminate use of such curves to forecast growth. Quoting from Emmott’s book 10 Billion that “we urgently need to consume less. Free delivery on qualified orders. I found the section on economic growth particularly revealing. And Smil knows it: twice he refers to the “persevering reader”. These similarities are not mere curiosities and many systems show logistic growth patterns that result in a characteristic S-shaped curve when plotted. $39.95. The nature of the subject demands the analytical rigour Smil provides—accompanied well by his lucid, matter-of-fact tone that minimizes the technical to highlight key patterns. He begins with organisms whose mature sizes range from microscopic to enormous, looking at disease-causing microbes, the cultivation of staple crops, and human growth from infancy to adulthood. The book was published in multiple languages including English, consists of 664 pages and is available in Hardcover format. And, as he points out in his conclusion to the book, we have to accept the “impossibility of infinite growth on a finite planet“. Though Smil covers growth in micro-organisms, trees, animals, and humans, much of what he discusses comes from intensely studied applied fields such as forestry, agriculture, and animal farming. Growth has been both an unspoken and an explicit aim of our individual and collective striving. Growth as a process is ubiquitous. He begins with organisms whose mature sizes range from microscopic to enormous, looking at disease-causing microbes, the cultivation of staple … This site uses cookies. In 2013 Bill Gates wrote on his website that “there is no author whose books I look forward to more than Vaclav Smil.". Smil takes readers from bacterial invasions through animal metabolisms to megacities and the global economy. Short-changed or not, this chapter serves two important ends. Growth has been both an unspoken and an explicit aim of our individual and collective striving. Growth has been both an unspoken and an explicit aim of our individual and collective striving. Smil takes readers from bacterial invasions through animal metabolisms to megacities and the global economy. The first chapter introduces the reader to patterns and outcomes of growth without going into the mathematical nitty-gritty. • Growth: From Microorganisms to Megacities by Vaclav Smil is published by MIT Press (£30). Read Growth – From Microorganisms to Megacities (The MIT Press) book reviews & author details and more at Amazon.in. The main characters of this non fiction, science story are , . Growth has been both an unspoken and an explicit aim of our individual and collective striving. Or growth can be limited by other factors such as cost (the height of skyscrapers). Smil, a Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Manitoba, has a bit of a reputation.

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