Book SummaryHow the World Really Works, by Vaclav Smil

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of How the World Really Works

In his New York Times best-selling book, How the World Really Works, scientist Vaclav Smil argues that every aspect of our way of life—from the food we eat to our energy production to manufacturing—relies heavily on fossil fuels. But burning fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses that cause climate change.

Smil contends that neither climate pessimists (who predict imminent environmental catastrophe) nor climate optimists (who forecast instant, technological solutions) have the right idea: Rather, the answer to the problem of climate change lies somewhere in the middle. But Smil’s objective isn’t to provide solutions or predictions—it’s to help people understand how we arrived at our current dependence on fossil fuels and what that dependence looks like. He posits that...

How the World Really Works Summary Why We Don’t Understand How the World Works

According to Smil, most people don’t understand how the world works. This isn’t because they’re ignorant or even because knowledge is so specialized, but for three main reasons:

1. Urbanization: The majority of humans live in cities and work mostly in the service industry, so processes like the production of food, energy, and materials are largely invisible to us.

2. Automation: In addition, due to mechanization, very few people are actually involved in the processes that make our world run—for example, only 1% of Americans are directly engaged in farming and harvesting our food.

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How the World Really Works Summary How Does Energy Work?

Smil says that understanding energy is essential to understanding modern societies and economic systems. This is because we rely on energy to power our world, yet it can’t be produced from scratch—it can only be harnessed or extracted. It thus has a value far beyond what’s reflected in measurements like the price of gas.

In this section, we’ll explore the history of energy use, the advantages and disadvantages of different forms of energy, the role of fossil fuels in climate change, and Smil’s proposals for how to cut down on carbon emissions in energy production.

The History of Energy Use

Smil explains that for centuries, the only energy sources humans relied on (besides their own labor) were fire and animals. It wasn’t until the 1900s that we began using large amounts of coal and the mid-20th century when we began relying heavily on other fossil fuels. The modern history of energy use is one of ever-increasing reliance on fossil fuels.

Fire and Muscle

Humans’ earliest source of energy was fire. Then, after the development of agriculture, domesticated animals were used for transportation, agricultural work, and lifting or carrying heavy loads. Much...

How the World Really Works Summary How Does Food Production Work?

Smil says that modern methods of food production have improved the quality of life for millions of people, but at the cost of burning huge quantities of fossil fuels. In this section, we’ll examine the history of food production, as well as the role fossil fuels play in fertilizers, fishing, and activities incidental to food production.

The History of Food Production

Smil explains that prior to the industrial age, food production was inefficient and unreliable, so everyone but the wealthiest elites had to worry about getting enough to eat. Since the 1800s, food production has been driven primarily by fossil fuels and electricity. Fossil fuels are used to power agricultural machinery, fertilize and irrigate crops, heat greenhouses, and transport harvests. As a result of these processes, crop yields have increased exponentially, and even though the world’s population has exploded in recent decades, the share of the population who is undernourished has decreased by 50%.

(Shortform note: The amount of fossil fuels required to produce food—and the amount of greenhouse gas emissions caused by food production—[varies depending on the type of...

How the World Really Works Summary How Does Our Material World Work?

Smil explains that four materials—concrete, steel, plastics, and ammonia—are used more than any others in modern society. Producing these on a mass scale requires huge amounts of fossil fuels to heat their raw materials at high temperatures. Smil claims that aside from experimental methods, there is currently no way to manufacture these materials without the use of fossil fuels.

Concrete and Steel

Concrete is made by heating limestone, clay, and shale in large kilns, then grinding the result into a cement powder. Concrete can withstand great pressure but not great tension. The discovery of how to reinforce concrete using steel bars solved that problem and led to reinforced concrete being used in every large building and transportation infrastructure worldwide. Reinforced concrete is used in skyscrapers, tunnels, sidewalks, runways, freeways, and dams, among other things.

Smil explains that one problem with concrete is that environmental factors such as moisture, freezing, and vibration can cause it to deteriorate. Its typical lifespan is between 20 and 100 years, depending on maintenance. Because much of the concrete in the world was installed in the second...

How the World Really Works Summary How Does the Environment Work?

Smil argues that for humans to survive, we need to make sure our actions don’t make Earth uninhabitable. In this section, we examine our effect on the environment by looking first at the history of climate change. Then, we look at how climate change affects our oxygen, water, and food supplies. Finally, we explore Smil’s contention that it’s difficult, if not impossible, to make climate predictions or meet current climate goals.

The History of Climate Change

Although the media and the world’s governments began to focus their attention on global warming in the late 1980s, Smil contends that we’ve known about the greenhouse effect and the dire consequences of increasing greenhouse gas emissions for at least 100 years. Around the turn of the 19th century, scientists calculated that a doubling of atmospheric carbon dioxide from preindustrial levels would result in significant warming—by one calculation, 4 degrees C, or 7.2 degrees F (which turned out to be fairly accurate). By 1958, scientists began measuring background concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and they showed constant and predictable increases over time.

Public Opinion on Climate Change

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Shortform Exercise: Consider Climate Change Solutions

While Smil focuses more on the challenges of ending our dependence on fossil fuels than on potential solutions to climate change, he also discusses a range of methods for cutting down on carbon emissions—from projects that must be undertaken at a corporate and governmental level, such as transitioning to renewable or nuclear energy, to actions that individuals can implement themselves, such as insulating their homes or eating less meat. Consider your use of fossil fuels and the potential solutions to climate change.

Which mass use of fossil fuels surprised you the most (energy use, food production, or materials)? Describe how that sector affects your life personally.