"The most sober, thorough, and thoughtful integrated text on energy available, and it embodies core facts
and some fundamental truths that any analyst of energy issues should ponder."
--Michael Grubb, Nature
"A thorough introduction to the subject and a thoughtful consideration of the conundrums it presents. Smil
skillfully guidees readers through the forests and the trees."
--Foreign Affairs
"Zeroes in on the issue of reconciling the world's accelerating demand for energy..."
--Peter D. Blair, American Scientist
Publisher Web Site, May 2005
Summary
In Energy at the Crossroads, Vaclav Smil considers the twenty-first century's crucial question: how to reconcile
the modern world's unceasing demand for energy with the absolute necessity to preserve the integrity of the biosphere.
With this book, he offers a comprehensive, accessible guide to today's complex energy issues -- how to think clearly
and logically about what is possible and what is desirable in our energy future.
After a century of unprecedented production growth, technical innovation, and expanded consumption, the world faces
a number of critical energy challenges arising from unequal resource distribution, changing demand patterns, and
environmental limitations. The fundamental message of Energy at the Crossroads is that our dependence on fossil
fuels must be reduced not because of any imminent resource shortages but because the widespread burning of oil,
coal, and natural gas damages the biosphere and presents increasing economic and security problems as the world
relies on more expensive supplies and Middle Eastern crude oil.
Smil begins with an overview of the twentieth century's long-term trends and achievements in energy production.
He then discusses energy prices, the real cost of energy, and "energy linkages" -- the effect energy
issues have on the economy, on quality of life, on the environment, and in wartime. He discusses the pitfalls of
forecasting, giving many examples of failed predictions and showing that unexpected events can disprove complex
models. And he examines the pros and cons not only of fossil fuels but also of alternative fuels such as hydroenergy,
biomass energy, wind power, and solar power. Finally, he considers the future, focusing on what really matters,
what works, what is realistic, and which outcomes are most desirable.
Vaclav Smil is Distinguished Professor of Geography at the University of Manitoba, Canada, and is the author of
many books on energy and the environment. In 2001 he received the Award for Public Understanding of Science and
Technology from the American Association for the Advancement of Science.