Making the Modern World
Making the Modern World

Author: Vaclav Smil

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2013-12-16

Total Pages: 263

ISBN-13: 1119942535

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How much further should the affluent world push its material consumption? Does relative dematerialization lead to absolute decline in demand for materials? These and many other questions are discussed and answered in Making the Modern World: Materials and Dematerialization. Over the course of time, the modern world has become dependent on unprecedented flows of materials. Now even the most efficient production processes and the highest practical rates of recycling may not be enough to result in dematerialization rates that would be high enough to negate the rising demand for materials generated by continuing population growth and rising standards of living. This book explores the costs of this dependence and the potential for substantial dematerialization of modern economies. Making the Modern World: Materials and Dematerialization considers the principal materials used throughout history, from wood and stone, through to metals, alloys, plastics and silicon, describing their extraction and production as well as their dominant applications. The evolving productivities of material extraction, processing, synthesis, finishing and distribution, and the energy costs and environmental impact of rising material consumption are examined in detail. The book concludes with an outlook for the future, discussing the prospects for dematerialization and potential constrains on materials. This interdisciplinary text provides useful perspectives for readers with backgrounds including resource economics, environmental studies, energy analysis, mineral geology, industrial organization, manufacturing and material science.

Making the Modern World
Making the Modern World

Author: Vaclav Smil

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2013-10-02

Total Pages: 263

ISBN-13: 1118697960

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How much further should the affluent world push its material consumption? Does relative dematerialization lead to absolute decline in demand for materials? These and many other questions are discussed and answered in Making the Modern World: Materials and Dematerialization. Over the course of time, the modern world has become dependent on unprecedented flows of materials. Now even the most efficient production processes and the highest practical rates of recycling may not be enough to result in dematerialization rates that would be high enough to negate the rising demand for materials generated by continuing population growth and rising standards of living. This book explores the costs of this dependence and the potential for substantial dematerialization of modern economies. Making the Modern World: Materials and Dematerialization considers the principal materials used throughout history, from wood and stone, through to metals, alloys, plastics and silicon, describing their extraction and production as well as their dominant applications. The evolving productivities of material extraction, processing, synthesis, finishing and distribution, and the energy costs and environmental impact of rising material consumption are examined in detail. The book concludes with an outlook for the future, discussing the prospects for dematerialization and potential constrains on materials. This interdisciplinary text provides useful perspectives for readers with backgrounds including resource economics, environmental studies, energy analysis, mineral geology, industrial organization, manufacturing and material science.

Decomposed
Decomposed

Author: Kyle Devine

Publisher: MIT Press

Published: 2019-10-15

Total Pages: 329

ISBN-13: 0262537788

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The hidden material histories of music. Music is seen as the most immaterial of the arts, and recorded music as a progress of dematerialization—an evolution from physical discs to invisible digits. In Decomposed, Kyle Devine offers another perspective. He shows that recorded music has always been a significant exploiter of both natural and human resources, and that its reliance on these resources is more problematic today than ever before. Devine uncovers the hidden history of recorded music—what recordings are made of and what happens to them when they are disposed of. Devine's story focuses on three forms of materiality. Before 1950, 78 rpm records were made of shellac, a bug-based resin. Between 1950 and 2000, formats such as LPs, cassettes, and CDs were all made of petroleum-based plastic. Today, recordings exist as data-based audio files. Devine describes the people who harvest and process these materials, from women and children in the Global South to scientists and industrialists in the Global North. He reminds us that vinyl records are oil products, and that the so-called vinyl revival is part of petrocapitalism. The supposed immateriality of music as data is belied by the energy required to power the internet and the devices required to access music online. We tend to think of the recordings we buy as finished products. Devine offers an essential backstory. He reveals how a range of apparently peripheral people and processes are actually central to what music is, how it works, and why it matters.

Materials Matter
Materials Matter

Author: Ken Geiser

Publisher: MIT Press

Published: 2001-05-25

Total Pages: 502

ISBN-13: 9780262262811

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The products we purchase and use are assembled from a wide range of naturally occurring and manufactured materials. But too often we create hazards for the ecosystem and human health as we mine, process, distribute, use, and dispose of these materials. Until recently, most research has focused on the waste end of material cycles. This book argues that the safest and least costly point at which to avoid environmental damage is when materials are first designed and selected for use in industrial production. Materials Matter presents convincing evidence that we can use fewer materials and eliminate the use of many toxic chemicals by focusing directly on material (chemical) use when products are designed. It also shows how manufacturers can save money by increasing the effectiveness of material use and reducing the use of toxic chemicals. It advocates new directions for the material sciences and government policies on materials. And it argues that manufacturers, suppliers, and customers need to set more socially responsible policies for products and services to achieve higher environmental and health goals.

Materials and Dematerialization
Materials and Dematerialization

Author: Vaclav Smil

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2023-06-26

Total Pages: 326

ISBN-13: 1394181205

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MATERIALS AND DEMATERIALIZATION World-renowned scientist Vaclav Smil examines a critical topic in the research and policy domain of sustainable resource use Over the course of time, the modern world has become dependent on unprecedented flows of materials. Now even the most efficient production processes and the highest practical rates of recycling may not be enough to result in dematerialization rates that would be high enough to negate the rising demand for materials generated by continuing population growth and rising standards of living. Materials and Dematerialization considers the principal materials used throughout history, from wood and stone, through to metals, alloys, plastics and silicon, describing their extraction and production as well as their dominant applications. The evolving productivities of material extraction, processing, synthesis, finishing and distribution, and the energy costs and environmental impact of rising material consumption are examined in detail, along with the relationship between socio-economic development and resource use, including major technological and innovation aspects. The book concludes with an outlook for the future, discussing the prospects for dematerialization, potential constraints on materials, and an updated appraisal of material requirements and prospects during the coming decades. Building on the success of his 2013 book, Vaclav Smil has thoroughly revised this landmark text to highlight advances that have taken place over the last decade, including a thorough review of statistics and references to 2022. This updated edition also includes new content to explicitly address material for global energy transition and for securing food for a still growing global population. Praise for the 1st edition “Vaclav Smil keeps turning out amazing books. Making the Modern World, I just finished, and it’s pretty fantastic.” (Interview with Bill Gates, January 2014)

Materials and Dematerialization
Materials and Dematerialization

Author: Vaclav Smil

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2023-05-18

Total Pages: 326

ISBN-13: 1394181221

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Der weltbekannte Wissenschaftler Vaclav Smil analysiert das kritische Thema der nachhaltigen Ressourcennutzung, das für Forschung und Politik von großem Interesse ist Im Laufe der Zeit ist die moderne Welt von Materialströmen in ungeahntem Ausmaß abhängig geworden. Selbst die effizientesten Produktionsverfahren und ein größtmöglicher Recyclinganteil reichen möglicherweise nicht aus, um die Dematerialisierung so weit voranzutreiben, dass sie die zunehmende Nachfrage nach Materialien ausgleichen könnte, die aus dem anhaltenden Bevölkerungswachstum und steigenden Lebensstandards entsteht. In Materials and Dematerialization werden die wichtigsten Materialien der Geschichte betrachtet, von Holz und Stein über Metalle und Legierungen bis zu Kunststoffen und Silizium, mit einer Beschreibung ihrer Gewinnung bzw. Herstellung und der wichtigsten Anwendungen. In einer detaillierten Analyse werden die steigende Produktivität bei der Gewinnung und Verarbeitung, Synthese, Veredelung und Verteilung von Materialien sowie die Energiekosten und die Umweltauswirkungen des zunehmenden Materialverbrauchs untersucht. Gleichzeitig wird die Beziehung zwischen sozioökonomischer Entwicklung und Ressourcennutzung insbesondere in Bezug auf die wichtigsten Technologien und Innovationen betrachtet. Das Buch endet mit einem Ausblick auf die Zukunft. Erörtert werden dabei die Möglichkeiten der Dematerialisierung, eine mögliche Beschränkung von Materialien und eine aktualisierte Einschätzung des Materialbedarfs sowie die Prognosen für die nächsten Jahrzehnte. Nach dem großen Erfolg seiner Veröffentlichung von 2013 hat Vaclav Smil sein wegweisendes Werk nun gründlich überarbeitet. In der neuen Ausgabe werden die Fortschritte der letzten zehn Jahren herausgestellt, und auch die Statistiken und Literaturhinweise wurden auf den Stand von 2022 gebracht. Zudem enthält die aktualisierte Ausgabe neue Inhalte, die sich ausdrücklich damit befassen, welche Materialien für die globale Energiewende und die Lebensmittelsicherheit einer weiterhin wachsenden Weltbevölkerung erforderlich sind.

Still the Iron Age
Still the Iron Age

Author: Vaclav Smil

Publisher: Butterworth-Heinemann

Published: 2016-01-22

Total Pages: 282

ISBN-13: 0128042354

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Although the last two generations have seen an enormous amount of attention paid to advances in electronics, the fact remains that high-income, high-energy societies could thrive without microchips, etc., but, by contrast, could not exist without steel. Because of the importance of this material to comtemporary civilization, a comprehensive resource is needed for metallurgists, non-metallurgists, and anyone with a background in environmental studies, industry, manufacturing, and history, seeking a broader understanding of the history of iron and steel and its current and future impact on society. Given its coverage of the history of iron and steel from its genesis to slow pre-industrial progress, revolutionary advances during the 19th century, magnification of 19th century advances during the past five generations, patterns of modern steel production, the ubiquitous uses of the material, potential substitutions, advances in relative dematerialization, and appraisal of steel’s possible futures, Still the Iron Age: Iron and Steel in the Modern World by world-renowned author Vaclav Smil meets that need. Incorporates an interdisciplinary discussion of the history and evolution of the iron- and steel-making industry and its impact on the development of the modern world Serves as a valuable contribution because of its unique perspective that compares steel to technological advances in other materials, perceived to be important Discusses how we can manufacture smarter rather than deny demand Explores future opportunities and new efforts for sustainable development in the industry

Grand Transitions
Grand Transitions

Author: Vaclav Smil

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2021-02-12

Total Pages: 385

ISBN-13: 0190060689

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From one of the world's leading experts on the history of energy, a rigorous examination of the transitions that structure our modern world--and the environmental reckoning that will mark its success or failure. What makes the modern world work? The answer to this deceptively simple question lies in four "grand transitions" of civilization--in populations, agriculture, energy, and economics--which have transformed the way we live. Societies that have undergone all four transitions emerge into an era of radically different population dynamics, food surpluses (and waste), abundant energy use, and expanding economic opportunities. Simultaneously, in other parts of the world, hundreds of millions remain largely untouched by these developments. Through erudite storytelling, Vaclav Smil investigates the fascinating and complex interactions of these transitions. He argues that the moral imperative to share modernity's benefits has become more acute with increasing economic inequality, but addressing this imbalance would make it exceedingly difficult to implement the changes necessary for the long-term preservation of the environment. Thus, managing the fifth transition--environmental changes from natural-resource depletion, biodiversity loss, and global warming--will determine the success or eventual failure of the grand transitions that have made the world we live in today.

Technological Trajectories and the Human Environment
Technological Trajectories and the Human Environment

Author: National Academy of Engineering

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 1997-03-03

Total Pages: 225

ISBN-13: 0309051339

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Technological Trajectories and the Human Environment provides a surprising projection of a much greener planet, based on long-range analysis of trends in the efficient use of energy, materials, and land. The authors argue that we will decarbonize the global energy system and drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We will dematerialize the economy by leaner manufacturing, better product design, and smart use of materials. We will significantly increase land areas reserved for nature by conducting highly productive and environmentally friendly agriculture on less land than is used today, even as global population doubles. The book concludes that the technological opportunities before us offer the possibility of a vastly superior industrial ecology. Rich in both data and theory, the book offers fresh analyses essential for everyone in the environmental arena concerned with global change, sustainable development, and profitable investments in technology.

The Man who Fed the World
The Man who Fed the World

Author: Leon F. Hesser

Publisher: Leon Hesser

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 296

ISBN-13: 9781930754904

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The Man Who Fed the World provides a loving and respectful portrait of one of America's greatest heroes. Nobel Peace Prize recipient for averting hunger and famine, Dr. Norman Borlang is credited with saving hundreds of millions of lives from starvation-more than any other person in history? Loved by millions around the world, Dr. Borlang is recognized as one of the most influential men of the twentieth century.