Energy and Civilization: A History

Abstract

Energy and Civilization:A History Brian Black (bio) Vaclav Smil. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2017. Pp. 568. Hardcover $39.95. As a sub-discipline of the History of Technology, the study of energy has expanded significantly in the last few decades. Some of this new scholarship has looked at microscopic case studies, such as pipeline development, tar sand mining, and fracking for natural gas. Since 2010 other writing has tied energy studies to meta-historical ideas, such as the "Anthropocene," including the work of John R. McNeill and Andreas Malm. It is not hyperbole, though, to say that in each of these courses of inquiry, scholars of energy begin with the writing of Vaclav Smil, distinguished professor emeritus at the University of Manitoba. For this reason, his new book Energy and Civilization is a welcome addition to the literature. Author of more than forty books and named by Foreign Policy as one of the Top 100 Global Thinkers in 2010, Smil has produced work that strikes some scholars as overly sweeping or idiosyncratic. Whether this is the case or not, Smil has served as a starting point for anyone considering the larger implications of the human need for energy. More than any of his previous works, Energy and Civilization serves this role as the single best source book on the relationship between humans and energy. Energy and Civilization is a significantly revised, updated, and more detailed version of Energy in World History (Westview, 1994). In its sweep, Smil uses the concept of energy to quantify the energy expended by foragers, hunters, and agrarian societies, the implications of burning fossil fuels, and promising new technologies in renewable sources. Itemizing the essential relationship between our species and energy is the goal that spans chronology and geography to provide a common frame of reference for all humans. Life on Earth depends on the photosynthetic conversion of solar energy into plant biomass, which is the foundational energy relationship in nature. Over our history, humans have come to rely on a variety of variant energy flows—ranging from fossil fuels to photovoltaic generation of electricity—for [End Page 787] their civilized existence. We are the only species that can systematically harness energies outside our bodies, using the power of intellect and a great array of artifacts—from simple tools to nuclear reactors—to make energy serve our needs. Smil nicely organizes humanity's energy eras to form an effective overview; however, he is not a historian. Energy and Civilization lacks a strong narrative or an edgy central hypothesis. But Smil does provide economic and geopolitical context, supported by his trademark diagrams and graphs of remarkable data. These alone will make Energy and Civilization a must-have sourcebook for scholars from many disciplines. Typically, his data sets can be rather selective or inconclusive (one of my favorites in the appendix is a table delineating the power created by prime movers through history—the wax candle through the nuclear power plant; it is truly fascinating, though we know little of his sources or the details of measurement. But the numbers are truly evocative!) Such enticing data sets have offered many scholars fascinating lines of inquiry of their own, and Energy and Civilization will likely do so for a new generation. Smil concludes with some broader points on patterns of energy use in human society. He notes that advances in the capacity to harness energy have led to huge improvements in human well-being, including greater mobility and illumination; however, many politicians, Smil observes, have fallen prey to over-committing to specific energy innovations as a panacea. He also argues that artificial regulation to guide energy markets—such as subsidies for specific fuels—may do more harm than good. In the case of fossil fuels, he argues that regulations have locked economies into energy-intensive and polluting consumption patterns, which makes them and us more vulnerable to price shocks, trade-balance deficits, political pressures from energy companies, and pollution. Ultimately, he warns that the long-term survival of our high-energy civilization remains uncertain, though he offers no specific solution. While readers looking for insightful analysis and new theories about energy might be disappointed by Energy and Civilization...