BehaviorSeptember 24, 2019
The Paradox of Growth
Average global per capita GDP has skyrocketed since 1950, but damage to the biosphere has increased dramatically as well—and decoupling the two remains an enormous challenge
Stories by Vaclav Smil
Vaclav Smil is a Czech-Canadian scientist and policy analyst. He is distinguished professor emeritus in the Faculty of Environment at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
EnvironmentJanuary 1, 2014
A Global Transition to Renewable Energy Will Take Many Decades
The great hope for a quick and sweeping transition to renewable energy is wishful thinking
FitnessJuly 19, 2013
Should Humans Eat Meat? [Excerpt]
What can and should be done about human carnivory? Vaclav Smil answers in this excerpt from his new book
The SciencesJuly 1, 1997
Global Population and the Nitrogen Cycle
Feeding humankind now demands so much nitrogen-based fertilizer that the distribution of nitrogen on the earth has been changed in dramatic, and sometimes dangerous, ways
The SciencesDecember 1, 1985
China's Food
After the many disruptions of recent decades the output of China's farms about equals the need for food. Whether the balance can be maintained depends on how the nation copes with some problems