Wind energy: A gender perspective

Download Wind energy: A gender perspective PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)
ISBN 13 : 9292602136
Total Pages : 82 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (926 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Wind energy: A gender perspective by : International Renewable Energy Agency IRENA

Download or read book Wind energy: A gender perspective written by International Renewable Energy Agency IRENA and published by International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). This book was released on 2020-01-10 with total page 82 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This brief tracks the presence of women across the wind energy value chain. Based on a survey of over 1 000 individuals and organisations, it examines female representation, gender-inclusive policies, and perceptions of gender bias in the industry.

The Oxford Handbook of Energy Politics

Download The Oxford Handbook of Energy Politics PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN 13 : 0190861363
Total Pages : 833 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (98 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Oxford Handbook of Energy Politics by : Kathleen J. Hancock

Download or read book The Oxford Handbook of Energy Politics written by Kathleen J. Hancock and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2020-10-15 with total page 833 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "In many ways, everything we once knew about energy resources and technologies has been impacted by: the longstanding scientific consensus on climate change and related support for renewable energy; the affordability of extraction of unconventional fuels; increasing demand for energy resources by middle- and low-income nations; new regional and global stakeholders; fossil fuel discoveries and emerging renewable technologies; awareness of (trans)local politics; and rising interest in corporate social responsibility (CSR) and the need for energy justice. Research on these and related topics now appears frequently in social science academic journals-in broad-based journals, such as International Organization, International Studies Quarterly, and Review of International Political Economy, as well as those focused specifically on energy (e.g., Energy Research & Social Science and Energy Policy), the environment (Global Environmental Politics), natural resources (Resources Policy), and extractive industries (Extractive Industries and Society). The Oxford Handbook of Energy Politics synthesizes and aggregates this substantively diverse literature to provide insights into, and a foundation for teaching and research on, critical energy issues primarily in the areas of international relations and comparative politics. Its primary goals are to further develop the energy politics scholarship and community, and generate sophisticated new work that will benefit a variety of scholars working on energy issues"--

Renewable Energy and Jobs – Annual Review 2020

Download Renewable Energy and Jobs – Annual Review 2020 PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)
ISBN 13 : 9292602667
Total Pages : 96 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (926 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Renewable Energy and Jobs – Annual Review 2020 by : International Renewable Energy Agency IRENA

Download or read book Renewable Energy and Jobs – Annual Review 2020 written by International Renewable Energy Agency IRENA and published by International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). This book was released on 2019-06-01 with total page 96 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The sixth edition of the series highlights employment trends in renewables worldwide, noting increasing diversification of the supply chain.

Geography, Health and Sustainability

Download Geography, Health and Sustainability PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1000471659
Total Pages : 259 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (4 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Geography, Health and Sustainability by : Allison Williams

Download or read book Geography, Health and Sustainability written by Allison Williams and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2021-11-25 with total page 259 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With a global commitment to achieve gender equality by 2030, the SDGs present a historic opportunity to place gender as central to human progress across the globe. Gender equality, which requires the empowerment of all women and girls, is an explicit goal, in addition to being a fundamental prerequisite to and facilitator of most other SDGs. This edited collection provides a range of geographical and geospatial insights, from a variety of disciplinary and country-specific perspectives, to better understand gender and sustainable development. In addition to several African countries, Mexico, Japan, Canada, USA, and Cambodia are featured. A range of topical case studies examine women’s domestic and care work, including water collection, breastfeeding, food purchasing, and caring for elderly family members. Access to health care services is examined in the case of breast screening and antenatal care. Women’s engagement in the labour force is also addressed, with a specific look at the renewable energy sector; structural barriers to employment are discussed across a number of chapters, with clear strategies to break through these barriers. Finally, theoretical insights are proposed in better understanding and engaging in gendered inequalities in health.

Transitioning to Decent Work and Economic Growth

Download Transitioning to Decent Work and Economic Growth PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : MDPI
ISBN 13 : 3038977780
Total Pages : 252 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (389 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Transitioning to Decent Work and Economic Growth by : Philipp Aerni

Download or read book Transitioning to Decent Work and Economic Growth written by Philipp Aerni and published by MDPI. This book was released on 2021-06-25 with total page 252 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: According to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the private sector plays a key role in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). After all, sustainable and inclusive economic growth is essential to enable more people to participate in global prosperity. Encouraging entrepreneurship and job creation are key to SDG 8, as are effective measures to eradicate forced labor, slavery, and human trafficking. Since more than 90 percent of jobs are created by the private sector, more attention must be paid to entrepreneurs that help create dynamic and responsible enterprises that often generate positive externalities for society and the environment through investments in scalable innovations and a commitment to local embeddedness. As such, they help lift people out of poverty through new and relatively well-paid jobs and enable local economies to become more sustainable through global value chain integration. Transitioning to Decent Work and Economic Growth explores the prospects for SDG 8 in the Global South as well as the Global North. It especially considers the positive role the private sector may play as an enabler of human rights, creator of decent work and engine for inclusive development in different contexts. Further, it examines how the institutional environment can facilitate economic change, which may lead to social empowerment and enhanced economic opportunities. A key question the volume explores, is how—in an entrepreneurial context—innovation and scientific knowledge contribute to the creation of scalable innovation that help to de-couple economic growth from the use of natural resources. Transitioning to Decent Work and Economic Growth is part of MDPI's new Open Access book series Transitioning to Sustainability. With this series, MDPI pursues environmentally and socially relevant research which contributes to efforts toward a sustainable world. Transitioning to Sustainability aims to add to the conversation about regional and global sustainable development according to the 17 SDGs. The book series is intended to reach beyond disciplinary, even academic boundaries. For use of the SDG logos and design, please see the according Guidelines for the use of the SDG logo, color wheel, and 17 icons.

A Just Energy Transition

Download A Just Energy Transition PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Policy Press
ISBN 13 : 1529220963
Total Pages : 248 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (292 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis A Just Energy Transition by : Ed Atkins

Download or read book A Just Energy Transition written by Ed Atkins and published by Policy Press. This book was released on 2023-07 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: To reduce emissions and address climate change, we need to invest in renewables and rapidly decarbonise our energy networks. However, decarbonisation is often seen as a technical project, detached from questions of politics and social justice. What if this is leading to unfair transitions, in which some people bear the costs of change while others benefit? In this timely and expansive book, Ed Atkins asks: are we getting decarbonisation right? And how could it be made better for people and communities? In doing so, this book proposes a different type of energy transition. One that prioritises and takes opportunities to do better - to provide better jobs, community ownership and improve people's homes and lives.

Gender and the Environment Building Evidence and Policies to Achieve the SDGs

Download Gender and the Environment Building Evidence and Policies to Achieve the SDGs PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : OECD Publishing
ISBN 13 : 9264897631
Total Pages : 319 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (648 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Gender and the Environment Building Evidence and Policies to Achieve the SDGs by : OECD

Download or read book Gender and the Environment Building Evidence and Policies to Achieve the SDGs written by OECD and published by OECD Publishing. This book was released on 2021-05-21 with total page 319 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Gender equality and environmental goals are mutually reinforcing, with slow progress on environmental actions affecting the achievement of gender equality, and vice versa. Progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) requires targeted and coherent actions.

Future of wind

Download Future of wind PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)
ISBN 13 : 9292601970
Total Pages : 168 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (926 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Future of wind by : International Renewable Energy Agency IRENA

Download or read book Future of wind written by International Renewable Energy Agency IRENA and published by International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). This book was released on 2019-10-01 with total page 168 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study presents options to speed up the deployment of wind power, both onshore and offshore, until 2050. It builds on IRENA’s global roadmap to scale up renewables and meet climate goals.

Gender, Intersectionality and Climate Institutions in Industrialised States

Download Gender, Intersectionality and Climate Institutions in Industrialised States PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1000397521
Total Pages : 199 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (3 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Gender, Intersectionality and Climate Institutions in Industrialised States by : Gunnhildur Lily Magnusdottir

Download or read book Gender, Intersectionality and Climate Institutions in Industrialised States written by Gunnhildur Lily Magnusdottir and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2021-06-16 with total page 199 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explores how climate institutions in industrialized countries work to further the recognition of social differences and integrate this understanding in climate policy making. With contributions from a range of expert scholars in the field, this volume investigates policy-making in climate institutions from the perspective of power as it relates to gender. It also considers other intersecting social factors at different levels of governance, from the global to the local level and extending into climate-relevant sectors. The authors argue that a focus on climate institutions is important since they not only develop strategies and policies, they also (re)produce power relations, promote specific norms and values, and distribute resources. The chapters throughout draw on examples from various institutions including national ministries, transport and waste management authorities, and local authorities, as well as the European Union and the UNFCCC regime. Overall, this book demonstrates how feminist institutionalist theory and intersectionality approaches can contribute to an increased understanding of power relations and social differences in climate policy-making and in climate-relevant sectors in industrialized states. In doing so, it highlights the challenges of path dependencies, but also reveals opportunities for advancing gender equality, equity, and social justice. Gender, Intersectionality and Climate Institutions in Industrialized States will be of great interest to students and scholars of climate politics, international relations, gender studies and policy studies. The Open Access version of this book, available at https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003052821, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license.

Trends in Renewable Energies Offshore

Download Trends in Renewable Energies Offshore PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : CRC Press
ISBN 13 : 1000837335
Total Pages : 1920 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (8 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Trends in Renewable Energies Offshore by : C. Guedes Soares

Download or read book Trends in Renewable Energies Offshore written by C. Guedes Soares and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2022-11-02 with total page 1920 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Renewable energy resources offshore are a growing contributor to the total energy production in a growing number of countries. As a result the interest in the topic is increasing. Trends in Renewable Energies Offshore includes the papers presented at the 5th International Conference on Renewable Energies Offshore (RENEW 2022, Lisbon, Portugal, 8-10 November 2022), and covers recent developments and experiences gained in concept development, design and operation of such devices. The scope of the contributions is broad, covering all aspects of renewable energies offshore activities, including: • Resource assessment • Tidal Energy • Wave Energy • Wind Energy • Solar Energy • Renewable Energy Devices • Multiuse Platforms • Maintenance planning • Materials and structural design Trends in Renewable Energies Offshore will be of interest to academics and professionals involved or interested in applications of renewable energy resources offshore. The ‘Proceedings in Marine Technology and Ocean Engineering’ series is dedicated to the publication of proceedings of peer-reviewed international conferences dealing with various aspects of ‘Marine Technology and Ocean Engineering’. The Series includes the proceedings of the following conferences: the International Maritime Association of the Mediterranean (IMAM) conferences, the Marine Structures (MARSTRUCT) conferences, the Renewable Energies Offshore (RENEW) conferences and the Maritime Technology (MARTECH) conferences. The ‘Marine Technology and Ocean Engineering’ series is also open to new conferences that cover topics on the sustainable exploration and exploitation of marine resources in various fields, such as maritime transport and ports, usage of the ocean including coastal areas, nautical activities, the exploration and exploitation of mineral resources, the protection of the marine environment and its resources, and risk analysis, safety and reliability. The aim of the series is to stimulate advanced education and training through the wide dissemination of the results of scientific research.

Environmental Impacts of Wind-Energy Projects

Download Environmental Impacts of Wind-Energy Projects PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309108349
Total Pages : 395 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (91 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Environmental Impacts of Wind-Energy Projects by : National Research Council

Download or read book Environmental Impacts of Wind-Energy Projects written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2007-09-27 with total page 395 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The generation of electricity by wind energy has the potential to reduce environmental impacts caused by the use of fossil fuels. Although the use of wind energy to generate electricity is increasing rapidly in the United States, government guidance to help communities and developers evaluate and plan proposed wind-energy projects is lacking. Environmental Impacts of Wind-Energy Projects offers an analysis of the environmental benefits and drawbacks of wind energy, along with an evaluation guide to aid decision-making about projects. It includes a case study of the mid-Atlantic highlands, a mountainous area that spans parts of West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. This book will inform policy makers at the federal, state, and local levels.

Diversifying Power

Download Diversifying Power PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Island Press
ISBN 13 : 164283131X
Total Pages : 202 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (428 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Diversifying Power by : Jennie C. Stephens

Download or read book Diversifying Power written by Jennie C. Stephens and published by Island Press. This book was released on 2020-09-17 with total page 202 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The climate crisis is a crisis of leadership. For too long too many leaders have prioritized corporate profits over the public good, exacerbating climate vulnerabilities while reinforcing economic and racial injustice. Transformation to a just, sustainable renewable-based society requires leaders who connect social justice to climate and energy. During the Trump era, connections among white supremacy; environmental destruction; and fossil fuel dependence have become more conspicuous. Many of the same leadership deficiencies that shaped the inadequate response in the United States to the coronavirus pandemic have also thwarted the US response to the climate crisis. The inadequate and ineffective framing of climate change as a narrow, isolated, discrete problem to be “solved” by technical solutions is failing. The dominance of technocratic, white, male perspectives on climate and energy has inhibited investments in social change and social innovations. With new leadership and diverse voices, we can strengthen climate resilience, reduce racial and economic inequities, and promote social justice. In Diversifying Power, energy expert Jennie Stephens argues that the key to effectively addressing the climate crisis is diversifying leadership so that antiracist, feminist priorities are central. All politics is now climate politics, so all policies, from housing to health, now have to integrate climate resilience and renewable energy. Stephens takes a closer look at climate and energy leadership related to job creation and economic justice, health and nutrition, housing and transportation. She looks at why we need to resist by investing in bold diverse leadership to curb the “the polluter elite.” We need to reclaim and restructure climate and energy systems so policies are explicitly linked to social, economic, and racial justice. Inspirational stories of diverse leaders who integrate antiracist, feminist values to build momentum for structural transformative change are woven throughout the book, along with Stephens’ experience as a woman working on climate and energy. The shift from a divided, unequal, extractive, and oppressive society to a just, sustainable, regenerative, and healthy future has already begun. But structural change needs more bold and ambitious leaders at all levels, like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez with the Green New Deal, or the Secwepemc women of the Tiny House Warriors resisting the Trans Mountain pipeline. Diversifying Power offers hope and optimism. Stephens shows how the biggest challenges facing society are linked and anyone can get involved to leverage the power of collective action. By highlighting the creative individuals and organizations making change happen, she provides inspiration and encourages transformative action on climate and energy justice.

Climate Technology, Gender, and Justice

Download Climate Technology, Gender, and Justice PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 303001147X
Total Pages : 156 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (3 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Climate Technology, Gender, and Justice by : Tina Sikka

Download or read book Climate Technology, Gender, and Justice written by Tina Sikka and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-12-14 with total page 156 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is the first to undertake a gendered analysis of geoengineering and alternative energy sources. Are either of these technologies sufficiently attendant to gender issues? Do they incorporate feminist values as articulated by the renowned social philosopher Helen Longino, such as empirical adequacy, novelty, heterogeneity, complexity and applicability to human needs? The overarching argument in this book contends that, while mitigation strategies like solar and wind energy go much further to meet feminist objectives and virtues, geoengineering is not consistent with the values of justice as articulated in Longino's feminist approach to science. This book provides a novel, feminist argument in support of pursuing alternative energy in the place of geoengineering. It provides an invaluable contribution for academics and students working in the areas of gender, science and climate change as well as policy makers interested in innovative ways of taking up climate change mitigation and gender.

Routledge Handbook on the Green New Deal

Download Routledge Handbook on the Green New Deal PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Taylor & Francis
ISBN 13 : 1000640116
Total Pages : 491 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (6 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Routledge Handbook on the Green New Deal by : Kyla Tienhaara

Download or read book Routledge Handbook on the Green New Deal written by Kyla Tienhaara and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2022-08-26 with total page 491 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In recent years, the Green New Deal has moved from relative obscurity to front and centre of policy discussions and public debates about how to respond to the climate crisis. It has been credited with radically changing the nature of the conversation on climate change and with re-energizing the environmental movement at a critical time. All Green New Deal proposals share an emphasis on the need for governments (rather than markets) to lead the energy transition. However, they differ in other respects. This Handbook analyses the fundamentals underlying all Green New Deals as well as exploring national and regional variations. It is divided into three parts. The first part examines the political economy of the Green New Deal focussing not just on how proposals will be costed but also on opportunities for a fundamental transformation of both national economies and the global economic system. The second part explores issues of justice, which are central to many Green New Deal proposals, including Indigenous rights, racial and gender equity, and justice for the Global South. In the third part, authors detail case studies of Green New Deal proposals and plans at the local, national, and regional level. This book will be an invaluable research and reference volume for students and scholars in economics, politics, sociology, geography, and environmental studies. It should also be of interest to those actively involved in climate and environmental policymaking.

The Gender-Energy Nexus in Eastern and Southern Africa

Download The Gender-Energy Nexus in Eastern and Southern Africa PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : OSSREA
ISBN 13 : 9994455842
Total Pages : 324 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (944 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Gender-Energy Nexus in Eastern and Southern Africa by : Mihyo, Paschal B.

Download or read book The Gender-Energy Nexus in Eastern and Southern Africa written by Mihyo, Paschal B. and published by OSSREA. This book was released on 2016-07-25 with total page 324 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Regional Economic Communities (RECs) in Eastern and Southern Africa have been at the forefront to developing new energy policies and programmes aimed at reaching the UN goal of Ensuring Access to Clean Energy for All by 2030. In the year 2006, the East African Community passed the EAC Strategy to Scale Up Access to Modern Energy Services, committing its Member States to reach the UN goal of "access to all" by 2030. The Inter-governmental Authority for Development adopted its Environmental and Natural Resources Policy in 2007 which includes issues of renewable energy. The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa launched its Model Energy Programme in 2012, followed the same year by its comprehensive baselines database on renewable resources covering all its Member States. In the year 2009, the African Union General Assembly at its 12th Ordinary Session adopted the Policy on "Scaling Up Renewable Energy in Africa". The regional policies have been domesticated by Member Sates of the RECs. Although their targets are very ambitious, implementation programmes launched at national level are robust and producing results. Both in the policies and implementation programmes, gender issues have, however, not featured prominently. Noting this deficit, the Organisation for Social Science Research in Eastern and Southern Africa called for researchers to assess the extent to which energy policies in Eastern and Southern Africa have taken gender issues on board. This book is the product of that project. It has ten chapters that investigated the gender-energy nexus in Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Swaziland, Sudan and Kenya. The book will prove useful to all policy makers, researchers and analysts who may be interested in strengthening the gender content of the programmes as we move towards 2030. We believe it triggers and helps policy makers and researchers to create platforms to use its findings, and those of others, to see how in gender terms those at the bottom of the energy access pyramid can be factored into these programmes, to make sure they are not left behind.

The Blue Compendium

Download The Blue Compendium PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Springer Nature
ISBN 13 : 3031162773
Total Pages : 921 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (311 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Blue Compendium by : Jane Lubchenco

Download or read book The Blue Compendium written by Jane Lubchenco and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2023-05-24 with total page 921 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Home to over 80 percent of all life on Earth, the ocean is the world’s largest carbon sink and a key source of food and economic security for billions of people. The relevance of the ocean for humanity's future is undisputed. However, the ocean’s great potential to drive economic growth and equitable job creation, sustain healthy ecosystems, and mitigate climate change is not yet fully recognised. Lack of awareness of this potential as well as management and governance challenges pose impediments. Until these impediments are removed, ocean ecosystems will continue to be degraded and opportunities for people lost. A transition and a clear path to a thriving and vibrant relationship between humans and the ocean are urgently needed. This open access collection of papers and reports identifies a path that is inspired by science, energised by engaged people, and emboldened by visionary leaders. These assessments of knowledge are commissioned by the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy (Ocean Panel), which was established in September 2018 as a unique initiative led by heads of state and government from around the world, to showcase the latest leading-edge science, knowledge and state-of-the-art thinking on key ocean issues. Altogether, The Blue Compendium offers innovative ocean solutions in technology, policy, governance, and finance realms, that could help accelerate a transition to a more sustainable and prosperous relationship with the ocean. The comprehensive assessments have already informed policy making at the highest levels of government and motivated an impressive array of responsive and ambitious action across a growing network of leaders in business, finance and civil society.

Energy and Civilization

Download Energy and Civilization PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : MIT Press
ISBN 13 : 0262536161
Total Pages : 564 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (625 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Energy and Civilization by : Vaclav Smil

Download or read book Energy and Civilization written by Vaclav Smil and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2018-11-13 with total page 564 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A comprehensive account of how energy has shaped society throughout history, from pre-agricultural foraging societies through today's fossil fuel–driven civilization. "I wait for new Smil books the way some people wait for the next 'Star Wars' movie. In his latest book, Energy and Civilization: A History, he goes deep and broad to explain how innovations in humans' ability to turn energy into heat, light, and motion have been a driving force behind our cultural and economic progress over the past 10,000 years. —Bill Gates, Gates Notes, Best Books of the Year Energy is the only universal currency; it is necessary for getting anything done. The conversion of energy on Earth ranges from terra-forming forces of plate tectonics to cumulative erosive effects of raindrops. Life on Earth depends on the photosynthetic conversion of solar energy into plant biomass. Humans have come to rely on many more energy flows—ranging from fossil fuels to photovoltaic generation of electricity—for their civilized existence. In this monumental history, Vaclav Smil provides a comprehensive account of how energy has shaped society, from pre-agricultural foraging societies through today's fossil fuel–driven civilization. Humans are the only species that can systematically harness energies outside their bodies, using the power of their intellect and an enormous variety of artifacts—from the simplest tools to internal combustion engines and nuclear reactors. The epochal transition to fossil fuels affected everything: agriculture, industry, transportation, weapons, communication, economics, urbanization, quality of life, politics, and the environment. Smil describes humanity's energy eras in panoramic and interdisciplinary fashion, offering readers a magisterial overview. This book is an extensively updated and expanded version of Smil's Energy in World History (1994). Smil has incorporated an enormous amount of new material, reflecting the dramatic developments in energy studies over the last two decades and his own research over that time.