Vaclav Smil shows why energy transitions are inherently complex and prolonged affairs, and how ignoring this raises unrealistic expectations that the United States and other global economies can be weaned quickly from a primary dependency on fossil fuels.
Beginning in the pre-modern world, the Volga and Mississippi Rivers both served as critical trade routes connecting cultures in an extensive exchange network, while also sustaining populations through their surrounding wetlands and bottomlands. In modern times, “Mother Volga” and the “Father of Waters” became integral parts of national identity, contributing to a sense of Russian and American exceptionalism. Rivers, Memory, and Nation-Building discusses their histories, through which we derive a more nuanced view of human interaction with the environment, which adds another lens to our understanding of the past.
This article examines the energy transition in the iron industry and studies the consequence of this switch to coal-fueling technology upon forests.
Boggs’ focus on human niche construction and the Anthropocene places the spotlight on our actions and the values they reflect, as well as how we should deal with environmental problems.
Energy-from-waste plants in places like Britain were designed help reduce waste and carbon emissions, but they have had unintended side-effects.
The Walchensee Hydroelectric Power Station was built between 1918 and 1924 under the supervision of Oskar von Miller, a Bavarian engineer and founder of the Deutsches Museum.
In the early twentieth century, most ships were powered by coal and steam. The first diesel engine was built by Rudolf Diesel in 1897. It became part of almost all types of ships and a driving force of globalization.
