Energy Systems
A Very Short Introduction
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Energy Systems
Buy for $11.17
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Chris Sorensen
-
By:
-
Nick Jenkins
About this listen
Modern societies require energy systems to provide energy for cooking, heating, transport, and materials processing, as well as for electricity generation.
Energy systems include the primary fuel, its conversion, and transport to the point of use. In many cases this primary fuel is still a fossil fuel, a one-use resource derived from a finite supply within our planet, causing considerable damage to the environment. After 300 years of increasing reliance on fossil fuels, particularly coal, it is becoming ever clearer that the present energy systems need to change.
In this Very Short Introduction, Nick Jenkins explores our historic investment in the exploitation of fossil energy resources and their current importance, and discusses the implications of our increasing rate of energy use.
He considers the widespread acceptance by scientists and policy makers that our energy systems must reduce emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases, and looks forward to the radical changes in fuel technology that will be necessary to continue to provide energy supplies in a sustainable manner, and extend access across the developing world.
©2019 Nick Jenkins (P)2020 TantorListeners also enjoyed...
-
Renewable Energy
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Nick Jelley
- Narrated by: Danny Campbell
- Length: 4 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 14
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 10
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 10
Energy is vital for a good standard of living, and much of the world's population does not have enough. Affordable and adequate sources of power that do not cause climate change or pollution are crucial; and renewables provide the answer. Wind and solar farms can now provide the cheapest electricity in many parts of the world. Moreover, they could provide all of the world's energy needs.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Be prepared for poor narration
- By David on 05-15-24
By: Nick Jelley
-
Climate Change
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Mark Maslin
- Narrated by: Gareth Richards
- Length: 4 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 8
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 8
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 8
This Very Short Introduction audiobooks draws on the very latest science from the 2021 IPCC Report, examining the evidence that climate change is already happening and discussing its potential catastrophic impacts in the future. Mark Maslin also explores the geopolitics of climate change and the win-win solutions we can employ to avoid the very worst effects of climate change. Throughout, he demonstrates how we must develop new modes of thinking for the 21st century at individual, corporate, and government levels to collectively tackle the challenge of climate change.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Ehh
- By Samuel Mebane on 09-19-24
By: Mark Maslin
-
Marine Biology
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Philip V. Mladenov
- Narrated by: Shaun Grindell
- Length: 5 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 26
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 23
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 23
In this Very Short Introduction audiobook, marine biologist Philip Mladenov provides an accessible and up-to-date overview of marine biology, offering a tour of marine life and marine processes that ranges from the unimaginably abundant microscopic organisms that drive the oceans' food web to the apex predators that we exploit for food; from polar ocean ecosystems to tropical coral reefs; and from the luxurious kelp beds of the coastal ocean to deep-ocean hydrothermal vents where life exists without the energy of the sun.
-
Nothing
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Frank Close
- Narrated by: Ray Chase
- Length: 4 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 21
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 19
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 19
This short, smart book tells you everything you need to know about "nothing". What remains when you take all the matter away? Can empty space - "nothing" - exist? To answer these questions, eminent scientist Frank Close takes us on a lively and accessible journey that ranges from ancient ideas and cultural superstitions to the frontiers of current research, illuminating the story of how scientists have explored the void and the rich discoveries they have made there.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Wow
- By Tracey Norris on 11-16-24
By: Frank Close
-
Home Solar Power for Beginners
- How to Conserve Energy, Reduce Carbon Footprints, and Save an Average of $2000 a Year
- By: Miles Powers
- Narrated by: Tom Brooks
- Length: 3 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 23
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 23
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 23
Converting your home to solar energy is one of the best investments you will ever make. You’ve heard that installing solar power reduces the value of your home. Or that your roof will leak if you install solar power. You may even have heard that if solar panels are imperfectly installed, your house will burn down. Don’t believe any of it. They’re just not true.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Anyone considering solar should listen!
- By Lee Nicholson on 03-30-23
By: Miles Powers
-
Planetary Systems
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Raymond T. Pierrehumbert
- Narrated by: Mike Cooper
- Length: 4 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 5
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 5
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 5
Not long ago, the Solar System was the only example of a planetary system - a star and the bodies orbiting it - that we knew. Now, we know thousands of planetary systems, and have even been able to observe planetary systems at the moment of their birth.
-
Renewable Energy
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Nick Jelley
- Narrated by: Danny Campbell
- Length: 4 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 14
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 10
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 10
Energy is vital for a good standard of living, and much of the world's population does not have enough. Affordable and adequate sources of power that do not cause climate change or pollution are crucial; and renewables provide the answer. Wind and solar farms can now provide the cheapest electricity in many parts of the world. Moreover, they could provide all of the world's energy needs.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Be prepared for poor narration
- By David on 05-15-24
By: Nick Jelley
-
Climate Change
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Mark Maslin
- Narrated by: Gareth Richards
- Length: 4 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 8
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 8
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 8
This Very Short Introduction audiobooks draws on the very latest science from the 2021 IPCC Report, examining the evidence that climate change is already happening and discussing its potential catastrophic impacts in the future. Mark Maslin also explores the geopolitics of climate change and the win-win solutions we can employ to avoid the very worst effects of climate change. Throughout, he demonstrates how we must develop new modes of thinking for the 21st century at individual, corporate, and government levels to collectively tackle the challenge of climate change.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Ehh
- By Samuel Mebane on 09-19-24
By: Mark Maslin
-
Marine Biology
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Philip V. Mladenov
- Narrated by: Shaun Grindell
- Length: 5 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 26
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 23
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 23
In this Very Short Introduction audiobook, marine biologist Philip Mladenov provides an accessible and up-to-date overview of marine biology, offering a tour of marine life and marine processes that ranges from the unimaginably abundant microscopic organisms that drive the oceans' food web to the apex predators that we exploit for food; from polar ocean ecosystems to tropical coral reefs; and from the luxurious kelp beds of the coastal ocean to deep-ocean hydrothermal vents where life exists without the energy of the sun.
-
Nothing
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Frank Close
- Narrated by: Ray Chase
- Length: 4 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 21
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 19
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 19
This short, smart book tells you everything you need to know about "nothing". What remains when you take all the matter away? Can empty space - "nothing" - exist? To answer these questions, eminent scientist Frank Close takes us on a lively and accessible journey that ranges from ancient ideas and cultural superstitions to the frontiers of current research, illuminating the story of how scientists have explored the void and the rich discoveries they have made there.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Wow
- By Tracey Norris on 11-16-24
By: Frank Close
-
Home Solar Power for Beginners
- How to Conserve Energy, Reduce Carbon Footprints, and Save an Average of $2000 a Year
- By: Miles Powers
- Narrated by: Tom Brooks
- Length: 3 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 23
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 23
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 23
Converting your home to solar energy is one of the best investments you will ever make. You’ve heard that installing solar power reduces the value of your home. Or that your roof will leak if you install solar power. You may even have heard that if solar panels are imperfectly installed, your house will burn down. Don’t believe any of it. They’re just not true.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Anyone considering solar should listen!
- By Lee Nicholson on 03-30-23
By: Miles Powers
-
Planetary Systems
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Raymond T. Pierrehumbert
- Narrated by: Mike Cooper
- Length: 4 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 5
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 5
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 5
Not long ago, the Solar System was the only example of a planetary system - a star and the bodies orbiting it - that we knew. Now, we know thousands of planetary systems, and have even been able to observe planetary systems at the moment of their birth.
-
Dementia
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Kathleen Taylor
- Narrated by: Mary Sarah
- Length: 4 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 2
-
Performance2 out of 5 stars 1
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 2
As more of us live longer, the fear of an old age devastated by brain diseases like dementia is growing. Many people are already facing the challenges posed by these progressive and terminal conditions, whether in person or because they are caring for loved ones. Dementia is now the fifth most common cause of death across the world. It is a small wonder that understanding, preventing, and finally curing these illnesses is now a global priority.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
The Narrator’s distracting manor of speech
- By David van Driel on 02-02-24
By: Kathleen Taylor
-
Energy and Civilization
- A History
- By: Vaclav Smil
- Narrated by: David Colacci
- Length: 20 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 587
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 477
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 478
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 and offers listeners a magisterial overview of humanity's energy eras.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Not a good format for this book
- By C. Hoogeboom on 05-19-18
By: Vaclav Smil
-
Human Compatible
- Artificial Intelligence and the Problem of Control
- By: Stuart Russell
- Narrated by: Raphael Corkhill
- Length: 11 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 576
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 474
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 467
In the popular imagination, superhuman artificial intelligence is an approaching tidal wave that threatens not just jobs and human relationships, but civilization itself. Conflict between humans and machines is seen as inevitable and its outcome all too predictable. In this groundbreaking audiobook, distinguished AI researcher Stuart Russell argues that this scenario can be avoided, but only if we rethink AI from the ground up. Russell begins by exploring the idea of intelligence in humans and in machines.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Good General Introduction to AI Topic
- By Catherine Puma on 03-26-20
By: Stuart Russell
-
The Sun
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Philip Judge
- Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor
- Length: 5 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 7
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 5
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 5
The Sun, as our nearest star, is of enormous importance for life on Earth, providing the warm radiation and light which allowed complex life to evolve. The Sun plays a key role in influencing our climate, while solar storms and high-energy events can threaten our communication infrastructure and satellites.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Learned a lot
- By SEB24 on 09-26-24
By: Philip Judge
-
Shape
- The Hidden Geometry of Information, Biology, Strategy, Democracy, and Everything Else
- By: Jordan Ellenberg
- Narrated by: Jordan Ellenberg
- Length: 14 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 124
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 96
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 95
If you're like most people, geometry is a dimly remembered exercise you gladly left behind in the dust of ninth grade. It's plodding through a series of miniscule steps only to prove some fact about triangles that was obvious to you in the first place. That's not geometry. Okay, it is geometry, but only a tiny part, which has as much to do with geometry in all its flush modern richness as conjugating a verb has to do with a great novel. Shape reveals the geometry underneath some of the most important scientific, political, and philosophical problems we face.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Excellent, but not suited for an audiobook
- By Fred271 on 06-21-21
By: Jordan Ellenberg
-
Extinction
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Paul B. Wignall
- Narrated by: Jonathan Cowley
- Length: 4 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 6
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 6
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 6
In this Very Short Introduction, Paul B. Wignall looks at the causes and nature of extinctions, past and present, and the factors that can make a species vulnerable. Summarizing what we know about all of the major and minor extinction events, he examines some of the greatest debates in modern science, such as the relative role of climate and humans in the death of the Pleistocene megafauna, including mammoths and giant ground sloths, and the roles that global warming, ocean acidification, and deforestation are playing in present-day extinctions.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A short brief summary of mass extinctions
- By Amazon Customer on 06-22-20
By: Paul B. Wignall
-
Time
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Jennan Ismael
- Narrated by: Kate Zane
- Length: 3 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 17
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 15
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 15
What is time? What does it mean for time to pass? Is it possible to travel in time? What is the difference between the past and future? Until the work of Newton, these questions were purely topics of philosophical speculation. Since then we've learned a great deal about time, and its study has moved from a subject of philosophical reflection to instead became part of the subject matter of physics.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great book
- By Sergey on 01-08-23
By: Jennan Ismael
-
The Laws of Thermodynamics
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Peter Atkins
- Narrated by: Nick Sullivan
- Length: 3 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 19
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 17
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 17
The laws of thermodynamics drive everything that happens in the universe. From the sudden expansion of a cloud of gas to the cooling of hot metal - everything is moved or restrained by four simple laws. This powerful and compact introduction explains what these four laws are and how they work, using accessible language and virtually no mathematics.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Basics but too Much Verbal Math
- By Dennis M Danzik on 01-13-23
By: Peter Atkins
-
Quantum Theory
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: John Polkinghorne
- Narrated by: Dennis Holland
- Length: 3 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 29
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 28
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 28
Quantum theory is the most revolutionary discovery in physics since Newton. This book gives a lucid, exciting, and accessible account of the surprising and counterintuitive ideas that shape our understanding of the sub-atomic world. It does not disguise the problems of interpretation that still remain unsettled 75 years after the initial discoveries. Uncertainty, probabilistic physics, complementarity, the problematic character of measurement, and decoherence are among the many topics discussed.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
VSI # 69
- By Darwin8u on 10-29-24
-
Geophysics
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: William Lowrie
- Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor
- Length: 4 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 22
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 21
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 20
In this Very Short Introduction, William Lowrie describes the internal and external processes that affect the planet, as well as the principles and methods of geophysics used to investigate them. From analyses of Earth's deepest interior to measurements made from Earth-orbiting satellites, Lowrie shows how geophysical exploration is vitally important in the search for mineral resources and emphasizes our need to understand the history of our planet and the processes that govern its continuing evolution.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Good book but I had to fact check it
- By River on 10-26-20
By: William Lowrie
-
Chaos
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Leonard Smith
- Narrated by: Michael Page
- Length: 5 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 8
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 6
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 6
The beauty of fractal patterns and their relation to chaos, as well as the history of chaos, and its uses in the real world and implications for the philosophy of science are all discussed in this Very Short Introduction audiobook.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Great story - terrible reader
- By Thanksohio on 06-20-23
By: Leonard Smith
-
Pandemics
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Christian W. McMillen
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 3 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 9
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 8
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 8
Christian W. McMillen provides a concise yet comprehensive account of pandemics throughout human history, illustrating how pandemic disease has shaped history and, at the same time, social behavior has influenced pandemic disease.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Compact and informative
- By ValueMinded on 10-10-23
Related to this topic
-
Climate Change
- What Everyone Needs to Know
- By: Joseph Romm
- Narrated by: Paul Heitsch
- Length: 11 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 55
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 47
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 48
From Joseph Romm, Chief Science Advisor for National Geographic's Years of Living Dangerously series and one of Rolling Stone's "100 people who are changing America," Climate Change offers user-friendly, scientifically rigorous answers to the most difficult (and commonly politicized) questions surrounding what climatologist Lonnie Thompson has deemed "a clear and present danger to civilization."
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Religious not scientific claims and preachings
- By Jeanne Renzo on 09-19-19
By: Joseph Romm
-
Energy and Civilization
- A History
- By: Vaclav Smil
- Narrated by: David Colacci
- Length: 20 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 587
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 477
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 478
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 and offers listeners a magisterial overview of humanity's energy eras.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Not a good format for this book
- By C. Hoogeboom on 05-19-18
By: Vaclav Smil
-
Growth
- From Microorganisms to Megacities
- By: Vaclav Smil
- Narrated by: Eric Jason Martin
- Length: 26 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 89
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 72
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 71
Growth has been both an unspoken and an explicit aim of our individual and collective striving. It governs the lives of microorganisms and galaxies; it shapes the capabilities of our extraordinarily large brains and the fortunes of our economies. Growth is manifested in annual increments of continental crust, a rising gross domestic product, a child's growth chart, the spread of cancerous cells. In this magisterial book, Vaclav Smil offers systematic investigation of growth in nature and society, from tiny organisms to the trajectories of empires and civilizations.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
PDF should come with this book...
- By Sebastian on 04-22-20
By: Vaclav Smil
-
The Knowledge
- How to Rebuild Our World from Scratch
- By: Lewis Dartnell
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 8 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 512
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 436
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 431
Regarded as one of the brightest young scientists of his generation, Lewis Dartnell proposes that the key to preserving civilization in an apocalyptic scenario is to provide a quickstart guide, adapted to cataclysmic circumstances. The Knowledge describes many of the modern technologies we employ, but first it explains the fundamentals upon which they are built. The Knowledge is a brilliantly original guide to the fundamentals of science and how it built our modern world as well as a thought experiment about the very idea of scientific knowledge itself.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
We might be screwed, but... science!
- By Ryan on 11-28-15
By: Lewis Dartnell
-
How to Avoid a Climate Disaster
- The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need
- By: Bill Gates
- Narrated by: Wil Wheaton, Bill Gates
- Length: 7 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 4,603
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 3,878
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 3,845
Bill Gates shares what he's learned in more than a decade of studying climate change and investing in innovations to address the problems, and sets out a vision for how the world can build the tools it needs to get to zero greenhouse gas emissions. Bill Gates explains why he cares so deeply about climate change and what makes him optimistic that the world can avoid the most dire effects of the climate crisis. Gates says, "We can work on a local, national, and global level to build the technologies, businesses, and industries to avoid the worst impacts of climate change."
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Be curious, not furious
- By Axel Merk on 02-20-21
By: Bill Gates
-
Smaller Faster Lighter Denser Cheaper
- How Innovation Keeps Proving the Catastrophists Wrong
- By: Robert Bryce
- Narrated by: Steven Menasche
- Length: 9 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 75
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 61
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 61
In this provocative and optimistic rebuke to the catastrophists, Robert Bryce shows how innovation and the inexorable human desire to make things Smaller Faster Lighter Denser Cheaper is providing consumers with Cheaper and more abundant energy, Faster computing, Lighter vehicles, and myriad other goods. That same desire is fostering unprecedented prosperity, greater liberty, and yes, better environmental protection.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
I thought I was getting a book on the future.
- By Grant on 08-02-14
By: Robert Bryce
-
Climate Change
- What Everyone Needs to Know
- By: Joseph Romm
- Narrated by: Paul Heitsch
- Length: 11 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 55
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 47
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 48
From Joseph Romm, Chief Science Advisor for National Geographic's Years of Living Dangerously series and one of Rolling Stone's "100 people who are changing America," Climate Change offers user-friendly, scientifically rigorous answers to the most difficult (and commonly politicized) questions surrounding what climatologist Lonnie Thompson has deemed "a clear and present danger to civilization."
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Religious not scientific claims and preachings
- By Jeanne Renzo on 09-19-19
By: Joseph Romm
-
Energy and Civilization
- A History
- By: Vaclav Smil
- Narrated by: David Colacci
- Length: 20 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 587
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 477
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 478
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 and offers listeners a magisterial overview of humanity's energy eras.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Not a good format for this book
- By C. Hoogeboom on 05-19-18
By: Vaclav Smil
-
Growth
- From Microorganisms to Megacities
- By: Vaclav Smil
- Narrated by: Eric Jason Martin
- Length: 26 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 89
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 72
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 71
Growth has been both an unspoken and an explicit aim of our individual and collective striving. It governs the lives of microorganisms and galaxies; it shapes the capabilities of our extraordinarily large brains and the fortunes of our economies. Growth is manifested in annual increments of continental crust, a rising gross domestic product, a child's growth chart, the spread of cancerous cells. In this magisterial book, Vaclav Smil offers systematic investigation of growth in nature and society, from tiny organisms to the trajectories of empires and civilizations.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
PDF should come with this book...
- By Sebastian on 04-22-20
By: Vaclav Smil
-
The Knowledge
- How to Rebuild Our World from Scratch
- By: Lewis Dartnell
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 8 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 512
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 436
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 431
Regarded as one of the brightest young scientists of his generation, Lewis Dartnell proposes that the key to preserving civilization in an apocalyptic scenario is to provide a quickstart guide, adapted to cataclysmic circumstances. The Knowledge describes many of the modern technologies we employ, but first it explains the fundamentals upon which they are built. The Knowledge is a brilliantly original guide to the fundamentals of science and how it built our modern world as well as a thought experiment about the very idea of scientific knowledge itself.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
We might be screwed, but... science!
- By Ryan on 11-28-15
By: Lewis Dartnell
-
How to Avoid a Climate Disaster
- The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need
- By: Bill Gates
- Narrated by: Wil Wheaton, Bill Gates
- Length: 7 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 4,603
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 3,878
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 3,845
Bill Gates shares what he's learned in more than a decade of studying climate change and investing in innovations to address the problems, and sets out a vision for how the world can build the tools it needs to get to zero greenhouse gas emissions. Bill Gates explains why he cares so deeply about climate change and what makes him optimistic that the world can avoid the most dire effects of the climate crisis. Gates says, "We can work on a local, national, and global level to build the technologies, businesses, and industries to avoid the worst impacts of climate change."
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Be curious, not furious
- By Axel Merk on 02-20-21
By: Bill Gates
-
Smaller Faster Lighter Denser Cheaper
- How Innovation Keeps Proving the Catastrophists Wrong
- By: Robert Bryce
- Narrated by: Steven Menasche
- Length: 9 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 75
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 61
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 61
In this provocative and optimistic rebuke to the catastrophists, Robert Bryce shows how innovation and the inexorable human desire to make things Smaller Faster Lighter Denser Cheaper is providing consumers with Cheaper and more abundant energy, Faster computing, Lighter vehicles, and myriad other goods. That same desire is fostering unprecedented prosperity, greater liberty, and yes, better environmental protection.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
I thought I was getting a book on the future.
- By Grant on 08-02-14
By: Robert Bryce
-
The Case for Mars
- The Plan to Settle the Red Planet and Why We Must
- By: Robert Zubrin, Richard Wagner, Arthur C. Clarke - Foreword
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- Length: 14 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 355
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 314
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 311
Since the beginning of human history Mars has been an alluring dream - the stuff of legends, gods, and mystery. The planet most like ours, it has still been thought impossible to reach, let alone explore and inhabit. Now with the advent of a revolutionary new plan, all this has changed. Leading space exploration authority Robert Zubrin has crafted a daring new blueprint, Mars Direct, presented here with engaging anecdotes. The Case for Mars is not a vision for the far future or one that will cost us impossible billions.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Compelling
- By Michael D. Busch on 04-16-18
By: Robert Zubrin, and others
-
The Great Oil Conspiracy
- How the U.S. Government Hid the Nazi Discovery of Abiotic Oil from the American People
- By: Jerome R. Corsi
- Narrated by: Fleet Cooper
- Length: 3 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 255
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 225
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 224
At the end of World War II, U.S. intelligence agents confiscated thousands of Nazi documents on what was known as the “Fischer-Tropsch Process” - a series of equations developed by German chemists unlocking the secrets of how oil is formed. When the Nazis took power, Germany had resolved to develop enough synthetic oil to wage war successfully, even without abundant national oil reserves.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Complete and total waste of time
- By Dustin on 07-25-14
By: Jerome R. Corsi
-
Fossil Future
- Why Global Human Flourishing Requires More Oil, Coal, and Natural Gas—Not Less
- By: Alex Epstein
- Narrated by: Alex Epstein
- Length: 16 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 915
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 817
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 812
For over a decade, philosopher and energy expert Alex Epstein has predicted that any negative impacts of fossil fuel use on our climate will be outweighed by the unique benefits of fossil fuels to human flourishing--including their unrivaled ability to provide low-cost, reliable energy to billions of people around the world, especially the world’s poorest people. And contrary to what we hear from media “experts” about today’s “renewable revolution” and “climate emergency,” reality has proven Epstein right.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Strongly Recommend
- By Kevin on 06-14-22
By: Alex Epstein
-
The Vanishing Face of Gaia
- A Final Warning
- By: James Lovelock
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 6 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 65
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 57
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 57
In The Vanishing Face of Gaia, British scientist James Lovelock predicts global warming will lead to a Hot Epoch. Lovelock is best known for formulating the controversial Gaia theory in the 1970s, with Ruth Margulis of the University of Massachusetts, which states that organisms interact with and regulate Earth's surface and atmosphere. We ignore this interaction at our peril.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A New Perspective - A Must Listen - Very Moving
- By Thomas on 01-29-12
By: James Lovelock
-
Artificial Intelligence
- Modern Magic or Dangerous Future?
- By: Yorick Wilks
- Narrated by: Hannibal Hills
- Length: 5 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 5
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 4
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 4
AI expert Yorick Wilks takes a journey through the history of artificial intelligence up to the present day, examining its origins, controversies, and achievements, as well as looking into just how it works. He also considers the future, assessing whether these technologies could menace our way of life and how we are all likely to benefit from AI applications in the years to come.
By: Yorick Wilks
-
The Industrial Revolution
- A Captivating Guide to a Period of Major Industrialization and the Introduction of the Spinning Jenny, the Cotton Gin, Electricity, and Other Inventions
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Jason Zenobia
- Length: 3 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 35
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 22
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 22
For most of human existence, people lived in a somewhat similar fashion. Everything that has been produced, from food and raw materials to clothing and other finished products, has been done either solely by hand or with some help of animal power. This was the same across the eras and throughout the world, no matter how advanced or backward the various civilizations were. Yet, our lives today couldn’t be more different.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Excellent introduction
- By H. Paavilainen on 09-26-21
-
Origins
- How Earth's History Shaped Human History
- By: Lewis Dartnell
- Narrated by: John Sackville
- Length: 9 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 605
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 535
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 531
When we talk about human history, we often focus on great leaders, population forces, and decisive wars. But how has the earth itself determined our destiny? Our planet wobbles, driving changes in climate that forced the transition from nomadism to farming. Mountainous terrain led to the development of democracy in Greece. Atmospheric circulation patterns later on shaped the progression of global exploration, colonization, and trade. Even today, voting behavior in the southeast United States ultimately follows the underlying pattern of 75 million-year-old sediments from an ancient sea.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
GREAT Book with a Narrator Who's Falling Asleep
- By aaron on 08-02-20
By: Lewis Dartnell
-
The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels
- By: Alex Epstein
- Narrated by: Alex Epstein
- Length: 6 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 1,708
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,514
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 1,513
For decades environmentalists have told us that using fossil fuels is a self-destructive addiction that will destroy our planet. Yet by every measure of human well-being, from life expectancy to clean water to climate safety, life has been getting better and better. How can this be? The explanation is that we usually hear only one side of the story. We're taught to think only of the negatives of fossil fuels, their risks and side effects, but not their positives.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A different point of view
- By Ballofyarn on 01-12-17
By: Alex Epstein
-
The Quest
- Energy, Security, and the Remaking of the Modern World
- By: Daniel Yergin
- Narrated by: Robert Petkoff
- Length: 29 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 901
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 753
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 753
A master storyteller as well as a leading energy expert, Daniel Yergin continues the riveting story begun in his Pulitzer Prize–winning book, The Prize. In The Quest, Yergin shows us how energy is an engine of global political and economic change and conflict, in a story that spans the energies on which our civilization has been built and the new energies that are competing to replace them. The Quest tells the inside stories, tackles the tough questions, and reveals surprising insights about coal, electricity, and natural gas.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Best nonfiction book of 2011
- By Joshua Kim on 05-06-12
By: Daniel Yergin
-
The Vertical Farm
- Feeding the World in the 21st Century
- By: Dickson Despommier
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- Length: 6 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 116
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 71
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 72
When Columbia professor Dickson Despommier set out to solve America's food, water, and energy crises, he didn't just think big - he thought up. The vertical farm has excited scientists, architects, and politicians around the globe. These farms, grown inside skyscrapers, would provide solutions to many of the serious problems we currently face.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Excellent Brainstorming - Not reality
- By Texas Community Project on 01-25-11
-
The Upcycle
- Beyond Sustainability - Designing for Abundance
- By: William McDonough, Michael Braungart
- Narrated by: Alan Sklar
- Length: 7 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 142
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 121
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 125
The Upcycle is the eagerly awaited follow-up to Cradle to Cradle, the most consequential ecological manifesto of our time. Now, drawing on the lessons gained from 10 years of putting the cradle-to-cradle concept into practice with businesses, governments, and ordinary people, William McDonough and Michael Braungart envision the next step in the solution to our ecological crisis: We don't just reuse resources with greater effectiveness, we actually improve them as we use them.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A "must read" for the environmental movement.
- By Love owls on 07-09-13
By: William McDonough, and others
-
Coal
- A Human History
- By: Barbara Freese
- Narrated by: Shelly Frasier
- Length: 7 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 378
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 185
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 191
The fascinating, often surprising story of how a simple black rock altered the course of history. Yet the mundane mineral that built our global economy, and even today powers our electrical plants, has also caused death, disease, and environmental destruction. In this remarkable book, Barbara Freese takes us on a rich historical journey that begins three hundred million years ago and spans the globe.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Uses Coal to push her Political Agenda
- By Kismet on 08-22-06
By: Barbara Freese
People who viewed this also viewed...
-
Fractals
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Kenneth Falconer
- Narrated by: Jason Huggins
- Length: 3 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 3
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 3
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 3
From the contours of coastlines to the outlines of clouds, and the branching of trees, fractal shapes can be found everywhere in nature. In this Very Short Introduction, Kenneth Falconer explains the basic concepts of fractal geometry, which produced a revolution in our mathematical understanding of patterns in the 20th century, and explores the wide range of applications in science, and in aspects of economics.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
I have always been skeptical of Fractals
- By Duane Guthrie on 09-29-24
By: Kenneth Falconer
-
The Laws of Thermodynamics
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Peter Atkins
- Narrated by: Nick Sullivan
- Length: 3 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 19
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 17
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 17
The laws of thermodynamics drive everything that happens in the universe. From the sudden expansion of a cloud of gas to the cooling of hot metal - everything is moved or restrained by four simple laws. This powerful and compact introduction explains what these four laws are and how they work, using accessible language and virtually no mathematics.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Basics but too Much Verbal Math
- By Dennis M Danzik on 01-13-23
By: Peter Atkins
-
Renewable Energy
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Nick Jelley
- Narrated by: Danny Campbell
- Length: 4 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 14
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 10
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 10
Energy is vital for a good standard of living, and much of the world's population does not have enough. Affordable and adequate sources of power that do not cause climate change or pollution are crucial; and renewables provide the answer. Wind and solar farms can now provide the cheapest electricity in many parts of the world. Moreover, they could provide all of the world's energy needs.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Be prepared for poor narration
- By David on 05-15-24
By: Nick Jelley
-
Topology
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Richard Earl
- Narrated by: Bruce Mann
- Length: 4 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars 8
-
Performance3.5 out of 5 stars 7
-
Story3.5 out of 5 stars 7
In this Very Short Introduction audiobook, Richard Earl gives a sense of the more visual elements of topology (looking at surfaces) as well as covering the formal definition of continuity. Considering some of the eye-opening examples that led mathematicians to recognize a need for studying topology, he pays homage to the historical people, problems, and surprises that have propelled the growth of this field.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
4 stars if u have the book to follow the drawings
- By suseco on 07-30-20
By: Richard Earl
-
Number Theory: A Very Short Introduction
- Very Short Introductions
- By: Robin Wilson
- Narrated by: Al Kessel
- Length: 7 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall2.5 out of 5 stars 2
-
Performance3 out of 5 stars 2
-
Story2.5 out of 5 stars 2
Number theory is the branch of mathematics that is primarily concerned with the counting numbers. Of particular importance are the prime numbers, the "building blocks" of our number system. The subject is an old one, dating back over two millennia to the ancient Greeks, and for many years has been studied for its intrinsic beauty and elegance, not least because several of its challenges are so easy to state that everyone can understand them, and yet no one has ever been able to resolve them. But number theory has also recently become of great practical importance.
By: Robin Wilson
-
The Brain
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Michael O’Shea
- Narrated by: Dennis Holland
- Length: 4 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 14
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 13
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 13
How does the brain work? How different is a human brain from other creatures' brains? Is the human brain still evolving? In this fascinating book, Michael O'Shea provides a non-technical introduction to the main issues and findings in current brain research, and gives a sense of how neuroscience addresses questions about the relationship between the brain and the mind.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Excellent clarity, perfect level of technical
- By Harlan Findley on 11-03-23
By: Michael O’Shea
-
Fractals
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Kenneth Falconer
- Narrated by: Jason Huggins
- Length: 3 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 3
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 3
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 3
From the contours of coastlines to the outlines of clouds, and the branching of trees, fractal shapes can be found everywhere in nature. In this Very Short Introduction, Kenneth Falconer explains the basic concepts of fractal geometry, which produced a revolution in our mathematical understanding of patterns in the 20th century, and explores the wide range of applications in science, and in aspects of economics.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
I have always been skeptical of Fractals
- By Duane Guthrie on 09-29-24
By: Kenneth Falconer
-
The Laws of Thermodynamics
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Peter Atkins
- Narrated by: Nick Sullivan
- Length: 3 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 19
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 17
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 17
The laws of thermodynamics drive everything that happens in the universe. From the sudden expansion of a cloud of gas to the cooling of hot metal - everything is moved or restrained by four simple laws. This powerful and compact introduction explains what these four laws are and how they work, using accessible language and virtually no mathematics.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Basics but too Much Verbal Math
- By Dennis M Danzik on 01-13-23
By: Peter Atkins
-
Renewable Energy
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Nick Jelley
- Narrated by: Danny Campbell
- Length: 4 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 14
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 10
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 10
Energy is vital for a good standard of living, and much of the world's population does not have enough. Affordable and adequate sources of power that do not cause climate change or pollution are crucial; and renewables provide the answer. Wind and solar farms can now provide the cheapest electricity in many parts of the world. Moreover, they could provide all of the world's energy needs.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Be prepared for poor narration
- By David on 05-15-24
By: Nick Jelley
-
Topology
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Richard Earl
- Narrated by: Bruce Mann
- Length: 4 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars 8
-
Performance3.5 out of 5 stars 7
-
Story3.5 out of 5 stars 7
In this Very Short Introduction audiobook, Richard Earl gives a sense of the more visual elements of topology (looking at surfaces) as well as covering the formal definition of continuity. Considering some of the eye-opening examples that led mathematicians to recognize a need for studying topology, he pays homage to the historical people, problems, and surprises that have propelled the growth of this field.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
4 stars if u have the book to follow the drawings
- By suseco on 07-30-20
By: Richard Earl
-
Number Theory: A Very Short Introduction
- Very Short Introductions
- By: Robin Wilson
- Narrated by: Al Kessel
- Length: 7 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall2.5 out of 5 stars 2
-
Performance3 out of 5 stars 2
-
Story2.5 out of 5 stars 2
Number theory is the branch of mathematics that is primarily concerned with the counting numbers. Of particular importance are the prime numbers, the "building blocks" of our number system. The subject is an old one, dating back over two millennia to the ancient Greeks, and for many years has been studied for its intrinsic beauty and elegance, not least because several of its challenges are so easy to state that everyone can understand them, and yet no one has ever been able to resolve them. But number theory has also recently become of great practical importance.
By: Robin Wilson
-
The Brain
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Michael O’Shea
- Narrated by: Dennis Holland
- Length: 4 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 14
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 13
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 13
How does the brain work? How different is a human brain from other creatures' brains? Is the human brain still evolving? In this fascinating book, Michael O'Shea provides a non-technical introduction to the main issues and findings in current brain research, and gives a sense of how neuroscience addresses questions about the relationship between the brain and the mind.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Excellent clarity, perfect level of technical
- By Harlan Findley on 11-03-23
By: Michael O’Shea
What listeners say about Energy Systems
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance1 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kindle Customer FB
- 12-29-23
Extremely irritating voice distracting from the substance
This is not the first time I stumble on an audiobook with this narrater. I haven’t been able to finish them. His habit of excessive intonation for almost every word is annoying, distracting and difficult to get used to. It is so excessive that probably done on purpose. I am not the only one complaining in the reviews.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!