Harvesting The Biosphere: What We Have Taken From Nature By Vaclav Smil

If you are interested in who we are and what we have been doing for millennia, read this book. The subtitle, “what we have taken from nature” sets a tone of these remarkable 300 pages. Smil has his doubts about us. Who wouldn’t?
In some pages I find the tone of Scientism, the substitution of scientific jargons for what could be said more simply. Why be restricted to his prefixes when quantities could be spelled out even stated several ways for instance T remains mysterious to me until I look up that it stands for 1012, a million million or terra. Has Smil done this on purpose to jar us into a fresh look? Like a hard hat on a construction site is his language stilted for good reason?
What keeps me reading Smil after finishing most of his 30 books is the freshness of his observations, how surprising he is. An author with an identifiable agenda becomes tiresome, not Smil. Every topic, as “did early man kill off big game”, draws an original stream of references, quantities and questions. How can he refer to so many books and journals without ever seeming bookish? Facts and statistics reported by this omniscient guide blend into an unfinished song or poem not a library shelf.
The wonder is in Smil’s original look at things. Can’t he ever learn “to play ball” he must infuriate colleagues. Imagine him comparing how the satellites see his home town, Winnipeg to what he knows better. And can he really suggest that now and then man gives to Nature? Wasn’t his theme just the opposite?
This extensive study of man becoming the dominate, horrifying force throughout the planet, plowing up North America, Brazil, China and everywhere else, straining the vast oceans through our fishing nets, is alarming. We can stop and consider, before we sink into despair, that along with many degradations we have also produced a Smil.

Steve Baer

Autor une rigor academico a um texto agradável e fluido. Texto muito interessante para um tema atual e crítico (meio ambiente)

This book is laden with facts and milestones about the biosphere. Here are some of the highlights of Prof. Smil’s book:

a. about 40% of all of terrestrial phytomass – trees, brush, grass – has been removed. To me, this paints of picture of a world heading toward unprecedented desertification. Even at this figure, the world is rapidly clearing and burning the tropical rainforests;

b. the ocean’s zoomass or animal matter is perhaps that most vulnerable area in next few decades, according to the author. This is well described in the final chapter;

c. biomass harvests for biofuel, using so-called crop waste, imperils the health and water-absorbing capability of soils. Biomass fuel is not a good answer at large scales.

d. land and ocean mammals are at 10% of historic levels, for many species. More ocean and land disruptions will imperil the final 10% of remarkable fellow mammals.

Harvesting the biosphere, crowding out the diversity of life, and the road to global desertification. Can it be turned around? Prof. Smil offers impartial and practical advice in the last chapter. This book complements the author’s other excellent books. Hopefully the summary and concluding chapter of this book will be shared among many educated people in the world.

The Gates Foundation is listening to Prof. Smil. Also, Bill Gates is personally a fan of Smil’s books. How many other major foundations and think tanks are paying attention?

On a final note, this book makes it clear that human civilization’s strategy of natural resource exploitation combined with indefinite population growth is a culture that is thousands of years old and unfortunately one that is archaic, worn-out, and now obsolete. Periodic surges and collapses of society’s have occurred, and now Jared Diamond observes that a near global collapse may be a few decades away. The world needs a new vision of humanity living in symbiosis with the natural world, improving some areas and utilizing specific designated areas, instead of the other way around where protected areas are the exception rather than the rule. Understanding the need for a civilization-biosphere symbiosis is just the beginning of an effort by scientists to formulate and promote such a new civilizational strategy.

The book has not met my expectations. I was looking for an easy explanation of what we take from the earth and what we should do to insure our food for the future with the coming growth of population. Some of this information was available but in a really academic way.

An incredible interesting book

a very scientific read, recommended for high level readers, yet still important.