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My former colleague and mentor, Prof. David Boyce, loved Vaclav Smil's ([3]) I How the World Really Works i . Here is Smil's thesis in a nutshell: Complete decarbonization of the global economy by 2050 is now conceivable only at the cost of unthinkable global economic retreat, or as a result of extraordinarily rapid transformations relying on near-miraculous technical advances. To be sure, Smil is no climate change denier. [Extracted from the article]

The book "Land: How the hunger for ownership shaped the modern world" by Winchester explores the history and consequences of land ownership. It emphasizes that land is not an immutable entity and can be shaped by both nature and human intervention. The book provides examples such as land reclamation in the Netherlands and the impact of climate change on land. It also delves into the conflicts that have arisen from land ownership, including border disputes and territorial conquests. The author argues that land ownership is a human construct and discusses the relative and absolute aspects of owning land. The book highlights the constructive and destructive aspects of land ownership and its impact on society and the environment. [Extracted from the article]