Vaclav Smil's talk on historic energy transitions and what they imply for climate investment. He argues that transitions are slow, technology improves gradually, and only absolute cuts in energy use would truly work.

Why Hacker News readers recommend it: Frequently linked as a sobering, data-grounded counterpoint to techno-optimism about decarbonization and green growth.

“Here's a fascinating talk by Václav Smil at the Driva Climate Investment Meeting in 2019”

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