Released: 2024 (Paperback Version)
Genre: Geopolitics, Society, History
Number of Pages: 444
In the 21st Century the western world has grown accustomed to many luxuries; rapid production, advanced technology, efficient supply chains. All of this wouldn’t be possible without a set of crucial materials; Ed Conway takes us through the finer details with his latest book.
Material World delivers a potent mix of topics; history, geopolitics, engineering and social commentary. It is split into six chapters discussing Sand, Salt, Iron, Copper, Oil and Lithium respectively. Each chapter features a rundown of how we first discovered the component, adapted its use and created the modern world. The author also visits a wide range of locations including gigafactories, deep mines and processing centres, creating a brilliant backdrop that complements his descriptions. The history blends so seamlessly with Ed’s travels and it definitely took a lot of planning to gain access.
This is greatest strength of Material World; everything is written with great precision, never losing its focus or going off on side-tangents. The process of making items like silicon chips is broken down in a detailed manner from start to finish. It’s all tied together by many detailed links to current politics; there are real risks to our globalised supply chains, but there is also great potential on efforts to make a greener economy. Conway takes the time to analyse both sides of the extraction debate as well; we require materials to make a renewable transition but this often comes at the expense of local communities. This raises many difficult questions as humans continue to exploit the world’s natural resources.
Recommended?
YES: Material World is an excellent breakdown of a sector that often goes unnoticed by the masses. Ed Conway takes the reader on a fascinating journey while packing in so much detail on why these elements matter and what they mean for our future. For anyone who has an interest in how our modern civilization works, this book is one of the best you’ll ever read.
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