Vaclav Smil es catedrático de Geografía en la Universidad de Manitoba (Canadá). Entre sus numerosas obras destacan Global Ecology: Environmental Change and Social Flexibility (1993), China's Environmental Crisis: An Inquiry into the Limits of National Development (1997), Energies: An lllustrated Guide to the Biosphere and Civilization (2000), The Earth 's Biosphere: Evolution, Dynamics and Change (2002) y Energy at the Crossroads: Global Perspectives and Uncertainties (en prensa).