Foreword - Preface -- About the Authors -- 1 Approaching Energy: Our Driving Force of Development -- 1.1 Different Songs with the Same Source: Energy, Amount of Energy, and Sources of Energy -- 1.1.1 Energy -- 1.1.2 Amount of Energy -- 1.1.3 Sources of Energy -- 2 Face-Changing Skill: Energy Conversion and Its Law -- 2.1 Way of Energy Conversion -- 2.2 Law of Energy Conversion and Conservation -- 3 Like the Shadow Following the Body: Ubiquitous Energy -- 3.1 Energy and "I" -- 3.2 Energy and "Us" -- 4 Burning Passion: Beginning of Greatness -- 4.1 Discovery and Utilization of Fire4.2 Cooking and Human Evolution -- 5 Domestication a Godsend: Exploring Farming Force -- 5.1 Origin of Domestication -- 5.2 "Domestication" of Natural Forces -- 6 Coal and Steam: Driving Force of the Industrial Revolution -- 6.1 Discovery and Early Use of Coal -- 6.2 Steam Engine and the First Industrial Revolution -- 7 The Light of Electromagnetic Measurement in the Information Civilization -- 7.1 Advent of the Internal Combustion Engine Era -- 7.2 Change from Magnetism to Electricity -- 7.3 Nuclear Power Developed in Controversy -- 8 Global Warming: A Hot Topic -- 8.1 Sea Level Rise8.2 Seasonal Chaos Disrupts the Biosphere -- 9 Environmental Deterioration: Not an Unwarranted Threat -- 9.1 Troubling Garbage -- 9.2 Formidable Crust -- 9.3 Endangered Rivers -- 10 How Long Can Resources in Short Supply Last? -- 10.1 Soon-Depleted Petroleum Resources -- 10.2 Undesirable Coal Resources -- 10.3 Renewable Energy Beset with Difficulties -- 11 Energy Disputes: Blasting Fuse of Future Warfare -- 11.1 Global Energy Problem -- 11.2 The Political Attribute of Energy -- 11.3 Energy and War -- 12 Technical Innovation: The Sunshine Passing through the Clouds -- 12.1 The Improvement of Traditional Energy Techniques12.2 The Exploration of New Energy Technologies -- 13 System Change: Paving the Way for Progress -- 13.1 Forward-Looking Development Plan -- 13.2 Promotion of High-Efficiency Industrial Organizations -- 13.3 Continuous Improvement of Laws, Regulations, and Policies -- 14 International Cooperation: Finding Win-Win Solutions -- 14.1 Crisis Brings Cooperation -- 14.2 Many Hands Make Light Work -- 14.3 Such Mechanisms Have Produced Preliminary Results -- 15 Conservatively Optimistic: There Are Still Disappointments among Hopes -- 15.1 Technical Bottlenecks -- 15.2 Defects in System Structure16 Evolution of Civilization: Driven by the Changes of Energy Form -- 16.1 Evolution of Civilization Forms -- 16.2 Transformation of Energy Forms -- 16.3 Relationship between Civilization and Energy -- 17 Smart Energy: The Wonderful Production of Time -- 17.1 Basic Connotation of Smart Energy -- 17.2 The Importance of Smart Energy -- 18 Totally Natural: Integration of Technology and System -- 18.1 Technical Basis of Smart Energy -- 18.2 System Framework of Smart Energy -- 19 Global Mission: A Very Long Way to Go -- 19.1 The Globe Is Simultaneously Cold and Hot -- 19.2 A Long Way Ahead -- 19.3 General Mobilization of Smart Energy -- 20 China's Responsibility: Rationally Taken -- 20.1 China's Conscious Action -- 20.2 China's Rational Response -- 20.3 China's Dream of Smart Energy -- Conclusion: Create Our Future -- Postscript -- Bibliography -- Index.