致中國(guó)讀者的信

To the Chinese readers

As a scientist I always try to advance knowledge and improve our understanding of complex realities -- but to succeed in doing that I need you, the readers of my books and, of course, nowhere else in the world a book has a potentially larger readership than in China.

The age of book is certainly not over, but the time now spent on mobile phones and on trivial pursuits of social media has, inevitably, reduced the average time people spend reading. That is why I hope that reading this book will inspire you to learn more about other aspects of global energy use and its role in economic development and environmental change - and to read more books!

With best wishes,