Can China sustain its massive population and rapid economic growth without exhausting its natural resources and degrading its environment? Vaclav Smil, a renowned scholar of energy and environmental systems, utilizes decades of research and data to evaluate the physical constraints of China's development. He provides a comprehensive analysis of the nation's energy consumption, agricultural capacity, and environmental degradation, arguing that these factors represent the most significant challenges to China's future stability.

Experts recognize this work as a foundational text for understanding the physical and environmental realities of China's modernization. Readers frequently note the density of the data and the author's rigorous, evidence-based approach to complex geopolitical and ecological issues.