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Engines of Commerce

The unheralded machine power that moves manufactured

goods and raw materials around the world.

By

Nick Schulz

Updated Dec. 1, 2010 12:01 a.m. ET

It's ! sec"et that #l $!"e ad !the" ha"d%lie e&i"!metalists hate the ite"al%c!musti!

e(ie. I 1))2, *". $!"e i his !!k +Ea"th i the Balace+ called !" a p"!("am that -!uld

lead t! the e(ie's elimiati! y 201. /e elie&ed this -as ! aciul (!al it -as ust a

matte" ! p"actical e(iee"i( ha"essed t! p!litical -ill.

acla& Smil d!es't meti! *". $!"e i +3"ime *!&e"s ! $l!alizati!,+ a detailed,

asciati( acc!ut !, as the sutitle has it, +The /ist!"y ad Impact ! Diesel E(ies ad $as

Tu"ies.+ But s!meh!- I suspect that the N!el lau"eate ad sc!u"(e ! !ssil%uel c!sumpti!-as !t a" "!m the auth!"'s mid. 4!" i the st!"y ! these "ema"kale machies "e&eals

aythi(, it is that *". $!"e's &isi! is utte"ly utethe"ed t! "eality.

The tech!l!(ical achie&emet al!e is e5t"a!"dia"y, e&e" mid 6!" the m!met7 the

c!mme"cial eect. I the late 1)th cetu"y, the $e"ma e(iee" 8ud!l Diesel de&el!ped ae(ie that !pe"ated y iecti( uel it! cylide"s c!taii( ai" c!mp"essed y pist!s 6uel

i(ites m!"e easily i c!mp"essed ai"7. The pist!s, i tu", -e"e d"i&e y the (ases "eleased i

the uel's i(iti!. The i&et!" himsel ima(ied s!methi( ! the scale ! diesel%p!-e"edse-i( machies. These days the e(ies p!-e" alm!st all sizale !cea%(!i( &essels as -ell asma!" "ail ad t"uck t"asp!"t. +9he measu"ed i t!s pe" kil!mete",+ *". Smil !tes, +a!ut )

pe"cet ! (l!al t"ade is !- diesel%p!-e"ed.+ The e(ies d!miate (l!al t"ade ecause +the

c!st, eiciecy, "eliaility, ad du"aility ! diesel e(ies !e" a c!miati! that has !t eesu"passed y ay !the" ee"(y c!&e"te".+

The (as tu"ie;i&eted y 4"ak 9hittle, a B"itish e(iee", i the ea"ly 20th cetu"y;"elies

! a p"!cess ! c!tiu!us c!musti!, -ith spii( a%lades d"i&i( a c!mp"ess!" !" tu"i(

a shat 6e.(., a ship's p"!pelle"7 !" p"!duci( p!-e"ul th"ust th"!u(h a !zzle, e!u(h t! sed aai"plae it! the sky.

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Prime Movers of Globalization

By Vaclav Smil

6The *IT 3"ess, 2?1 pa(es7

These t-! ite"al%c!musti! e(ies;diesel ad

tu"ie;s!! ecame +p"ime m!&e"s+ as *". Smil

dus them. They a"e !- the +idispesale d"i&i(

!"ces ! the (l!al ec!!my.+ 9ith!ut them, +t"ade-!uld !t ha&e achie&ed its t"uly plaet-ide sc!pe !"

ha&e d!e s! at such massi&e scales, at such "apid

speed, ad at such a!"dale c!sts.+

9he m!st #me"icas thik ! the ite"al%

c!musti! e(ie, they atu"ally thik ! the !eude" the h!!d ! thei" ca". #d ideed, (as!lie%

p!-e"ed e(ies a"e +the m!st c!mm! p"ime m!&e"! m!de" ci&ilizati!. . . . The"e a"e !- "!u(hly 1

illi! ! these e(ies istalled i ca"s, t"ucks,

m!t!"cycles ad (a"de machies, !ats,s!-m!iles+ ad s! !.

9hy did this +imp"essi&e machie+ ail t! ec!me the !"ce ehid (l!alizati!, m!&i( (!!ds

l!( distaces@ It is +!t p"actical i &e"y la"(e sizes,+ *". Smil says. The (l!al t"asp!"t !

la"(e Auatities ! (!!ds ad pe!ple "eAui"es much m!"e massi&e e(ies. The i&eti!s !

*ess"s. Diesel ad 9hittle;"eied, m!diied ad e5teded c!utless times y late" e(iee"s;picked up -he"e the c!&eti!al (as!lie e(ie let !.

*". Smil's acc!ut ! the e(iee"i( ad&aces th"!u(h!ut the late 1)th ad 20th cetu"ies;

ad&aces that "!u(ht the -!"ld la"(e ma"ie diesels ad (as tu"ies;is i"st%"ate hist!"y, !thth!"!u(h ad c!mpelli(. It is als! ai"ly techical !" the lay "eade". But the "ich detail d!es't

ust e5plai the it"icacies ! the e(ies ad h!- they -!"k. It als! helps t! sh!- h!- easily -e

take !" ("ated machie%p!-e" ! such ma"&el!us s!phisticati! ad, "elatedly, -hy ae&i"!metal d"eame" mi(ht mistakely ima(ie its disappea"ace -ithi a Aua"te"%cetu"y.

+9h! d!es !t k!- 6ideed, has !t see7 a B!ei( , the i"st -ide%!dy et@+ *". Smil

asks. +9h! is !t a-a"e ! 9al%*a"t's hia supply pipelie, ad -h! has !t see the ima(es! c!taie" ships lade -ith -hat seem t! e ("a&ity%deyi( laye"s ! steel !5es@ But !" h!-may pe!ple -!uld the CT)D !" the )* 6the e(ies that ha&e made th!se "ema"kale

ai"plaes ad &essels p!ssile7 "i( ay ell, ad h!- may educated adults c!uld c!(etly ad

accu"ately desc"ie h!- a tu"!a -!"ks . . . !" -hy diesels edu"e@+

8eade"s ! +3"ime *!&e"s ! $l!alizati!+ -ill k!- the as-e"s t! such Auesti! ette" tham!st -he they a"e d!e, ad they -ill ude"stad -hy these massi&e machies -ill !t

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disappea" s!!. It is t"ue that diesels ad et tu"ies a"e !t -ith!ut thei" p"!lems. They ha&e

added t! e&i"!metal p"essu"es y eali( the "elease ! la"(e Auatities ! ("eeh!use (ases

it! the atm!sphe"e ad the dumpi( ! plastic de"is it! the N!"th 3aciic ad, -ith thec"eati&e dest"ucti! caused y (l!al t"ade, they ha&e c"eated s!cial dis"upti!s that thei"

i&et!"s c!uld ha"dly ha&e ima(ied. *". Smil ack!-led(es such p"!lems he is !

3!llyaa ad is e&e s!methi( ! a e&i"!metalist. But he has ee mu((ed y the "eality! physics ad e(iee"i(.

Mr. Schulz is a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and the editor of American.com.