Fossil capital : the rise of steam power and the roots of global warming ;

Malm, Andreas

Fossil capital : the rise of steam power and the roots of global warming ; Andreas Malm - 488 pages : 23 cm

Includes bibliographic references and index

How capitalism first promoted fossil fuels with the rise of steam power The more we debate about the catastrophic implications of climate change, the more fossil fuels we continue to burn. How did we get caught up in this mess? In this masterful new history, Malm claims that it all began in Britain with the rise of steam power. So why did manufacturers turn from traditional fuels, notably water, to steam? Overturning established theories of the transition and offering a radically new view of our warming world, this study shows how steam was adopted as a superior source of power. Two centuries later, the inheritors of that power continue to profit from "business as usual," as the world heads toward irreversible catastrophe

9781784781293


Global warming
Fossil fuels--Economic aspects
Industries--Energy consumption--History--Great Britain--19th century
Climatic changes