Fossil Capital : The Rise of Steam Power and the Roots of Global Warming

**How capitalism first promoted fossil fuels with the rise of steam power**The more we know about the catastrophic implications of climate change, the more fossil fuels we burn. How did we end up in this mess? In this masterful new history, Andreas Malm claims it all began in Britain with the rise of steam power. But why did manufacturers turn from traditional sources of power, notably water mills, to an engine fired by coal? Contrary to established views, steam offered neither cheaper nor more abundant energy—but rather superior control of subordinate labour. Animated by fossil fuels, capital could concentrate production at the most profitable sites and during the most convenient hours, as it continues to do today. Sweeping from nineteenth-century Manchester to the emissions explosion in China, from the original triumph of coal to the stalled shift to renewables, this study hones in on the burning heart of capital and demonstrates, in unprecedented depth, that turning down the heat will mean a radical overthrow of the current economic order.__From the Trade Paperback edition.__ 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. Malm Examines The History Of Resistance To Fossil Fuels And Surveys The Obstacles To The Transition To Renewable Energy So Urgently Needed Today. Then As Now, Energy Choices Are Determined In Struggles Over Power-- In The Heat Of The Past : Towards A History Of The Fossil Economy -- Scarcity, Progress, The Nature Of The Human Species? Theories Of The Rise Of Steam -- The Long Life Of The Flow : Industrial Energy Before Coal -- 'there Are Mighty Energies In Those Masses' : Mobilising Power In A Time Of Crisis -- Puzzles Of The Transition : The Lasting Advantages Of Water -- Fleeing The Flowing Commons : The Expansion Of Waterpower That Never Happened -- A Ticket To The Town : Advantages Of Steam In Space -- A Force To Count On : Advantages Of Steam In Time -- 'no Government But Fuel' : The Derivation Of Power From Coal In Bourgeois Ideology -- 'go And Stop The Smoke!' : The Moment Of Resistance Against Steam -- A Long Trail Of Smoke : The Fossil Economy Consummated -- The Myth Of The Human Enterprise : Towards A Different Theory -- Fossil Capital : The Energy Basis Of Bourgeois Property Relations -- China As Chimney Of The World : Fossil Capital Today -- A Return To The Flow? Obstacles To The Transition -- Time To Pull The Plugs : On Co2 As An Effluent Of Power. Andreas Malm. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 399-468) And Index. A sweeping study of how capitalism first promoted fossil fuels with the rise of steam power—and contributed to the worsening climate crisis The more we know about the catastrophic implications of climate change, the more fossil fuels we burn. How did we end up in this mess? In this masterful new history, Andreas Malm claims it all began in Britain with the rise of steam power. But why did manufacturers turn from traditional sources of power, notably water mills, to an engine fired by coal? Contrary to established views, steam offered neither cheaper nor more abundant energy—but rather superior control of subordinate labor. Animated by fossil fuels, capital could concentrate production at the most profitable sites and during the most convenient hours, as it continues to do today. Sweeping from nineteenth-century Manchester to the emissions explosion in China, from the original triumph of coal to the stalled shift to renewables, this study hones in on the burning heart of capital and demonstrates, in unprecedented depth, that turning down the heat will mean a radical overthrow of the current economic order. “The definitive deep history on how our economic system created the climate crisis. Superb, essential reading from one of the most original thinkers on the subject.” —Naomi Klein, author of This Changes Everything and The Shock Doctrine How capitalism first promoted fossil fuels with the rise of steam power The more we know about the catastrophic implications of climate change, the more fossil fuels we burn. How did we end up in this mess? In this masterful new history, Andreas Malm claims it all began in Britain with the rise of steam power. But why did manufacturers turn from traditional sources of power, notably water mills, to an engine fired by coal? Contrary to established views, steam offered neither cheaper nor more abundant energy—but rather superior control of subordinate labour. Animated by fossil fuels, capital could concentrate production at the most profitable sites and during the most convenient hours, as it continues to do today. Sweeping from nineteenth-century Manchester to the emissions explosion in China, from the original triumph of coal to the stalled shift to renewables, this study hones in on the burning heart of capital and demonstrates, in unprecedented depth, that turning down the heat will mean a radical overthrow of the current economic order. From the Trade Paperback edition. Description from Verso Books: **How capitalism first promoted fossil fuels with the rise of steam power** The more we know about the catastrophic implications of climate change, the more fossil fuels we burn. How did we end up in this mess? In this masterful new history, Andreas Malm claims it all began in Britain with the rise of steam power. But why did manufacturers turn from traditional sources of power, notably water mills, to an engine fired by coal? Contrary to established views, steam offered neither cheaper nor more abundant energy—but rather superior control of subordinate labour. Animated by fossil fuels, capital could concentrate production at the most profitable sites and during the most convenient hours, as it continues to do today. Sweeping from nineteenth-century Manchester to the emissions explosion in China, from the original triumph of coal to the stalled shift to renewables, this study hones in on the burning heart of capital and demonstrates, in unprecedented depth, that turning down the heat will mean a radical overthrow of the current economic order. In this masterful new history, Andreas Malm claims it all began in Britain with the rise of steam power. But why did manufacturers turn from traditional sources of power, notably water mills, to an engine fired by coal? Contrary to established views, steam offered neither cheaper nor more abundant energy—but rather superior control of subordinate labour. Animated by fossil fuels, capital could concentrate production at the most profitable sites and during the most convenient hours, as it continues to do today. Sweeping from nineteenth-century Manchester to the emissions explosion in China, from the original triumph of coal to the stalled shift to renewables, this study hones in on the burning heart of capital and demonstrates, in unprecedented depth, that turning down the heat will mean a radical overthrow of the current economic order--Publisher's description