Fossil capital by andreas malm5/28/2023 Superb, essential reading from one of the most original thinkers on the subject. "The definitive deep history on how our economic system created the climate crisis. 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. 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. This extremely well-written book is radical without being dogmatic. Malm does not reiterate commonplaces about climate change, but looks closely at its origins. 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. Fossil Capital presents, with impressive detail and theoretical clarity, how the fossil fuel economy has come into being. 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. 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.
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