Fuel and Social Change (Review of Andreas Malm: Fossil Capital; Timothy Mitchell: Carbon Democracy) Cover Image

Üzemanyag és társadalmi változás (Andreas Malm: Fossil Capital; Timothy Mitchell: Carbon Democracy)
Fuel and Social Change (Review of Andreas Malm: Fossil Capital; Timothy Mitchell: Carbon Democracy)

Author(s): Mátyás Domschitz
Subject(s): Politics / Political Sciences, History, Social Sciences, Economy, Sociology, Economic history, Social history, Modern Age, Recent History (1900 till today), Environmental and Energy policy, Welfare systems, Political economy, Politics and society, Human Ecology, Economic development, Environmental interactions, 18th Century, 19th Century, Globalization
Published by: Fordulat
Keywords: fossil fuels;fossil;social change;history of energy;energy politics;carbon;climate crisis;climate change;nature and capitalism;ecology;environment;

Summary/Abstract: For thousands of years Sun was the source of energy that was necessary to the reproduction of human communities. Sunlight gave energy to plants that served as food for people and for their domesticated animals. In the 19th century this renewable source of energy was replaced by coal and later by oil. These two, more effective energy sources are the results of million years of rotting. As Sartre put it, they are "capital bequeathed to mankind by other living beings". This review confronts the competing arguments of Andreas Malm and Timothy Mitchell on the rise of fossil energy sources and on its social implications.

  • Issue Year: 2019
  • Issue No: 25
  • Page Range: 247-253
  • Page Count: 7
  • Language: Hungarian