British Coal as a Warning for the Global Energy Transition
The history of the Industrial Revolution in Great Britain is often portrayed as a linear path of technological progress and economic expansion. Yet this narrative conceals structural costs that, in light of today’s energy transition challenges, deserve rigorous re-examination. The rise of coal in the 18th and 19th centuries formed the energy backbone of modern industrialization, enabling unprecedented growth in production, urbanization, and trade. However, this transformation came with deep and lasting social, environmental, and economic damages, some of whose underlying mechanisms risk being replicated today in the global energy transition, characterized by a heavy reliance on critical minerals whose … Continue reading