Always Adding More: The Unpopular Reality about Energy Transitions with Jean-Baptiste Fressoz

Always Adding More: The Unpopular Reality about Energy Transitions with Jean-Baptiste Fressoz

(Conversation recorded on November 6th, 2024)

The vision of a carbon-free, net-zero society is often framed around the promise of transitioning away from fossil fuels. But what can we learn from past "energy transitions" that might inform how feasible – or unrealistic – this vision actually is?

Today, Nate is joined by energy and technology historian Jean-Baptiste Fressoz for a lesson on the importance of understanding the historical trajectory of energy use for realistically navigating the unprecedented challenges humanity faces today – including the dominant narrative of a modern-day "energy transition." Jean-Baptiste explores the interdependent relationship between different energy sources—from wood to coal to oil—and reveals how this history shapes our hopes for renewables and nuclear energy moving forward.

How can examining the history of energy and material use help us fully grasp the scale at which human societies actually consume them? What role do our current economic systems play in driving an ever-growing demand for new energy sources? In the history of our species, have we ever fully transitioned off of one energy source and replaced it with another – and what does this imply for the hope of a fossil-free future?

About Jean Baptiste Fressoz:

Jean-Baptiste Fressoz is a historian and researcher at the Alexandre Koyré Center of the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences in Paris, France. His work focuses on environmental history, technology and energy, and the Anthropocene. He is the author of Happy Apocalypse: A History of Technological Risk, as well as the co-author of the book Chaos in the Heavens: The Forgotten History of Climate Change. Most recently, he wrote More and More and More: An All Consuming History of Energy.

Show Notes and More

Watch this video episode on YouTube

Want to learn the whole story of The Great Simplification? Watch our 30-minute Animated Movie.

---

Support The Institute for the Study of Energy and Our Future

Join our Substack newsletter

Join our Discord channel and connect with other listeners

Episoder(371)

The Baby Bust: How The Toxicity Crisis Could Cause the Next Economic Crash with Jeremy Grantham

The Baby Bust: How The Toxicity Crisis Could Cause the Next Economic Crash with Jeremy Grantham

(Conversation recorded on November 5th, 2024) It is no secret that population dynamics significantly impact global stability. But what's really behind today's shifting global birth trends, the inc...

11 Des 20241h 47min

Shutting Off The Plastic Tap: A Global Treaty To Regulate Petrochemical Pollution? with Jane Muncke

Shutting Off The Plastic Tap: A Global Treaty To Regulate Petrochemical Pollution? with Jane Muncke

(Conversation recorded on December 2nd, 2024) One of the central ecological challenges of our time is addressing the plastic and petrochemical pollution that has exploded over the past several decad...

8 Des 202447min

The Biggest Takeaways from the Logic of the Superorganism

The Biggest Takeaways from the Logic of the Superorganism

(Recorded November 26, 2024) As we piece together the different facets of our reality, the systems synthesis which emerges confronts us with some uncomfortable truths. These are the advanced inferen...

6 Des 202420min

Existential Risks: The Biggest Threats to Life as We Know It with Luke Kemp

Existential Risks: The Biggest Threats to Life as We Know It with Luke Kemp

(Conversation recorded on October 22nd, 2024) The human system as we know it today – which powers our economies, global supply chains, and social contracts – is a fragile network based on innumera...

4 Des 20241h 41min

A Brief Clarification on Human Behavior | Frankly 78

A Brief Clarification on Human Behavior | Frankly 78

(Recorded November 21, 2024) Two weeks ago, in a Frankly called The Battles of Our Time, Nate commented on human behavior and said that, in today's world, only three to four percent of humans are go...

29 Nov 20249min

Energy Crises & Global Power Shifts: The Struggle for Stability in Israel, Iran, and Beyond | Helen Thompson

Energy Crises & Global Power Shifts: The Struggle for Stability in Israel, Iran, and Beyond | Helen Thompson

(Conversation recorded on November 11th, 2024, prior to a ceasefire declared between Israel and Lebanon on November 27th, 2024) If you've followed TGS for some time, you've heard Nate speak about Th...

27 Nov 20241h 11min

Future Council: How Children are Responding to our Planetary Crises with Damon Gameau and The Future Council

Future Council: How Children are Responding to our Planetary Crises with Damon Gameau and The Future Council

(Conversation recorded on September 24th, 2024) It is frequently true that those who will inherit the greatest consequences of our climate crisis – today's youth – have the least voice in shaping ...

24 Nov 202450min

7 Philosophies on the Future | Frankly 77

7 Philosophies on the Future | Frankly 77

(Recorded November 12, 2024) In last week's Frankly, Nate shared his thoughts on some of the polarities we'll need to harmonize as we journey towards a more uncertain world. As the holidays approach f...

22 Nov 20249min

Populært innen Vitenskap

fastlegen
tingenes-tilstand
rekommandert
rss-nysgjerrige-norge
forskningno
liberal-halvtime
sinnsyn
vett-og-vitenskap-med-gaute-einevoll
smart-forklart
fjellsportpodden
rss-rekommandert
pod-britannia
jss
villmarksliv
nevropodden
rss-overskuddsliv
rss-radium
hva-er-greia-med
kvinnehelsepodden
rss-bondevennen