The first windmills, distant ancestors of our contemporary wind turbines, seem to have appeared around the VIe century, in the regions of present-day Afghanistan and Iran. The great inventions were quickly copied in China. We had to wait until the end of the twelfthe century, in the wake of the Crusades, for their importation into Europe and their development with increasingly efficient models (on pivot, tower, blouse, etc.). Tens of thousands of these machines capable of grinding, beating, sawing, crushing or crushing have spread in the West for centuries. England already had around 4,000 of them by the year 1300.
This technological revolution (to which must be added the improvement of the water mill, known since Antiquity) coincides with the disappearance of slavery in favor of serfdom. It also accompanies an exceptional economic dynamism which has favored international trade and the rise of networked cities, in the north by the Hanseatic League, in the south with the merchant cities of Genoa in Venice. The question of the genesis of capitalism arises around this fabulous means of production.
This is the kind of exciting insight that the essay develops world racing, by Frenchman Victor Court, published by the Quebec company Écosociété. The book of some 500 pages offers a very dynamic and no less fascinating history of human societies around energy.
“The title refers to the fact that we are in a troubled period with climate change, the collapse of biodiversity: we feel that the limits of the Earth system, of the ecological system are more and more significant, explains to the Duty Mr. Court, attached since 2020 to IFP New Energy (IFPEN), a think tank bringing together 1,400 researchers, excuse me. We also feel that the race of humanity, and especially of Western societies, has escaped us, has in any case got carried away, undergoing a trajectory of great acceleration in recent decades. »
A story in three stages
The racing of the world is in part the culmination of ten years of doctoral and postdoctoral research. The subtitle of the essay establishes a link between “energy and domination in the history of human societies”. The demonstration seeks to understand and explain how we have arrived at the current major, unprecedented and indeed catastrophic repercussions on the biogeosphere. The demonstration goes through the reading of human history through the energetic prism, from the Paleolithic to our era of the Anthropocene.
The division is organized around three major historical eras, each determined by a dominant energy system: the time of the collectors, by hunting-gathering and fire; the time of the harvesters, through agriculture and the renewable energies of water and wind; and finally our time, that of extractors of fossil fuels, but also nuclear, and modern renewable sources.
In total, there are three ways to harness the energy produced by our star. We are all, and have always been, “the children of the Sun”, to use the beautiful expression of the American historian Alfred W. Crosby.
“The types of energy we consume define the realm of possibilities,” summarizes Mr. Court. In any case, energy is the hallmark of change, it is a central element of the relationship of domination between and within societies, but also between humans and nature. »
Two revolutions mark the shifts from one time to another: the Neolithic revolution, around 10,000 years ago, and the industrial revolution, around 250 years ago. “Energy consumption and techno-economic development mutually stimulate each other”, summarizes the book.
Truths and Consequences
Mr. Court has the means to match his ambitions. Trained in both engineering and economics, he presents the cutting edge of research in a wide variety of disciplines and proves to be very adept at synthesizing them clearly to make them immediately fascinating.
An example, concerning the origin of democracy. We know the usual refrain: Greece 2500 years ago, Athens, the philosophers, reinvention in the 18the century, etc. Based on anthropology, Mr. Court reminds us that animal tracking has required for thousands and thousands of years the use of reason to read the complex signs and discuss in groups the best means to take to capture fleeing animals.
One could dare to draw a connection with the best-selling books by Israeli history professor Yuval Noa Harari, whose Sapiens, a brief history of mankind. Both offer a fast ride through 200,000 or 300,000 years of history. Only, Mr. Court, he does not develop commonplaces and does not reduce the adventure of humanity to a technological advance towards a radiant future guided by the billionaires of Silicon Valley. In addition, he gives his sources and in large quantities.
On the contrary, the problems and challenges exposed inspire dread. Victor Court, for example, makes it clear that the “energy transition” does not exist on a planetary scale. Energy sources do not replace each other: they overlap.
Half of the agriculture on the planet still uses livestock, as in the days of the reapers. Earthlings have never consumed so much wood, coal and oil. New renewable sources add to the mix and stimulate the consumption of fossil fuels, for example to build equipment. Another tenacious myth speaks of “post-industrial, dematerialized societies”, whereas industrial production has simply been relocated on a planetary scale.
“Our way of life in the West is based on the exploitation of natural resources and labor on the other side of the world. We lose the impression of it, because we no longer see the energy flows in our cities. Electricity is the type of energy that hides its origin the most from gas-fired or coal-fired power plants. We don’t even see our waste anymore. »
One disaster, two options
He observes that two visions are now clashing: technoprogressism and collapse. Let’s say Elon Musk against the Amish.
The second option basically says it’s too late and it’s all going to fall apart anyway. The first recognizes that technology has created problems, but thinks that ever more technology (hydrogen, digital, etc.) will solve them. Engineers have recently been seen suggesting using lunar dust to block the sun’s rays.
“The two postures seem to me to be not very fruitful for imagining what we need, an alternative type of society, says the energy historian. The technique has its place to solve certain problems and maintain material comfort. It’s still a decoy to think that she can save us on her own. »
The position of the collapsologists seems to him just as counterproductive in addition to confining oneself to eco-anxiety. “We need a more rational discourse: we have a huge challenge ahead of us, and we have to accept technology while changing our lifestyles, especially from the point of view of consumption. »
In short, it takes sobriety. We must develop more efficient cars, recycle more, encourage the circular economy, notes the specialist. All this is necessary. Above all, we need more of less.
“The problem is that these solutions are taken in the logic of capitalism, adds Mr. Court. They cannot by themselves counter the tendency to accumulation, to overproduction. The notions of sustainable development, the carbon market, these measures have not had the expected effects. They could be useful if, at the same time, we thought about the mode of consumption, our needs, what we have to give up. »
The reflection leads to a plea for a radical ecology, but democratically accepted. “Otherwise, we will see a return to authoritarian, even totalitarian systems, when it is necessary to manage the climate emergency in the middle of the 21st century.e century, says Victor Court. Honestly, this is also why the ecological imperative cannot be denied by our societies and our world. »