Download FROM REVOLUTION TO CLIMATE CHANGE

Docu
men
8
FROM REVOLUTION
TO CLIMATE CHANGE
t
We cannot understand recent climate history without drawing a parallel between two major revolutions: the Industrial
Revolution and the energy revolution. While the progress humanity has made in just over 150 years is considerable, so are the
challenges it must now overcome. Climate change is one such challenge we must face, and scientists have been observing it
since the dawn of these revolutions. But what happened during that time that has modern-day experts so frantically sounding
the alarm?
Unprecedented Population Growth
An Energy Revolution
The Industrial Revolution coincided with a tremendous increase in
the world’s population. In just over 150 years, it has grown from
1 billion inhabitants to more than 6 billion. This increase is in large
part thanks to progress made in the food sector, as well as
improvements in the state of health and living conditions in
several parts of the world. However, this population explosion is
also at the root of a series of upheavals that, in the end, have left
humanity facing complex problems such as climate change.
During the entire pre-industrial period, the development of societies depended exclusively on the use of renewable energy
sources. Civilization relied on the physical strength of both humans
and animals, along with the energy generated by wind, water
and wood burning. The wood shortage in Europe at the start of
the 20th century led industrialists to turn, for the first time in history, to a non-renewable energy source: coal. Widely available,
easy to extract and offering better energy output, coal allowed the
industrial machine to operate at full force. Immense chimneys
spewing the main by-product of burning coal, carbon dioxide,
sprung up all over the industrialized West. The first signs of largescale atmospheric disturbances appeared with smog (a contraction
of the words smoke and fog). Coal was replaced at the start of the
20th century by petroleum and, later, by natural gas. The combustion of these fuels, while less problematic than coal, has since
been releasing astronomical quantities of greenhouse gases
(GHGs) into the atmosphere. Today, most of the energy required
for the progress of societies comes from the use of fossil fuels
that characterized the energy revolution.
Firstly, with more mouths to feed came major changes in agricultural practices, such as land clearing, monoculture and the
mechanization of work. Next, all of these new arrivals needed a
roof over their heads. Entire forests disappeared to make room
for increasing human settlements (urbanization) and for their expansion (urban sprawl). In the space of 200 years, the proportion
of people living in cities rose from 2.5% to more than 50% today.
To meet the basic needs of these populations and fulfill their
growing desires, the powerful industrial machine got to work,
pumping out coveted consumer goods in increasingly large quantities. Since their own survival depended on the wages of these
new consumers, industrial capitalists put the population to work.
Mechanization, the internal combustion engine, the assembly line,
the specialization of manufacturing practices and the regulation of
natural resource prices increased production while lowering costs.
When raw materials ran out locally, industrialists turned to the
Third World. The low cost of labour and resources helped generate even greater profits. At the same time, a tentacle-like network
of local and international transportation routes facilitated the
movement of people and goods. The last step was to “connect”
the world through communication networks to promote international trade. Westerners today enjoy an unrivalled quality of life.
However, without the energy revolution that accompanied the
Industrial Revolution, none of this would have been possible.
Global Consequences
Since the mid-19th century, the overall temperature of the Earth
has increased by nearly 0.6oC, which is more than during any
other period in history. The main culprits: the massive use of fossil
fuels, not to mention deforestation, agricultural practices and the
unbridled consumption of goods and services. All these activities
contribute to the increase in GHG emissions, which is at the heart
of climate change. Since the Industrial Revolution, the amount of
carbon dioxide present in the atmosphere has risen by 35%. The
amount of methane has jumped by 145%. Joined by the developing nations of China, India and Brazil, the northern countries
now consume more than 80% of the Earth’s energy resources. Yet
the consequences of climate change impact all of the planet’s
inhabitants. When will we witness the next revolution? And will it.
Based on educational material from the Des idées dans l’airž! (DIDA) kit available from the Centrale des syndicats du Québec (CSQ) http://eav.csq.qc.net/dida/