The Rise and Fall of a Fossil Fuel

For a long time, coal represented progress and prosperity. It created an unprecedented boost in productivity and provided the necessary energy to break out of premodern modes of industry. Brüggemeier vividly and succinctly describes how coal shaped the way in which Europe entered the modern age. Without coal, the Industrial Revolution would not have been possible. With its help, European societies achieved exceptional levels of development well into the 20th century. However, this coal-fueled leap into modernity also had its dark side. Coal provided the energy for two disastrous world wars, and the underground mining conditions were devastating to workers’ health. Lastly, the environmental impact of coal mining heralded the beginning of the end of the most important fossil fuel in human history.