Fossil Capital: The Rise of Steam Power and the Roots of Global Warming

Synopsis

Why did coal-powered industry triumph over water power when, for much of the Industrial Revolution, water was often cheaper and more efficient? In Fossil Capital, Andreas Malm overturns conventional explanations for the rise of fossil fuels, arguing that coal was adopted not because it was technologically superior, but because it gave industrialists greater control over labour. The shift to steam power, he contends, laid the foundations for an economic system built on fossil fuels, relentless growth, and the climate crisis we face today.

Drawing on economic history, political theory, and environmental research, Malm traces the origins of fossil capitalism from nineteenth-century Britain to the global expansion of carbon-intensive industry. Challenging long-held assumptions about industrialization, this influential and deeply researched work has become a cornerstone of contemporary climate politics, offering a powerful account of how capitalism and fossil fuel dependence became inseparable—and why addressing climate change requires confronting both.

About the Author

Andreas Malm is a Swedish human ecologist and Associate Professor at Lund University. His research focuses on climate change, political ecology, and the history of capitalism. Widely recognized as one of the leading thinkers in environmental politics, he is the author of numerous influential books examining the relationship between fossil fuels, economic systems, and ecological crisis.

Publisher

Verso

Publication Date

January 12, 2016

Format

Paperback

Pages

496

Subjects

Climate Change · Environmental Politics · Political Economy · Economic History · Capitalism · Environmental Studies

ISBN

9781784781293