[The Editors' Verdict] Energy Is Another Name for Food

Published 08 Sep.2020 12:02(KST)

Some scholars argue it started earlier, but from the mid-17th century, England experienced a severe fuel shortage. Until then, fuel was mainly wood. Trees were used not only for firewood but also extensively for construction, shipbuilding materials, and more. The iron industry also used large amounts of wood as fuel. Urbanization was progressing at an unprecedented pace compared to before.

In 16th and 17th century England, agricultural productivity rapidly improved. The so-called enclosure movement was underway, sparking an agricultural revolution. Consequently, the population also grew quickly. From the mid-16th century over the course of a century, England’s population nearly doubled. During the same period, London’s population increased from 50,000 to 350,000, and two centuries later, in 1850, it reached 2.5 million.

The production cycle of wood could not keep up with this population growth. Overharvesting occurred, leading to a crisis. In fact, England began importing wood from Scandinavia as early as the early 13th century. Although not as rapid as in the 17th century, deforestation had already begun quite early. An alternative to wood was needed.

Fortunately, England had abundant coal deposits. Of course, coal had been used as fuel long before. However, compared to wood and charcoal, coal was an inferior fuel due to smoke, unpleasant odors, and toxic gases that could take lives. As coal became widely used, technologies for producing and processing coal also rapidly advanced. High costs were a problem, but technology to heat coal to remove impurities and toxic gases had already been developed in Italy by the mid-16th century.

Coal production is a typical example of increasing costs. Initially, production took place at or near the surface, but gradually mining went deeper underground. The deeper the mine shaft, the higher the costs. Also, deep shafts accumulate water, making it difficult to work without pumping it out. Of course, there are limits to pumping water using human and animal power.

Solving these problems was the top priority of the coal industry at the time. By the end of the 17th century, 75% of patents in England were related to coal production, and 15% of inventions concerned mine drainage. One of these was the steam engine invented by English inventor Thomas Savery (1650?1715). After several stages of improvement, the steam engine’s efficiency was greatly enhanced by James Watt (1736?1819).

With the development of the steam engine, England’s coal production increased from 227,000 tons in 1560 to 2.56 million tons in 1700, and 15 million tons in 1800. In 1800, England’s coal production was five times that of all other European countries combined. Because the produced coal was used as fuel, operating costs for steam engines were low. Moreover, steam engines greatly improved productivity across industries such as iron, textiles, and railroads. The Industrial Revolution had begun.

History reminds us that the economy is a harmony of fuel, that is, energy. It is foolish to judge energy as good or bad. In the modern economy, energy is like food. It depends on how it is used; the dichotomy that coal and nuclear power are dirty while wind and solar are clean is outdated. Look at photos of deforested forests caused by solar power production. Is energy produced that way clean? Furthermore, judging energy by ideological standards is nothing but ignorance and folly. Without reflecting on energy policy, the future of this country, which does not produce a single drop of oil, cannot be bright.