Abstract
The energy orthodoxy is built on modern science, which is the rejection of magic. Yet magical thinking continues to haunt the orthodox project of controlling fate, especially when it comes to solutions for climate change. “Magic, Machines, and Markets” examines two of the central pillars of the energy orthodoxy: decoupling and the invisible hand. Are they the logic of a mechanistic modern civilization or wishful thinking? A closer look at the scale of decarbonization called for by climate scientists should leave us wondering about whether we can really tech-fix and green-grow our way out of the climate crisis.
The great hope for a quick and swee** transition to renewable energy is wishful thinking
Vaclav Smil (2014)
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Briggle, A. (2021). Magic, Machines, and Markets. In: Thinking Through Climate Change. Palgrave Studies in the Future of Humanity and its Successors. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-53587-2_16
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