Welcome to Energy Humanities, a hub for new ideas and insights about climate, energy, and culture. This project is a collective effort from the Transitions in Energy, Culture, and Society (TECS) project in Canada and the Petrocultures Research Group. It features biweekly articles and commentary on current events from leading thinkers in the energy humanities and related fields. We also feature video interviews with influential and emerging voices on energy and society, as well as relevant news and original essays.
A big part of the problem is our inclination to trust in technocentric solutions. Too many of us tend to hope that life can go on as it has for the last half century, but with batteries instead of combustion engines. We look forward to hydrogen planes and AI powered by the sun to fuel mass consumption on a global scale. These tendencies speak to the cultural and political nature of our problem.
The challenge before us is immense because our cultural assumptions and sensibilities are deeply shaped by the fossil fuels we depend on in our daily lives. So how do we understand the relationship between culture and energy in ways that help us move forward? The Humanities –literature, philosophy, history, and more – are generating new and exciting insights into the social nature of our environmental crises. They are helping us to see ourselves anew, and to untangle ourselves from fossil fuels. As a gathering place for these ideas that applies them to what’s going on in the world right now, Energy Humanities aims to use our humanistic tools and insights to foster a new world.
Energy Humanities is edited by Caleb Wellum. Imre Szeman and Mark Simpson are acting editorial advisors.
