The story of energy begins with water. Today water and energy are interconnected — for better or worse. Running out of water in one place can cause an energy shortage in another, but the reverse is also true. Saving water saves energy and vice versa. How can we make energy “less thirsty” and water less energy-intensive? WATER traces a centuries-long journey across the Middle East, Europe, Asia, and the United States to show the history of energy and water.
The miracles of energy enable a stable supply in our global food system. But when food goes from farm to table to landfill, that embedded energy is wasted. How do we harness energy to feed our growing population without the downsides of industrialization? FOOD traces a centuries-long journey across Europe, Asia, and the United States to show us the energy it takes to bring us our food.
Innovations in energy have revolutionized transportation over time from literal horsepower for horse drawn carriages to modern combustion engines, electric vehicles, and rockets. Transportation changes societies and our sense of place changes along with it. Machines help us travel over land and across the sky, but they require an enormous amount of energy. TRANSPORTATION traces a centuries-long journey across the world to show us the energy that brings us modern transportation.
Before modern energy, wealth was tied to land ownership. Today, wealth is tied to energy and who controls it. Energy changes the way wealth is concentrated, creating a cascade of social and economic effects. WEALTH traces a centuries-long journey across the world to show us the energy that gives us wealth.
Energy is all around us, hidden in every aspect of our lives. The future of cities and the future of energy are closely connected. Cities shape our relationship with the natural and built environment and consume 40% of U.S. energy. CITIES traces a centuries-long journey across the Middle East, Europe, Asia, and North America to show us the energy that gave us modern cities.
Energy can be both the cause and the instrument of modern war. Advances in energy have historically arisen during the urgency of wartime. Energy done the right way can lead to peace, energy done the wrong way leads to instability and conflict. WAR traces a centuries-long journey across the world to show us how energy changed the way we fight wars.
Modern energy takes us on a journey to the final frontier. This episode traces the history of space travel, with a focus on the energy innovations making it possible. Lifting off into space depends on modern energy, and surviving in space also requires energy. Energy is required at every step in space exploration, and new forms of energy must be developed to reach other star systems.
From oil spills and coal mine explosions to dam failures and nuclear meltdowns, we can learn much from disasters related to energy. At the same time, energy is the key to solving natural disasters and the looming disaster of climate change. In what ways does energy make our lives safer or more dangerous?
Modern energy transformed work over time. From farm to factory to office and the “work from home” revolution, energy is embedded in our systems of employment. What is the future of energy and work?
Modern energy enables mass entertainment like popular music, movies, television and video games.
Culture and modern energy go hand in hand. Our fashion, music and art all have been impacted by modern energy. Wealthy industrialists with fortunes made from energy funded much of modern culture, using energy systems to spread culture across the globe.
Learn how energy enabled rapid globalization, both as both a widely traded product and as a facilitator for moving goods globally. In the ancient world, globalization was always a goal, but modern forms of energy provided the missing link.