World without fossil fuels

[simonf]

Imagine a world that has no oil, coal or natural gas. It probably would be identical to ours until the start of the industrial revolution.

The steam engine is created, but requires wood in abundance. Massive deforestation follows. After that, industrialization only takes off in the deltas of large rivers where huge quantities of logs could be transported by water. The steamships stay mostly at Mark Twain's levels and do not venture into open seas. Very slow development of railroads ensues. Ethanol engines appear by the end of the 19th century, but they are inefficient, and ethanol is expensive.

Electricity is discovered at about the same time as in OTL, but, other than in telegraphy, it stays a parlor trick for a while. City lighting does not progress beyond candles and oil lamps. However, major investments are soon directed towards harnessing wind and water power. In a curious twist, industry shifts to the areas with better access to electricity, which includes many mountainous regions (eg, see US wind power map). Some of the electricity is used to produce hydrogen for fertilizers which leads to additional population disbalances. As a result, the disparity between more and less developed regions is very pronounced for a long time.

There are no world wars, no densely settled cities, no significant working class, so the pace of changes never reaches our levels. However, various local conflicts flare up. Scotland breaks free together with Liverpool, as well as the Basque County and Galicia. Switzerland becomes a kernel of the Alpine Confederation that includes Northern Italy, Southern France and Bavaria, but the rest of Germany is still fragmented. Other small countries with new access to power experience rapid development: Iceland and Norway, as well as Japan (much later, though, as Commodore Perry never arrives).

Colonialism does not even begin to decline until the end of the 20th century. China is partitioned between European powers, and the Emperor's court rules only over Szechuan and Tibet that are doing rather well.

United States (minus the Confederate Part) experiences wrenching realignment as the New England and Great Lakes region lose the competition with the newly rich Mountain states. Chief Seattle manages to play off against each other US and British Empire and establishes a de facto Indian State that eventually expands into British Columbia, Oregon and Washington State. The 1906 San Francisco earthquake interrupts the Gold Rush, so California develops very slowly much outside of the mountainous regions.

90% of world's helium is in the US, so American air companies dominate the market, though smaller competitors with hydrogen airships constantly try to undercut them. It's a tough business, as hydrogen zeppelins are very expensive to insure.

Electricity storage and transmission is another hot investment area, and regional electrical grids develop around mid-20th century. This leads to military needle-thin airships with tops speeds reaching 150 mph and air-refueling capabilities (ie, battery exchange). Air defense, however, still can easily pick them off, so super-heavy artillery and dreadnoughts remain weapons of choice. Only later hybrid electric-ethanol engines and crude ballistic missiles begin to challenge the usual calculations.

Nuclear energy is glimpsed at by the and of 20th century, but due to the lack of experience with building power plants it takes decades to arrive at relatively safe plant designs. Even later, first nuclear ships begin to take off. Nuclear weapons are banned outright.

In about 400 years, this world's history converges with ours...

(As you can guess, I don't have much knowledge of energy technologies, but I would like very much to see what more experienced readers can contribute. )

[CDurham]

If the Carboniferous period is so increadibly changed from OTL then it is all too likely that humans never evolve as whatever ancestral creature that was around in OTL carboniferous would not exist (or would follow a highly divergent evolutionary path) this time around.

[Lord Grattan]

Originally Posted by CDurham

If the Carboniferous period is so increadibly changed from OTL then it is all too likely that humans never evolve as whatever ancestral creature that was around in OTL carboniferous would not exist (or would follow a highly divergent evolutionary path) this time around.

Everything on the planet would be unrecognizably different as CDurham suggests. Even if, as you say, everything in human/world history were "identical to ours until the start of the industrial revolution" taking away coal, oil and natural gas butterflies away many items and applications that we use, utilize and rely upon everyday in OTL.

[Jomazi]

There were densely populated areas as well as large cities even before the industrial era.

The main differences would be:

* More reliance on electricity in the industry. Countries with favorable geography for hydroelectric power would quickly become industrial powerhouses. And no, it's not hydrogen you add in fertilizer, it's nitrogen.


*For the less lucky countries, the most easily accessible energy source would be biomass, such as charcoal (very likely in the beginning), ethanol, methanol, biodiesel, synthetic hydrocarbons. Likely the last three would be developed into reliable technologies far earlier than OW.

Since most synthetic drugs and plastics rely on petroleum-derived feedstock, I imagine chemistry as a field would be ahead.

All in all, a slower industrial revolution, lower population density, and technology would be considerably more centralized to the developed nations.

Less stuff, more advanced is probably the key.

[Faeelin]

Originally Posted by Jomazi

All in all, a slower industrial revolution, lower population density, and technology would be considerably more centralized to the developed nations.

Less stuff, more advanced is probably the key.

Though man, watch how fast nuclear power plants get built.

[jamhaw]

I think that this thread should be moved to alien space bats and other magic.

[DuQuense]

Since most synthetic drugs and plastics rely on petroleum-derived feedstock, I imagine chemistry as a field would be ahead.

Or wood based Plastics take off due to more research.

It is possible [thro expensive at the moment] to release woods natural Ligin [] to make manufactured woods.
A lot more shaped wood products, where whe use Plastic.

[Joseph Solis in Australia]

Much clean world.

[Lord Grattan]

Originally Posted by Joseph Solis in Australia

Much clean world.

No, just other forms of pollutants.