The Coal Conquest – There was no shortage of trees
a day ago
- Dutch used peat to refine salt, but British coal emerged as a competitor due to higher energy density.
- Coal was initially inferior because of sulfur, causing stinging smoke, but became popular in late 16th century.
- The common explanation that deforestation caused the shift to coal is wrong; wood was a renewable resource managed through coppicing.
- High wood prices would have led to expanded production, not destruction, so wood supply remained sufficient.
- Iron and glass industries expanded without causing a wood shortage, thanks to sustainable practices and imports.
- Deforestation was driven by conversion of woodland to agriculture, enabled by cheap coal replacing wood as fuel.
- Coal's cheapness and ease of transport by sea allowed it to undercut wood, leading to land use change.
- Wood prices rose because coal reduced demand for wood, leaving only high-value uses, not because of an actual shortage.
- Coal supply responded faster to price changes than trees could grow, making coal the dominant fuel.