Carbon Emissions Began in the UK

Could he see where it would end?

Turner, arguably the greatest artist Britain has ever known, painted the scene above. A steam tug tows a wind-powered warship to its grave. The sun sets. It’s not optimistic. Maybe not pessimistic either, yet the artist knows something has changed. Wind power is no longer an option. It’s 1838.

• » See also: Oceans’ Ability to Absorb Carbon & Protect Against Climate Change Weakening
• » Get EcoWorldly by RSS or sign up by email.

Coal fires the tug, coal fires an Industrial Revolution, coal abets empire building. The rest is a history we now recognise.

What did Turner feel as he painted that? Loss or gain?

What can Elizabeth Gaskell have felt as she wrote Mary Barton? Probably bleak. Reading the book recently, knowing of my father’s Lancashire roots amidst mill towns, I felt humbled by the pain caused to so many as so few grew enormously rich.

Disgusting scenes of poverty juxtaposed with perfumed wealth. The foul stench of carbon emissions choking the workers who starved at the expense of others growing rich. How much has really changed? Perhaps it’s easier to breathe when you’re high up in business. You can’t see the fumes down on the street.

And James Watt: His eureka moment that further helped bring coal from the ground. How does history now view him?

Three figures from English history. Welcome to the Industrial Revolution.

Spawned in Britain. Now global. And still raging.

Image Source:

Take a closer look at the painting here. An incredible use of colours.

Tweet This Post